The Intoxicologist

Though St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the most recognized patron saint of Ireland and is a national holiday of Ireland, the well-known holiday is celebrated in many countries.  Often referred to as ‘amateur night’ by seasoned drinkers, St. Patrick’s Day brings out the young and old touring pubs, watering holes and night clubs with Irish themes of green beer, cocktails and every sort of Jello shot or drinking game one could possibly imagine.  With cocktails and shots flowing freely on such a festive occasions, please keep in mind the need to consume responsibly and designate responsible drivers so everyone arrives home safely. 

 

Beginning shot for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations March 17, 2010:

 

Collins Cream

1 part Michael Collins Blend

1 part Irish Cream Liqueur

 

Combine all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake well.  Strain into a shot glass. Enjoy with a glass of stout.  You might also like the Irish Car Bomb.

 

“Michael Collins is the dawning of a new age of Irish Whiskey; combining the best of Ireland’s long history of distilling with today’s demand for premium quality and unique style. Distilled at the last Irish independently owned distillery, Cooley, Michael Collins Irish Whiskeys are double distilled to retain the flavor characteristics of their premium ingredients.  Aged in small bourbon seasoned casks, they are refined, flavorful and well-balanced.  Michael Collins Single Malt is bold with a distinctive and unexpected lightly peated style.  Aged for a minimum of eight to over twelve years, it has aromas of chocolate malt with light citrus and honeysuckle notes.  Well-rounded and complex with rich maltiness, it finishes long with a hint of chocolate and a wonderfully settled smoke that lingers on the palate.”  – Michael Collins Media Release Notation

 

Irish Smash

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

3/4 part simple syrup

3 lemon wheels

6 – 8 mint leaves

 

Muddle 3 mint leaves, simple syrup and two of the lemon wheels in a cocktail shaker. Add Michael Collins Blend and shake well with ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the remaining lemon wheel and a sprig of fresh mint.

 

Frisky Whisky

1 part Michael Collins

1 part Barenjager Honey Liqueur

1 part fresh orange juice

1/4 part simple syrup

2 Dashes angostura bitters

Lemon or Orange Spiral Garnish

 

Build over ice in a highball glass.  Garnish with lemon or orange spiral.

 

Irish Mint Julep

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1/2 part simple syrup

6 – 8 mint leaves

Dash of Angostura bitters

 

Place the simple syrup and three mint leaves in a cocktail shaker with the Angostura bitters. Using a back of a bar spoon, bruise the mint leaves. Add Michael Collins Blend and stir gently. Strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

 

Irish fizz

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1 part fresh lemon juice

1/2 part premium orange liqueur

1/2 part simple syrup

2 parts soda water

Lemon Wedge Garnish

 

Shake the Michael Collins Blend, fresh lemon juice, orange liqueur and simple syrup well over ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with soda water.  Garnish with a lemon wedge.

 

Irish Blond – created by Dale de Groff

2 ounces Michael Collins Irish Whiskey

3/4 ounce Orange Curacao 

1/4 ounce Fino sherry

Dash of Orange Bitters 

Flamed Orange Peel Garnish

 

Stir all the ingredients in a bar glass with ice.   Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

 

Michael Collins Honeysuckle

1-1/2 parts Michael Collins Blend

2 teaspoons Honey

1-1/4 parts Sauvignon Blanc wine

1-1/2 parts fresh apple juice

1/4 part passion fruit syrup

1/4 part fresh lemon juice

Apple Slice Garnish

 

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into chilled glass.  Garnish with thin apple slice.

 

Collins Royale

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1 part sour apple schnapps

1/2 part fresh lemon juice

1 part dry sparkling wine

Green Apple Slice Garnish

 

Combine Michael Collins Blend, sour apple schnapps and fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to chill.  Strain into champagne flute.  Top with dry sparkling wine.  Garnish with a green apple slice.

 

Michael Collins Green Dublin Apple

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1 part sour apple schnapps

2 parts white cranberry juice

Green Apple Slice Garnish

 

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into chilled martini glass.  Garnish with green apple slice.

 

Michael Collins Old-fashioned

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

1/2 part simple syrup

1/2 part club soda

2 orange slices

2 maraschino cherries

 

Muddle the simple syrup, bitters, one orange slice and one cherry in an old fash­ioned glass. Fill with ice and add Michael Collins Blend. Top with club soda.  Garnish with remaining orange slice and maraschino cherry.

