So why are we talking about kamikaze shots? Well, the jingoistic name aside, they’re slightly more refined than your average shot recipe. They feature real liquors and liqueurs (sure, you could use imitation triple sec, but at least Cointreau, a real orange liqueur, exists… in shots that use sour apple or peach schnapps, there IS no “better” bottle to substitute. ) Mainly, I mention kamikazes because if you ARE planning a party, and you DO want to serve shots, but you DON’T want to serve straight liquor, these are about as good as you can do.

Kamikaze shots

• 1 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz Cointreau or orange liqueur
• 1/2 oz Rose’s sweetened lime juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake to combine and chill, and strain into a shot glass.

Note that you can make flavored kamikaze shots by either using flavored vodka, or by using a different flavored liqueur instead of Cointreau (Midori would make a melon kamikaze, Chambord would make a raspberry kamikaze, etc.) Just remember, more than one or two of these will have exactly the effect you think they will. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I take no responsibility for what happens, and remember — each of these counts as a full drink. So drink responsibly, never drive drunk, and have a great New Year. We’ll see you in 2012.

Now, we’ve talked about rum cocktails before, and as we discussed then, the Zombie can be hard to decipher from just about any other strongly mixed rum grog. As a singular recipe, though, it’s hard to beat. The drink is almost all liquor, but deceptively fruity – obviously, a dangerous combination that should not be taken lightly. And that’s the main quality a Zombie has — its smooth, lethal strength. The combination of rums doesn’t impart any particularly interesting flavors, and while papaya juice is a somewhat strange ingredient, it doesn’t do much for us here. (You can even use lemon juice instead.)

So we have an unremarkable, yet very strong cocktail here, named after sufferers of a mindless, subhuman state. Remember, drink names are usually intuitive. With that warning, though, it can be a fun party drink for Halloween. If you want to be especially cruel to your guests, you can whip up a whole punch bowl of these, with a couple of pieces of dry ice floated in for effect. But before you do that, make yourself a single and try it out.

Zombie

• .75 oz. light rum
• .75 oz. gold rum
• .75 oz. dark rum
• .75 oz. apricot brandy (or Amaretto)
• .5 oz. 151-proof rum
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. papaya juice (or lemon juice)
• 1 oz. grenadine

There’s a new cocktail recipe that I want to try.  One of the ingredients is fresh-squeezed lemon juice.  Can I use the bottled juice instead?

You can – one tablespoon of bottled lemon juice is equal to the juice from half a medium-sized lemon. But…

It’s not going to taste quite as good.  See, lemons contribute two specific flavors to a cocktail.  There’s the big, acidic tartness of the juice from the lemon’s fruit – that’s captured pretty well in the bottled juice. But there’s also the refreshing, zesty kick that comes from the oils in the lemon rind. Those flavors are VERY important to many vodka and gin cocktails. (In fact, drinks like the Cosmo are usually served with just a twist of lemon peel, to add in the subtle flavors of the lemon zest without the clumsy sour blast of the lemon juice.) We wrote about all the advantages of working with fresh lemons in this recipe for a Tom Collins.

Sadly, the flavor from lemon zest is nonexistent in the bottled juice you can buy at the supermarket.

That’s not to say I don’t use bottled lemon juice. I do – both at work and when I’m making drinks at home. There are plenty of advantages to the bottled stuff. It keeps forever, whereas lemons don’t have a shelf life of more than a week or two. It’s a lot less expensive than the equivalent amount of lemons you’d need to make that much juice.  I keep a bottle of it in my fridge, and it really helps to stretch out the cocktail menu you can put together with whatever’s in your home bar. And of course, you don’t have to squeeze lemons.  You’re just trading a bit of quality for a lot of convenience.

At work, when I’m busy, I’ll cheat – I make my drinks with bottled lemon juice, then throw a couple of real lemon wedges (with peel) into the cocktail shaker to add a bit of flavor from the lemon zest. I’d suggest something similar at home – go ahead and make your cocktails with bottled lemon juice, but squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon as well. You’ll get the best of both worlds.

This is all less of a concern for lime juice, since lime peels are thin and don’t give much flavor to cocktails at all. Feel free to use pre-squeezed, bottled lime juice with impunity. (Just make sure you’re using 100 percent lime juice, not Rose’s Lime Juice, which is a premade mixture of lime juice and simple syrup. Not bad stuff, but it’s a different ingredient.)

This week’s cocktail has a foot in both worlds. We’re using applejack, which is a great warming liquor during the winter (and was also probably one of the first liquors made in America.) The spices are a classic harvest combination and would be at home on your Thanksgiving table later this fall. At the same time, the rum and lime offer a few last traces of summer before our thoughts turn to whiskeys, toddies, cordials, and other things you’d want to sip next to a fireplace. So this cocktail wouldn’t be out of place at a summer barbecue next to a gin and tonic, or at a fall dinner party next to an Oktoberfest.

This is a drink I’ve worked up to feature applejack, which aside from having a nice history, is an inexpensive, interesting bottle to keep around the house or bring to a party. (It’s also a somewhat bracing shot, if you and your party guests go in for that sort of thing. Just picture George Washington taking a belt or two to steel himself before crossing the Delaware.) We’re calling this drink a sidecar, and not a martini, because applejack is technically a brandy.

Apple Pie Sidecar

• 2 oz. applejack (Laird’s and Calvados are the main brands you’ll find; Calvados is imported from France, so the Laird’s will probably be a better deal.)
• 1 oz. spiced rum
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 pinch each cinnamon and allspice

However, I look forward to summer heat.  There is something nice about being able to sit on your front porch swing at the end of the workday and enjoy an ice cold beverage.  The warmth of the air envelopes your body, while the chill of your beverage coats your throat.  A wonderful sensation, as far as I am concerned.

