Friday Happy Hour: "At Home Happy Hour"

This holiday weekend is a great time to have your friends over for a convivial evening! The good people at Southern Comfort have the soiree all planned for us:

Beautiful people, a beautiful time!

So, mix it up! Cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: Gin and Tonic

We couldn't let the summer slip by without paying tribute to a classic drink that is often associated with a summer's evening, yet is enjoyed all year long. Gin and tonic go together like cookies and milk, except with better results. Here's a recipe from a Fleishmann's recipe booklet, where they quaintly refer to "quinine water":

Of course, nowadays we call "quinine water" simply "tonic". Otherwise, wouldn't it be "Gin & Quinine"? Doesn't have the same ring, does it? Here's a recipe from the 1974 edition of "You Are What You Drink" where they recommend making the drink with ice cubes made with tonic:

Enjoy your summer, enjoy your croquet, and cheers!

Friday Happy Hour: for the advanced bartender

If you're like us, you read about the latest drinks that they're hyping at the trendy clubs and your head spins. How could the hobbyist bartender possibly keep up with it?

Well, like they say, practice makes perfect.

And, sometimes you have to start at the very beginning. Here's a drink to start with, and once you have mastered this, you can move on to more advanced drinks:

Okay, so ice and scotch. Got it!

Here's something a little different:


Actually, this one is a little easier to follow. The twist is optional!

But, what happens if your guests don't like scotch or gin? Try this:

Did you get that? Here's another variation on this theme:

You're probably getting the hang of it by now.

Here's a secret: you can make a drink like this out of any kind of liquor.

Now you're ready to graduate to the next step: follow these recipes with whatever liquor you prefer. Then add soda or tonic or water -- voila! Suddenly you have some drinks that everyone enjoys: gin and tonic, vodka tonic, scotch and soda, bourbon and branch. Or, add cola to get rum and coke!

Now you're pouring 'em! Go knock them dead!

Cheers!