 

Michael Collins Manhattan

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1 part sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Maraschino Cherry Garnish

 

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Stir to blend and chill.  Strain into chilled martini glass.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

 

Michael Collins Irish Ale

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

3 lime wedges

3 parts ginger ale

 

Pour Michael Collins Blend and two of the lime wedges over ice in a highball glass. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with remaining lime wedge. Try with fresh ginger beer for a spicier alternative!

 

Collins Apple-tini

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1 part Peach Liqueur

1 part Pressed Apple Juice

Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice

Green Apple Slice Garnish

 

Combine all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake well.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with slice of green apple.

 

Irish Sunrise

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

3 parts fresh orange juice

Splash of grenadine

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Orange Twist & Maraschino Cherry Garnish

 

Pour the Michael Collins Blend over ice in a rocks glass. Top with fresh orange juice and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Add a splash of grenadine and garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry.

 

Irish Rose

2 parts Michael Collins Blend

1 part simple syrup

3/4 part fresh lemon juice

2 dashes grenadine

Lemon Twist Garnish

 

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.   Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon zest twist.

 

St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Whiskey & Irish Cream Drink Links

Hot Coffee: Irish Coffee - Baileys Mint – Follow Your Senses - Baileys Irish Martini

Baileys Coffee Shiver – Diva Maria – Apple Tartlet

Traditional to Avant-garde: St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails

Regatta Ginger Beer: Invigorating Cocktails with a Refreshing Twist

St. Patrick’s Day for the Tequila Minded - Irish Coffee -100 Calories or Less

Hot Coffee Mocktail: Irish Mock-achino - Hot Coffee: Irish Winter - Hot Coffee: Irish Dream

 

Reviews - Classic Cocktails - Cocktails - Bourbon Cocktails

Champagne & Bubbly Cocktails - Mocktails - Spirited

Low Calorie/Low Carb Cocktails - Shots & Shooters - Holiday Cocktails

 

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

Hoping for a frisky feel good date night this Valentine’s Day?  LiveScience.com counts down the top ten aphrodisiacs in slideshow format.  Be forewarned some of these libido augmenters don’t sound the least bit appetizing. However slide number eight hits the nail on the head in classifying a top selling relaxation method as a false aphrodisiac.  In reality this top ten liquid is an excellent means of flavor enhancement and has been part of popular culture for centuries.  Put into daily practice the number one aphrodisiac listed in the Top 10 Aphrodisiacs article and you’ll have it made with your significant other any night of the week.

 

Of course it wouldn’t hurt to ‘pour on the passion and stir up some romance’ with a few delectable cocktails that include the tempting flavors of well known aphrodisiacs.  Chocolate, honey and licorice were all used in ancient times for medicinal purposes and to ramp up the lust factor.  Women tout their passion for chocolate year round.  What better what to her heart than through her desire for sensory satisfaction?  Choose the path that delights and invites passion year round.

 

Frisky Whisky

1 part Michael Collins

1 part Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur  

1 part fresh orange juice

1/4 part simple syrup

2 Dashes angostura bitters

 

Frisky Whisky utilizes the wonderful flavor of Barenjager Honey Liqueur coupled with Michael Collins whisky.  Build in a highball glass over fresh ice.  Stir.  Easy build so you can get down to the real business of spirited fun.  Barenjager Sweetens the Valentine’s Day Honey Pot – 3 Valentine’s Day Cocktails

 

German Chocolate Cake Shot

1/2 part Jagermeister

1/2 part Chocolate Liqueur

Splash of Coconut Rum

Splash of Butterscotch Schnapps

 

Combine and shake all ingredients over ice.  Strain into a shot glass – Three-O Bubble Shots & Top 10 Popular Shot Recipes includes Red Headed Slut using Jagermeister

 

Tommy’s Valen-Tini

2 1/2 parts Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum

3/4 part Orange Liqueur

3/4 part Sour Mix

3/4 part Raspberry Liqueur

Sugar in the raw

 

Mix the rum, orange liqueur and sour mix. Shake 20 times. Pour into a sugar in the raw rimmed martini glass. Slowly pour in raspberry liqueur so that it sinks to the bottom of the glass. Garnish with a lime twist.  R.U.M. Iconic American Brand, Tommy Bahama

 

Raspberries have been described in erotic tales as dimpled replicas of the feminine kind.  Rather than spell it out in tortuous detail, perhaps a little bedside reading would do the trick to get your creative juices flowing.

