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My husband and I have become amateur bartenders.  Both of us like to create cocktails, though we each have our own methods.  For me, I try to create a theme for the dinner and drinks, so they coordinate.  I also strive to make my drinks light and not too sweet.  My husband takes more of a spontaneous approach.  He will review his ingredient options, grab a few that sound good, mix, and sample what he has created.

Obviously with his method of  mixing, there have been creations that were failures, and others that have been great successes.  Recently, he has been using almond liqueur in many of his drinks, which can produce a drink that is too sweet for me.  However, last week he found a combination that worked perfectly for both of us.

With a mix of tropical flavors, juice, selzter, and almond liqueur, I found the drink to be an interesting combination.  Served over ice, it was the perfect drink to sip while enjoying cheese and crackers.  Perhaps random construction of beverages is his forte.

Luau in Italy

1 oz. vodka

1 oz. almond liqueur

1 oz. pineapple-coconut rum

1-1/2 oz. cranberry juice

ice

seltzer (plain or flavored)

maraschino cherry

Place 4 ice cubes in a martini shaker.   Add vodka, liqueur, rum, and cranberry juice, and shake well.  Pour drink and ice into a lowball glass, and fill with seltzer.  Garnish with a maraschino cherry.