Many of us have a favorite adult cocktail that we not only enjoy ourselves, but take pride in offering to house guests as an option.

I particularly enjoy a good Manhattan, but what you often get in a restaurant when you ask for it is nothing like the real McCoy. It's usually served in a thimble-size glass, the ingredients are not of the right proportion, and the garnishing cherry often doesn't have a stem for handling it properly.

Here is MY favorite cocktail - the way a Manhattan SHOULD be made.

Start with a regular-sized highball glass. Using a jigger for precise measurement, add these ingredients in the following order:

2 jiggers of a good KENTUCKY Bourbon. For my tastes, Jim Beam mixes well, but you can go up the line to finer stuff if you wish.

1 jigger of Martini and Rossi sweet Vermuth. Don't settle for anything less. This wine makes the drink.

A couple or three drops of Angostura bitters. This gives the drink a very slightly smoky accent that sets it apart from other concoctions.

Two teaspoons of the juice from a jar of Maraschino cherries.

Stir this mixture, and then add ice to the brim of the glass.

Garnish with one STEMMED Maraschino cherry.

Sit down, settle back and enjoy!

Perhaps you have a favorite that you like to prepare?

John


Ingredients


Final product

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Sangria.
I have made Sangria at outdoor parties when folks were drinking it so fast-
I would make another batch, they would yell Pour It Now!
I would say, I need to stir it up.
NO! We want it now!
Just twirl it around as you pour it!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

A drink can be fine, serve it in a plastic red neck cup and it's garbage. The little things add up to build the whole cocktail IMO. The correct glass, good ice, NOT the cheapo store brand mixers/fruit juice/tonic/ rot gut booze/ etc. My house drink(my invention) the suncoast Godfather: In a shaker full of ice, add 2oz's coconut rum , 1 oz Disarona amaretto, 4 oz orange/tangerine juice. The lady's love it, a bit sweet for more than 1 for me. I like a simple Bombay sapphire gin, schweppes tonic (WITH QUININE), lime wedge. I enjoy a nice drink on occasion, certainly not daily, but do not like being drunk. My homemade limon cello from the freezer served neat is a favorite and my rheumatiz medicine as well.

My copy of Applebee's Perfect Margarita. Shaken in a proper cocktail shaker.

My wife and I go out to dinner fairly often. Iowa is experiencing a significant increase in pretentious restaurants. My favorite drink is a very dry gin Gibson served straight up. A Gibson is simply a martini with cocktail onions instead of olives or lemon twist. Three of four restaurants can't make a Gibson around here.

My wife loves a vodka Gimlet on the rocks. Her luck is better at about 2 of 4 can make one.

The young crowd around here drinks craft beer and box wine.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Beer. In a bottle. Twist off cap.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Mine is grand master field tester...

YOU FORGOT to muddle the orange, tsk tsk. Otherwise spot on. Nice glass too.

Nyah, nyah Targets Guy,

This one is a toughy, a lot tougher than twisting off the cap on a
beer bottle.

First, fill a small tumbler with ice.
Then fill to brim with a decent Bourbon.

I'm strictly a dark beer guy or a hoppy lager with dinner sometimes.

Stout,Porter,Double Bock,Black IPA

Most of my guests don't have the taste for good Texas craft beers so I keep some Coors Lite handy for when the need arises.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Double Jameson neat with an ice water back.
Maybe some Cruzan black strap molasses over a clear ice cube with a squeeze of lime.

Sometimes, simple is best.......

No offense but I believe there is some confusion between the Old Fashion and the Manhattan. Most Manhattan recipes don't call for the cherry juice but should compliment the drink. hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

I'm not a big whiskey guy, please pardon my mistake. Dad drank both Manhattans & old fashions, it's been a while. I am SO embarrassed.

You are forgiven, nacho. I'm reasonably sure that this is the one and only mistake you've made this week, unless your spouse says differently...

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Here's proof I'm not much of a whiskey drinker.

I bought the bottle of 17 year old Ballantine's Scotch in 1962 in the PX at the Marine Barracks Guantanamo Bay,Cuba.Still unopened

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Then, there's that.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

LOL, Absolutely no need to be embarrassed. It's more of a common mistakes than one would believe. Your dad had excellent taste. hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

My favorite cocktail to make (and drink!) is the Moscow Mule:



Ginger beer, vodka, lime juice, over ice in a copper mug (or copper plated steel to avoid copper poisoning!) and man is it GOOD. Just so relaxing... to me, it is the perfect cocktail and you just can't go wrong. Everyone I've served it to loves it. Just the best!!

They all sound great to me!

I'm pretty straight forward and here is my favorite. Just add ice

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Me and the better half like and have JD or signal malt scotch neat or on the rocks....
Only thing I have mixed is Pussers rum with coke and lime slice...
Must be the sailor in me..

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

"Manhattan soup" is the classic before dinner drink at our deer camp after hunting. Our recipe includes ice, brandy, sweet vermouth, angustora bitters and a maraschino cherry or two. A drizzle of cherry juice doesn't hurt.

We're getting close and I look forward to it!

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"I also cook."