 

ZA ZA Zoom

1/2 ounce Chambord

4 fresh Raspberries

1-1/2 ounce JC APPLE Cognac

3/4 ounce Pineapple juice

 

Muddle Chambord and raspberries in bottom of mixing glass.  Add JC Apple Cognac and pineapple juice with ice.  Shake all vigorously.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with Raspberries

 

St. Zipang

4 parts Zipang Sparkling Sake

1 part St-Germain Elderflower liqueur

Raspberry Garnish

 

Place chilled St-Germain in a champagne flute.  Top with Zipang Sparkling Sake.  Garnish with fresh raspberry.  Kentucky Sparkler Cocktail Recipe

 

Whether you are starting out with a first date or wanting to rev up the romance with your true love, Esquire.com has 12 last minute date ideas for under $100.  After all romance is about glitter, sparkle and glow much like sparkling sake and champagne.  An ordinary cocktail becomes one that tickles one’s fancy once the effervescence begins to bubble and shine.   St-Germain: Sexiest Valentine Cocktail Spirit – 4 Valentine’s Day Cocktails

 

JC Rose Nectar

1-1/2 parts JC Cognac VSOP

1-1/2 parts SENCE

Rose Champagne

 

Shake JC Cognac and SENCE with ice; strain and serve in a martini glass. Fill with chilled Rose Champagne.

 

Between The Sheets

2 parts JC Jasmin VSOP

1/2 part Cointreau

1/2 part Tommy Bamaha White Sand Rum

Freshly squeezed lemon Juice

Garnish with an orange twist in a chilled martini glass

 

Place all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with an orange twist.  Tommy Bahama Holiday Martini: The Frost Bite

 

Between the Sheets happens to be one of my favorite cocktails to make for fun.  The above recipe is yet another twist on the classic style cocktail.  It’s always fun to try new variations on things we think we already know all about.  Think you already know all there is Between The Sheets?  Redbookmag.com just might help you brush up on 8 Between the Sheets skills you thought you already mastered. 

 

Need a little inspiration for taming your 1st date flutters?  Plymouth Gin offers the perfect Butterflies Cocktail with link to conversation starter topics to keep you out of the hot seat.  Enjoy more Valentine’s Day recipes by finding Burning Love in the Red Light District with Mekhong inspired cocktails.  The Hennessy Blackberry cocktail inspired more than thoughts of cocktails where long distance relationships are concerned this Valentine’s Day.  Barefoot Bubbly offers a Kiss from a Rose champagne topped cocktail with raspberry and blackberry with the perfect hint of blush for any romantic encounter, date night or Girl’s Night Out on the town.  St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur brings the sexiest bottle offering to the Valentine’s Day table along with 4 cocktail recipes and links to many more.  175 more cocktail recipes and shots have been chosen to highlight the Fun & Flirty side of life.  Enjoy!

 

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

str8upcocktails@gmail.com

Ah, the sweet beginnings of love, love, love… They start with cute grins, fluttering eye lashes, stolen glances and then pet names roll off the tongue like Wookums, Pookie, Love Nugget and Cuppy Cake.  Such manifestations of love are better left to the privacy of one’s own home…Sugar Britches!  Keep it simple…Honey.  It’s perfect.  Not too over the top sweet, natural, with just a hint of edginess to it if you put a deep roll to it from the recesses of your throat.  Give your Babylicious Poohbear your sexiest kitten eye flutter and he’ll know he’s just the Bee’s Knees in your book without all the Gummie Bear Doll Face names. 

 

Bees’ Knees

2 parts Gin                                                

1/2 part Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur

1/4 part Simple Syrup                                   

1/2 part fresh grapefruit juice

 

Combine gin, Bärenjäger, simple syrup, and grapefruit juice in a bar glass over ice an shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

 

Barenjager Honey Liqueur is a honey flavored liqueur with vodka base bottled at 70 proof.  It is made in Germany using honey from the Mexican province of Yucatan.  This liqueur is a mix of honey and botanicals.  The bottle cleverly represents a honeycomb. 

