Pish and tosh. OranGINa is tasty, as is the Tom Collins.
I have to second this. In fact, it sounds so good, my mouth is watering.
HelloNinja makes a tasty little drink he calls a TropiJo. Mix one part vodka, one part cranberry juice, and top with a splash of pineapple juice. Mix, strain, and pour down my mouth. Err… umm… your mouth. Or over ice. Either work.
And the Gimlet.
I would say pick an alcohol you like a lot (Vodka, Tequila, Whiskey, Gin…whatever) and focus on making drinks with those. Vodka is easy because it disappears into anything you put it into. Tequila, Whiskey, Gin and Rum all take a little more care because they actually taste like something, but they generally make more interesting drinks when you do mix them.
I like Gin in the summer and Whiskey whenever, so those are what I focus on at my home. I usually keep some vodka on hand too just because it is so versitile. Almost all coctails are going to be simple enough that you can make them on your own at home. The more classic the cocktail the more true this will be.
When going out, I generally try to stick to simple drinks unless I know and trust the bartender. The fewer variables involved the happier I am. So my go to at a bar is a shot of Bourbon neat with a beer back. If they don’t have a bourbon that I will drink I will go for a G&T or a Gimlet. I stay away from margarita’s unless I know the place knows how to make them, same with Bloody Mary’s, daqueri’s (any rum drinks actually) and gin martini’s. Vodka Martini’s can be ordered more safely at a random bar because it’s harder to mess them up. (You may notice a theme of me not trusting bartenders to make drinks properly.)
If you think you like Whiskey give an old fashioned a try next time you are out. All bartenders should know how to make one and it is on the sweeter side.
When you’re out at a bar sometime, OP, you might try a few things before investing in a whole bottle:
Galliano-We used to have this in college. I don’t like anise much, but this has vanilla and other things and is quite tasty. It’s supposed to aid digestion.
Amaretto-Can be sipped without further adornment.
Various schnapps: “schnapps” sounds pretty manly, don’t you think? Hide a bottle of peach schnapps somewhere at home, mix with OJ, and it’s Fuzzy Navel Time! I like peppermint schnapps, which would be great in some hot chocolate.
Irish cream. Sweet. My brother has a recipe for making this but there are inexpensive brands that are good.
Drambuie
My personal favorite drink is a Rusty Nail: equal parts Drambuie and scotch (which I find pretty nasty by itself).
Me, too. I have gone this one better, IMHO, using Jones Soda. To the rum I add one part cola to one part cream soda. I call this a Cuba dulce.
OK, de gustibus non est disputandum and all that, but don’t neglect the forgotten Gimlet. I consider it a gateway drink to introduce people to gin. I drink gin shaken with ice and strained, but that’s a little much for most people.
I love mojitos, but I don’t like the mint getting stuck in my teeth. So, a way to make a cheater mojito is this:
Into a blender, put one can of limeade concentrate, a good handful of fresh mint, and about a cup of water. Blend it all up for about 30 seconds - you want the mint all chopped up. Pour through a strainer to catch most of the mint, pressing on the mint that’s still in the strainer to squeeze all the juice out. Discard whatever’s left in the strainer. To the rest of it, add ice, light rum, and tonic water (or Sprite) to taste. YUM. And no minty bits to get stuck in your teeth!
I would MUCH rather have a cocktail made with cheap or mid-grade vodka and fresh (squeezed in-store if possible, if not, Floridas’ Natural, Simply Orange or Tropicana unpasturized) juice than a drink made with Absolute, Ketel One or any other premium label vodka mixed with a cheap, pasturized juice…
If you have to skimp (at least when it comes to vodka based cocktails) skimp on the booze, but get the best juice/mixer you can afford.
There are dozens of drinks that only take one mixer and one type of alcohol and any bartender that has been on the job more than a day knows all of them. Gin and tonics are manly and lots of people like them. A screwdriver is also pretty tasty. There is also the “Cape Codder” that is just cranberry juice and vodka. I would hate to see a person that couldn’t figure out how to make a rum and coke when ordered. It doesn’t have to be complicated at all.
Now that you mention it, I don’t think I can really tell the difference between Smirnoff and Absolut when mixed with the juice. The expensive stuff tastes better alone, and I may have just been assuming it had the same impact mixed. I agree, good juice has a much bigger impact. (But where the hell are you getting in-store squeezed juice? You’ve made me realize my life sucks with regards to good OJ.)
Keep your Gin in the freezer.
Buy Mezetta drunken olives (olives kept in vermouth), keep in fridge.
- three olives and a tablespoon of brine in a martini glass
- fill with gin, stir.
Doesn’t get much Simpler than that. 
If you’re a child of the 80’s, and not really a fan of alcohol and aren’t trying to drink to get tipsy or drunk, you can try this wimpy but tasty drink:
3 parts Mountain Dew to 2 parts Triple Sec. Or you can have fun with it, and go with whatever ratio you like (1:1 is another decent ratio, others go with 3:2 Triple sec to Mt. Dew).
But basically if you mix it right, you get the taste ofEcto-Cooler!
What the hell’s that, ghost juice? :eek:
Vodka and iced tea=Ice Pick
Greyhound = Vodka and grapefruit juice
It’s one of my favorites and most bartenders know what it is. If they don’t, you can tell them. Then they’ll know.
Meh. After the third drink it doesn’t matter anyway.
Deliciousness in a Bottle! Well… a juice box! I had one every day when I went to school (The Hi-C drink, not the alcoholic one). It’s the MuthaEff’in Ghostbusters! You can’t go wrong with them!
I stand well corrected, the Gimlet and the Tom Collins are both pretty standard. Gimlets are delicious. Gin and juice - or OranGINa (though I’ve never heard it called that) well - sure, Snoop had that one song. I still think gin does not mix at all well with orange juice. Just my opinion.
I posted a few basic recipes in this thread starting at post #20.
Irish Coffee.
Cup of coffee, shot of Bushmills, shot of Kahuha, Whipped Cream. Sugar Optional.
Good for parties. Keeps you awake, even drunk.
Tris