I'll TAKE IT..
PM to follow

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

Single malt scotch & water. Double shot of any Islay malt, (Lagavulin preferred), 2 ice cubes and 1 shot of water.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

If I like you, I will pull the Blanton's out.... neat

My drinking privileges have been revoked due to over consumption.

I do however still make a dam'n good Whiskey Old Fashioned press or a decent pour of Templeton Rye & rocks for my wife and friends.

Hah! Beer water.





My personal favorite to make for others is my take on Irish coffee. I use a nice Jamaica Blue Mountain blend and Bushmills Green Label. I sweeten with a bit of honey and instead of whipped cream(I hate to float my creamer) I buy a container of whipping cream before a get together. Never had any complaints either.

I'll bring the ice and crystal highball or old fashion (your call) glasses..... hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

I open to reasonable offers for this fine scotch whiskey with box number to the bottle.I don't have a distillery letter.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

I just drink cheap whiskey and Coke. Every now and then I'll pick up some Crown instead of Henry Mckenna.

My bartender specialty, which is not always easy, is smiling and pretending to care about what the drunk is saying.

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That's gonna leave a mark.

George Dickel Barrel Select out of my Fred Flintstone glass. Nothing more.......nothing less.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

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Keep on Chooglin'

That bottle was 17 years old before I was born!

I still have a few bottles of 40+ year old liquor that were Dad's. He kept them in a cabinet in the garage.

Let's see,

Presidente brandy, 1/4 bottle left.

Bacardi Anejo rum, 1/3 bottle left.

Johnny Walker Black Label, 3/4 bottle left.

Unopened Oso Negro vodka.

All from the early to mid '70s

Here is the sunny south we do ice cold sweet ice tea...........

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S&W Accumulator

I used to make the Hairy Buffalo (pure grain) Punch at the fraternity Parties. Went down smooth and soon nobody knew what day it was. Not that everyone on here will think that is a good idea, it was fun in the day. Also make good Martini's, Pina Colada's and Margarita's.

In the early 80's we would go see the Co Rockies (now the LA Kings hockey) and buy the small cans of regular Colorado koolaide (don't think the light was even around yet) for 10 cents each by the school lunch tray, app 25-30 of them at a time. App 1982. Gain alcohol punch too, (in college) lucky if the garbage can was clean & Lord knows what else it was spiked with.

popping a top on a beer can LOL

I can't believe among these refined palates no one has yet mentioned that hearty and robust wine--Mad Dog 20-20. Just chill and pour. Always get a ride home after consuming.

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Possum—The other white meat!

stupidist drink I've ever seen was a Flaming Hooker. Light a shot of high octane booze like Wild Turkey or 151 rum on fire and then drink the flaming shot and set the shot glass down with the residue still burning. I was never drunk enough to do one but I've seen it done.

my usual poison was bourbon/water or scotch/water mixed about 50:50.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

COORS??? People actually drink that swill???

Under certain circumstances some people will drink a bottled Miller High Life!! hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

I had a brother in law that left Miller in his car all day, no cooler. When he got out of work he would drink it warm/hot.

Mixed drinks are from the depression era when good booze was not available, and what was available had to be doctored up to be palatable.

I drank so much beer when I was in my twenty's and thirty's, one day I decided I was finished drinking it and never looked back.

The highs aren't as high, but the lows aren't as low, and no more headaches. Life is good.

We found Southern Comfort had a more slow/steady burn. You needed to turn the lights out before drinking it, for the full effect. Watch out if you have a beard.

A mint julep: fresh mint from the garden,Gentleman Jack, a little sugar and plenty of crushed ice. Ah, summer time in the South.

I've gotten to where I can make a pretty decent manhattan. I prefer to use rye whiskey. Have to be careful. One too many and, as they say in the 313, they'll make you slap your mother.

Jamison Irish whiskey, straight (if I am feeling "Bad ***" I add a human hair)

A few observations:
The glass can make or break a cocktail as can the type of ice used.
Take your time make it right and enjoy-this is not the time for power drinking.
Great Manhattan Recipe above-although I would cut back on the cherry juice as I'm not that much into sweetness-the cherry does it for me. I remember fighting with my brothers over who got the cherry in my grandparent's drink!
I always liked a small twist of lemon on a bourbon & water.
I always like a dash of Angourstia bitters in my gin and tonic.
GOOD vermouth is a must in any drink that uses it.
Use Cointreau NOT triple Sec in your Margaritas.
Use real ingredients and NOT mixes whenever possible. Mixes have wayyyyy too much sugar/high fructose corn syrup.
It is amazing how a drink can hold it's temperature when properly shaken and poured into the correct glass without adding an ice cube.
Sometimes simple is better-as in a nice 6oz coctail glass with one cube of hard ice with a dollop of very high shelf Bourbon/scotch/vodka/gin/rum or any other flamable liquid you feel like drinking that evening.
Finally, day drinking is best left to experts
Alcohol is a fine adult pleasure-but like anything else it can turn on ya and grab ya by the balls.

And now for my margarita reciepe
2oz GOOD tequila
1oz Cointreau
1oz fresh squeezed lime juice (Mexican limes if you have them)
Shake and enjoy over rocks-with or without salt as the case may be

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