3 Drinks I Should Learn To Make?

A good bourbon for the guys...no man will deny a bourbon in the presence of other men for fear of losing "man" points
A good margarita or cosmo for the ladies...or the guys who are just one of the girls
...and this for the rest

Fill glass jar with fresh pineapple chunks...do not use canned pineapple, it doesn't work and you lose points for not being able to use a knife
Fill with quality vodka of your choice....don't spend the farm, but don't get the crap the kids are drinking behind the mall either (think Stoli, Smirn or K1)
Close jar and let see in the kitchen (away from the sun) for 3-5 days
Pour off vodka into pitcher
Take a chessecloth and strain the chunks...get the juice, but don't ham fist it either
Mix the juice with the vodka...and serve over ice
Enjoy your fresh "Knockout"

 

NEAT is the only way to go with single malts!

 

Ya, I encountered those for the first time a few weeks ago. I only had a small one because I had to drive, but everyone else got serious pissed.

 

The SIDECAR

1/3 XO congac (VSOP or good brandy works OK)
1/3 fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 Cointreau--actually slightly less
dash of of Grand Marnier

Shake with ice, strain into glass with lightly sugared rim. Garnish with lemon rind.

Any bar that can produce a top notch Sidecar is a fine establishment. There are few.
Most will want to use cheap brandy, triple sec, etc. Slap them!

I love single malts, etc. but this drink is elegant.
Unfortunately, it has mostly fallen into obscurity.

 

3 Drinks?!

If you were to just know 3, then the basics for a generic co-ed party are:
1. White Russian
2. Bloody Mary
3. Frozen Margarita

But you've got to learn shots for once the party gets going (or to jump start a dead one) such as
B-52
Kamakazi
Lemon Drop
Red Hot
Frozen Jello shots
Body shots

...and you *should* be able to take preferred guests to the next level with
martinis
mojitos
madras
cosmo
mint julip

plus standard holiday fare such as egg nog with brandy and nutmeg.


Tip: keep a bottle of Frangelica around. Teach women to "drink" it (pour over the rocks for beginners) by only putting it to their lips, then licking it off...never sipping or gulping! Be firm about this rule. Be a man!

Plus, you can pour some Frangelica into a blender over some quality vanilla ice cream to serve to the less adventurous members of your party crowd...i.e. anyone in the back who isn't moving. Every party will have some guests who flow around and other guests who just park themselves. A good host will offer different drinks accordingly.

Social drinks *should* be easy and quick to make, by the way.

 

Absinthe
1 shot of Absinthe
Teaspoon of sugar and dip into the absinthe
hold spoon over the absinthe and set it on fire. Let it burn (sugar will begin to turn to caramel) and once the flame starts to go stir the teaspoon in the absinthe.
you can add about a shot measurement of water to tone it down a bit.

It tastes a bit like sambuca but its much stronger. Most bars arent allowed to serve more than one shot of this (whether this is policy of the bar manager or the law, i dont know), but my local pub served us up to four over one evening (it helps if you're good friends with the owner and barman...)