So, to enjoy one of these lovely summer nights, I decided to do a little muddling and incorporate some fresh fruit into my cocktail.  With a bowl full of fresh honeydew melon on hand, it was an easy decision.  The rest of the ingredients all played upon one another.  I added melon liqueur to intensify the melon flavor, lime juice to temper the sweetness, coconut rum to add more flavors to this drink, seltzer to lighten the drink, and salt on the rim for contrast.

After a long Monday at our offices, both my husband and I found this to be a refreshing and flavorful drink.

Honeydew on the Rocks

lime wedge

kosher salt

6 small cubes honeydew melon

2-1/2 oz. coconut rum

1/2 oz. lime juice

1 oz. melon liqueur

seltzer

Rub rim of margarita glass with cut edge of lime.  Pour salt onto a small plate, and dip rim in salt to coat.  Put several ice cubes in glass.  Place honeydew cubes in a martini shaker, and muddle.  Add 4-5 ice cubes, rum, juice, and liqueur, cover, and shake well.  Remove shaker top, and pour contents through a fine sieve strainer into prepared glass.   Top with seltzer.

For our special dinner, we usually try to choose a theme, whether it be based on a certain ingredient, an ethnicity, or style of cooking.  A few weeks ago, we decided to make an assortment of Thai dishes.  I have not done much Thai cooking, so it required a little research.

I found great recipes for chicken satay and spring rolls.  However, the beverage component of the meal left me wondering.  What sort of cocktail or martini could I serve that would fit the Thai genre?  A little more searching led me to mangoes.  A popular fruit in Thailand, I could use mango juice in our drink.

Although a mango cocktail sounded delicious, I didn’t want the drink to be heavy because of the juice.  Adding champagne would produce a lighter, sparkling drink, which made it the perfect addition to our dinner.

Mango Cocktail

3 oz. mango juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1-1/2 oz. vodka

1/2 tsp. sugar

champagne

Fill a martini shaker with ice, and add mango and lime juices, vodka, and sugar.  Shake well.  Pour into a martini glass, and top with champagne.

Having been inspired by some of the bartenders at local restaurants we enjoy, I have come to realize that much like cooking, ingredients are an important part of a good drink.  So, when my mother-in-law told me that she wanted to try a coconut and lime margarita recipe, I asked her to share the ingredient list with me.  One of the main ingredients in her suggested drink was cream of coconut.

As I am not a fan of a heavy drink, the words “cream of coconut” gave me the shivers.  Once I saw the nutrition label on the package, I knew it was not an option for my drink.  With almost 250 calories in 2 ounces of this thick liquid, it seemed obscene.  However, the idea of coconut and lime mingling with some tequila was intriguing.  Being a diligent researcher, I created a couple different recipes until I found one with the correct balance of sweet, sour, and tequila.

Served over ice in a glass with a salted rim, this drink could fill all of your salt and sweet cravings.

Put the Lime & the Coconut in the Margarita

2 oz. gold tequila

1 oz. triple sec

1/2 – 1 tsp. sugar

2 oz. lime juice + 3 additional oz.

4 oz. coconut rum

lemon-lime seltzer

ice

kosher salt

Fill a martini shaker with ice.  Add tequila, triple sec, sugar, 2 oz. lime juice, and coconut rum, and shake well.  Pour 3 oz. lime juice in a small rimmed plate and kosher salt in another small rimmed plate.  Dip the rim of a margarita glass in lime juice, and swirl to coat well.  Then dip the rim in kosher salt, and press firmly to allow the salt to adhere.  Repeat with second glass.  Fill each glass with ice, and pour half of tequila mixture into each.  Fill to rim with seltzer, and stir gently.

In fact, I take issue with people who make comments, such as, “You were a cheerleader!” with a laugh of disgust.  Because in addition to my sport of choice in high school, there are other pieces to who I am.  I was intelligent enough to attend a well respected college on a full academic scholarship.  I am capable of solving household problems with a drill or hammer.

So, while I may have “pretty, pink” qualities, I also can deliver a punch.  When served this drink, you shouldn’t judge it by its look.  Yes, it is pretty and pink, but with the combination of ingredients, there is a punch that comes with it.

Pretty and Pink with a Punch

1 oz. peach schnapps

2 oz. vodka

1 oz. cranberry juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1 oz. diet lemon-lime soda

Fill a shaker with ice, and add schnapps, vodka, and cranberry and lime juices.  Shake well.  Pour into a martini glass, and top with soda.

As fall is in full swing, I have been in a cranberry frame of mind when it comes to meals and drinks.  Last week I enjoyed a delicious turkey sandwich that included cranberry sauce.  I also have been incorporating cranberry juice into my drinks.

Although, I do like the classic combination of cranberry juice and vodka, I thoroughly enjoy creating new beverages.  I mull over ingredients, seeking the flavors that best complement each other.  For this new drink, I wanted the tartness of cranberry to be contrasted with the sweetness of raspberry.  Once shaken and poured, I decided it could be lighter, so I added a float of lemon-lime seltzer.

And with that, I had created a drink that had a subtle hint of fall, containing just enough cranberry to make a drink with raspberry liquor taste like a fall classic.

Martini with a Hint of Fall

2 oz. vodka

2 oz. raspberry liqueur

1 oz. cranberry juice (preferably 100% pure)

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. lemon-lime seltzer

Fill a martini shaker with ice.  Add vodka, liqueur, both juices, and syrup.  Cover, and shake well.  Pour into martini glass, and add seltzer.

Ingredients:

• 1 Part fresh lime juice
• 1 Part Cognac
• 1 Part spiced rum
• Splash of simple syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a martini shaker filled with ice and shake well. Serve over ice in a highball glass garnished with fresh mint.