 

The Bären Pear

1 part Bärenjäger

1 part Pear Vodka                                         

3/4 part Triple Sec.                                   

1/2 part lemon juice                                

10 small mint leaves                                    

1/2 part Simple Syrup

 

Press juice from 1/4 of a lemon into shaker filled with ice. Add remaining ingredients to shaker. Shake vigorously for at least 45 seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass. The mint leaves should float on the top of the drink.

 

Looking to warm things up a little with your Honey?  Barenjager brings the ordinary vodka martini up a notch so you can enjoy a bit of sweet while you and your Hot Honey enjoy a little sultry creative reading.  A few more Barenjager cocktails you might find enjoyable: Honey Dew Me Shot, Pink Honey Cocktail, Sweet Siesta and the this Butter Be Good layered drink.

 

Honey Tea-ni

1.5 parts Sweet Tea Vodka                           

1 part Bärenjäger

1/2 part lemon juice

 

In a shaker combine firefly, Bärenjäger, and squeeze the 3 lemon wedges in, shake with ice.  Strain and serve.  Lemon wheel garnish optional.

 

Need a little inspiration for taming your 1st date flutters?  Plymouth Gin offers the perfect Butterflies Cocktail with link to conversation starter topics to keep you out of the hot seat.  Enjoy more Valentine’s Day recipes by finding Burning Love in the Red Light District with Mekhong inspired cocktails.  The Hennessy Blackberry cocktail inspired more than thoughts of cocktails where long distance relationships are concerned this Valentine’s Day.  Barefoot Bubbly offers a Kiss from a Rose champagne topped cocktail with raspberry and blackberry with the perfect hint of blush for any romantic encounter, date night or Girl’s Night Out on the town.  St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur brings the sexiest bottle offering to the Valentine’s Day table along with 4 cocktail recipes and links to many more.  175 more cocktail recipes and shots have been chosen to highlight the Fun & Flirty side of life.  Enjoy!

 

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

str8upcocktails@gmail.com

There is one reason above and beyond any other rationale that St-Germain Liqueur makes the supreme show stopping sexiest liquid gift for Valentine’s Day this year; it has the sleekest, sexiest bottle ever to hit liquor store shelves.  The St-Germain bottle begs one to gently grace a finger along its silky smooth lines and curvaceous edges.   This beautiful elixir stands tall and graceful tempting the senses, teasing the palates of so many since its introduction to the U.S. market.  

 

The St-Germain Cocktail

2 parts Sparkling Wine, Sauvignon Blanc or Dry White Wine

1-1/2 parts St-Germain

2 parts Club Soda

 

Fill a tall Collins glass with ice. Add Champagne first, then St-Germain, then Club Soda. Stir completely.* Garnish with a lemon twist, making sure to squeeze essential oils into glass.  *St-Germain is heavier than wine, thus it will settle to the bottom unless mixed thoroughly.

 

St-Germain is an artisanal French liqueur created only once per year in late spring.  It is said to be 100% all natural with no preservatives.  It is created from elderflower blossoms in limited quantities.  Officially St-Germain tastes like tropical fruit, citrus and orchard fruits.  The flavor is soft and lilting on the tongue making it perfect for light sipping or adding that finishing touch to delicate cocktails.

 

La Rosette

1/2 part St-Germain

Top with Champagne, Brut Rosé or Dry Sparkling Wine

 

Pour ingredients into a chilled fluted glass and stir lightly. Float half a strawberry, a few raspberries or garnish with a lemon twist. Drink a toast to the elegance of simplicity and the divinity of fraises fraîches.  The addition of Brut Rosé makes this usually named St-Germain & Champagne cocktail the La Rosette due to its beautifully blush color.

