The Hoarfrost

This is a nice looking fun drink that you could make at any time of year. It's particularly nice at Christmas given it's colour and presentation.

The only thing I've noticed is that the lemon juice can easily over power it (I use a fresh lemon), so you might want to go light on the lemon at first and add to taste.

Take a slice of lemon and wet the rim of a martini glass. Take a small amount of sugar (say 1/2 a teaspoon) and sprinkle over the rim so it sticks to the glass. This is more for looks than taste, though it does add to the overall flavour.

1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz White Curacao
1/2 oz White Rum
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice (you might want to start with a 1/4 oz)

Shake over lots of ice.

Makes 2 drinks.

You should get a few "ooohs" and "ahhhs" when you bring them out. They are great for a cocktail party.

The Jack Sparrow

I'd like to take credit on this one, but I stumbled across this in a martini bar somewhere in Ottawa - I can't remember the name (don't read anything into that).

This is a nice mellow something to sip on during a hot afternoon. It has a decidedly Carribean air about it.

1oz Amber Rum ( I like Appleton)

1/2 oz Malibu Coconut Rum

Squeeze of juice from a lime.Serve over ice with a slice of lime.

These are really smooth - just like Jack himself. Savvy.

Blue Agean Angel

Our gang at the cottage try to have an annual "Greek" oriented dinner to celebrate last years crop. As "Ouzo" is not right up there on the most popular drink list, I looked up something that was "in the vicinity" and came across this one

1oz Vodka
1oz Blue Curacao

Stir over ice and add

6oz Orange Juice
Splash of Sprite (say a tablespoon)

It's a pretty neat colour and a nice drink for the late afternoon. We have a sip while dinner is underway and shoot the breeze.

Old Fashioned Martini

Deb and I started drinking martinis before it was the "in" thing. To be honest, I can't remember exactly when it was. We've tried a lot of different mix ratios and different gins. I wouldn't have beleived substituting gins affects the flavour as much as it does. At any rate, we've come to settle on Bombay Gin as our key ingredient of choice.

3.5 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
3/4 oz White Cinzano (although Martini Vermouth works fine)

Put in a shaker with about 6 ice cubes and make like a maraca.

3 olives (preferably stuffed queens) for garnish.

Don't be shy with the olives - sometimes this winds up being dinner. As for the shaking, I have a nice metal cocktail shaker and I find if I shake until my hands start to freeze, thats usually a pretty good indicator its ready.

This makes two nice drinks before dinner to sip on.

Warning: This is a Friday night drink. Best not to drink 2...... 3 is right out.

Lyndoch G & T

This is a nice long drink for a summer afternoon. A added a dash of Lime Cordial to sweeten it up a bit, but not enough to overpower it. Muddling the lemon, lime and gin prior to adding the tonic gives a full citrus flavour.

Over 4 cubes of ice
2 oz Bombay Gin
1 slice lemon - halved
1 slice lime - halved
1/4 oz Lime Cordial

Muddle the mixture with a fork to mix the gin and get the flavour out of the fruit.

Top up with tonic.

When I christened my deck at the cottage, this was one of the first drinks I made. It got a lot of compliments, so I named it after the lake.

The Eebenfield

Ok - one day I was stuck for the exact ingredients for a Haberfield martini and I came up with this.

In lieu of sugar syrup and lemon or lime juice, I used Rose's Lime Cordial (a reasonable substitute that had great results). I'll have to double check, but I'm pretty sure the Haberfield called for lemon juice.

1 oz Bombay Gin
1/4 oz Cinzano White
1/4 oz Rose's Lime Cordial

This is a nice drink on a hot summer evening. Lots of flavour and not too dry.

The Vesper

My personal favourite martini, originally out of "From Russia with Love" - everyone knows the line "...shaken, not stirred".

I believe Connery introduces the drink with the line "I only have one cocktail before dinner. I like it strong and extremely well made." He then proceeds to rhyme off the recipe.

2 oz Bombay gin
1 oz Stochylana vodka
1/2 oz Lilet Blanc
serve with a lemon peel.

This recipe I split between two people. I've had a whole one once - you can get the same effect by having a 290lb linebacker hit you in the face with a 2x4.

Seriously, it is a nice cocktail and has an amazingly mellow finish. You'll have to hunt around for Lilet Blanc - I've had to order it in. It is available at the LCBO on King Edward, regularly stocked.