 

My first taste of St-Germain: “I can’t describe what the liqueur even tastes like. It is light, yet abundant, but not overpowering. It is floral, but not flowery and strong like roses. It has a hint of fruit in it, yet there is not a particular fruit to distinguish in the flavor. - It is a complicated liqueur, yet brings a dynamic to a drink that is unmatched. It is a layering effect that happens when a drink is put together with forethought. When you drink a cocktail such as this, you take a sip and think to yourself that it tastes really good. Then you take another sip and realize there is another element in the drink you hadn’t caught the first taste around. That adds new depth and character to it and you want to taste more to see if you catch something else. That is exactly what the St~Germain does for a drink if it is added in the right proportion.” - St-Germain Limon Blossom

 

Dia Del Amor

1 part St-Germain

1-1/2 parts Reposado Tequila

3/4 part fresh lime

2 dashes hot sauce

 

Shake and strain into chili salt rimmed rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

 

More cocktails using St-Germain: Maharani Cocktail with Rangpur Gin, G’vine Orchid & G’Fizz from The G’Infusions, my version of the Christi Cosmo with Christiania Vodka and the Christi Kyss created by another mixologist, Quartier Latin with Blanche Armagnac Laubade, Leblon Cachaca’s own Spirit of Brasil created by Charles Joly, NUVO-Dream layers St-Germain with NUVO Sparkling Liqueur, the Widow’s Touch cocktail uses Laird’s Applejack and Bendictine to create a couples cocktail, saké2me Asian Pear gives an Asian influence to Hennessy & St-Germain with the Le Coloniale, feel a bit of summer sun shine with Bombay Sapphire Gin and B&B Liqueur as they combine to create a Botanical Breeze, Dos Lunas offers the Silver Lining… There are many, many more of course!

 

Cherub’s Cup

1 part St-Germain

2 parts Vodka, Citrus Vodka, or Hendricks

1/4 part Fresh Lemon

1/4 part Simple Syrup

Muddled Strawberry

Top with Brut Rosé

 

Shake and strain over fresh rocks in a collins glass. Top with Brut Rosé or Brut Champagne. Garnish with a strawberry.

 

The Bulldog Rouge at Forge – Sweeney Todd

The ‘Oh Pear’ – The Christiania Artini

 

Need a little inspiration for taming your 1st date flutters?  Plymouth Gin offers the perfect Butterflies Cocktail with link to conversation starter topics to keep you out of the hot seat.  Enjoy more Valentine’s Day recipes by finding Burning Love in the Red Light District with Mekhong inspired cocktails.  The Hennessy Blackberry cocktail inspired more than thoughts of cocktails where long distance relationships are concerned this Valentine’s Day.  Barefoot Bubbly offers a Kiss from a Rose champagne topped cocktail with raspberry and blackberry with the perfect hint of blush for any romantic encounter, date night or Girl’s Night Out on the town.  175 more cocktail recipes and shots have been chosen to highlight the Fun & Flirty side of life.  Enjoy!

 

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

str8upcocktails@gmail.com

Surely you haven’t chosen Valentine’s Day as the day for a first date, but just in case – those first date butterflies may have already settled in your stomach and taken root in the toes.  First dates can be tricky enough, but made awful with pressure from all the schmooze of Valentine’s Day.  No worries.  Askmen.com writer, Oliver Jameson, steers men clear of the blank stare and eye roll they might otherwise receive from their date by picking risky topics of conversation and tripping over their own tongues.  Jameson gives a quick rundown of ten safe topics to talk about for an evening of fail-safe chatter to take the flutter out of the butterflies.

 

Plymouth Gin proposes the Butterflies Cocktail for any date night.  This beautiful gin rendition just might bring the first date jitters into second date blushing range if everyone participates in enjoyable conversation, responsible sipping and keeps a little of that feel good fluttery feeling tingling in their tummy. It’s the feeling of romance after all.

 

Butterflies Cocktail

3/4 ounce Plymouth Gin

3/4 ounce Lime Juice

3/4 ounce Apple Jack Brandy

2 teaspoons Grenadine

 

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into a martini glass.  For first dates around the NYC area stop into Little Branch (review) for the Butterflies Cocktail.   Another version of the Butterfly Cocktail can be found in the Cocktail Database using Dubonnet Rouge.

 

Enjoy more Valentine’s Day recipes by finding Burning Love in the Red Light District with Mekhong inspired cocktails.  The Hennessy Blackberry cocktail inspired more than thoughts of cocktails where long distance relationships are concerned this Valentine’s Day.  Barefoot Bubbly offers a Kiss from a Rose champagne topped cocktail with raspberry and blackberry with the perfect hint of blush for any romantic encounter, date night or Girl’s Night Out on the town.  175 more cocktail recipes and shots have been chosen to highlight the Fun & Flirty side of life.  Enjoy!

 

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

str8upcocktails@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved