More horse racing means time for more drinking!

Two weeks ago, a great deal of people put on extravagant hats, got together to watch a horse race, and proceeded to get inebriated on mint juleps. Since the second leg of the Triple Crown is tomorrow, it's a good reason to throw another get-together in case you didn't get enough horse racing the first time around. But you can't just make those mint juleps again; those are a Kentucky tradition, and the Preakness is in Maryland. What to do?

It turns out, the Preakness has its own official cocktail: the Black-Eyed Susan. While it doesn't have the storied history of the mint julep, it's still worth your attention this weekend.

More >>

What better glass for a Martini than a Martini glass?

A lot gets said about what liquors you need to start a good home bar. Our own Zachary Fowle got a good answer from an excellent local bartender. But there's something else that's often neglected: You need to have something to hold your drinks. Sure, you can use that motley selection of coffee mugs and souvenir Hurricane glasses in your cabinet, but the right glass makes your drink more enjoyable. You need only five kinds of glasses to have something for every occasion.

5: Rocks glass, a.k.a. Old-Fashioned glass. Perfect for enjoying spirits neat or (of course) on the rocks. Look for ones that are about seven ounces. I get mine from IKEA, where they have fun mod designs for almost the same price as a thrift store.

4: Collins Glass, a.k.a. tall glass. The Collins glass comes into play for most simple mixed drinks, like Cuba libres, Cape Codders, and screwdrivers. The ideal size is 10 to 12 ounces.

More >>

Perchance I was a bit mean last week with the Americano. It really is a nice drink . . . once you get to know the thing. At work, it was easy to tell who'd experienced Campari's unique astringent bitterness for the first time: Those people's eyebrows did funny things when they tasted the Americano. If you're one of those folks, you'll find this week's drink much more up your alley. While I love Americanos for myself, my favorite drink to make for a big summer party is the shamelessly retro Lei Lani Volcano.

I was introduced to the Lei Lani Volcano through the book Beachbum Berry's Intoxica! by Tiki historian extraordinare Jeff Berry. The Volcano was created at Disney's Polynesian Resort in Walt Disney World back in the 1970s. As befits a resort libation, it's a textbook faux-Polynesian umbrella cocktail: An extra-long, head-turning pink drink made from guava nectar and pineapple juice. Low-proof coconut rum provides just the right amount of social lubrication for a summer soirée. Most umbrella drinks are cloyingly sweet; a healthy dose of lime juice saves the Lei Lani Volcano from that fate. Add it all up, and you have a well-balanced, crowd-pleasing summer quencher. And a bonus: It's really easy to scale up for large gatherings.

Lei Lani Volcano
If your guava nectar is white and you want a pink drink, substitute grenadine for the simple syrup, or cheat with a couple of drops of red food coloring.
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
3 ounces guava nectar
1 ½ ounces pineapple juice
2 ½ ounces coconut rum (Cruzan tastes better; Malibu is easy to find. Your call.)

Shake everything together well with ice. Pour into a large wine glass or your favorite tiki mug. Garnish with a maraschino cherry speared to an orange slice, or with a simple sprig of mint.

Lei Lani Volcano for 10
1 cup lime juice
⅓ cup simple syrup
1 quart guava nectar
1 pint pineapple juice
1 750-ml bottle coconut rum

Mix everything together in a punch bowl with a block of ice. Serve over ice in vessels of your choosing.

That was Last Call, in which JK Grence, bartender at Shady's, serves up booze advice. Have a question for JK? Leave it in the comments below.

Follow Chow Bella on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

JK Grence

Summer is upon the Phoenix area once again. Sure, the official start of summer is a couple of months away, but hearing people start every conversation with "Damn, it's hot!" is our equivalent of the first robin of spring. It means different things to different people. For me, it means it's time to find an "official drink of summer." You know, the one you reach for as a certain antidote to blazing heat.

In past years I've enjoyed the very vintage Pegu Club Cocktail (who better to combat heat exhaustion than a British officer in the Burmese jungle?), and the Lei Lani Volcano, an umbrella drink served at Walt Disney World in the 1970s. This year, I've found myself in the mood for something with a bitter edge. Maybe it's just being overdue for vacation, but after feeling wiped out from an arduous day in the heat, a little bitter reminds my brain that I am, in fact, still alive. The choice way to get this bitter is in one of the oldest cocktails, the Americano.

More >>

JK Grence

Mechanical implements are the trick to faster enjoyment than your hands can provide.

Last week, I covered a great drink that takes a little while to make properly, the Daiquiri. In so doing, I mentioned the other great drink that takes a long time to make well, the Ramos Gin Fizz... and then swept it under the rug. Sure enough, a commenter noticed what I did, and asked why I gave it short shrift. I love the Ramos enough that it deserves its own article, not a footnote after the Daiquiri. Concerned Drinker, your patience has paid off.

The Ramos Fizz is one of the finest things out of New Orleans, right up there with Dixieland jazz and the Muffuletta sandwich. At brunch, it's better than mimosas. It has light soda bubbles, tangy citrus, smooth cream, velvety egg white, and intriguing botanical notes from orange flower water and gin.

And it's a royal pain in the ass to make.

It's the damned egg white. It gives the drink a downright seductive texture. Without it, a Ramos Fizz is just a Tom Collins with a splash of cream. Problem is, you have to shake the absolute bejeezus out of the drink to get the egg white to fully emulsify. How long, you ask? A full minute of hard shaking. Your arms feel like they're going to fall off two thirds of the way through. Then you add ice and shake it for another twenty seconds. To make it worse, since there's no ice in the shaker on the first shake, you don't get as good of a seal on the shaker. You get lightly sprayed with what you'd rather drink. What to do?

More >>

JK Grence

A friend recently handed me the February 2012 issue of Esquire magazine. Sticking out the side was a Post-It with three huge question marks and an arrow pointing inside. The arrow pointed to the cover story, "Agree: Bill Clinton and 78 Other Things We Can All Agree On". Specifically, it pointed to "52: No good cocktail should take more than 45 seconds to make." I immediately protested to my friend, "But what about the Ramos Fizz? You have to shake the damn thing for a solid two minutes, and it's worth every moment!" My friend peeled back the strategically placed Post-It to reveal "53: Except [the Ramos Fizz]." My friends know me too well.

This got me thinking, are there any other exceptions to the rule?

More >>

JK Grence

Why is it so hard to get a good Martini in this town? Hell, why is it so hard to find a good Martini anywhere? For such a simple drink, you'd think you could saunter into any bar short of a sleazy dive and get a Martini done right. The effort it takes to make a memorable Martini is barely more than it takes to make one I'd rather forget. Here's what at least 90 percent of bartenders do that they shouldn't:

5: They Shake The Hell Out Of It. It happens to the best bartenders. Sometimes they get in over their heads, and they fall prey to a shortcut. In their frenzy, the bartender gives your Martini a good hard shake instead of a long stir. That shake introduces tiny air bubbles to the drink, lightening its texture. A Martini should be silky smooth on the tongue from a good stirring.

4: The Dreaded Courtesy Stir. The other side of shaking it is not stirring it enough. Gin needs the chill and dilution of melting ice as the drink is stirred; 20-30 seconds of vigorous stirring does the trick.

More >>

JK Grence

Nice rack!

This week, I've had enough of watching people play horrible games of pool at the table where I work. I'm stepping out from behind the bar to show all of you how to play pool. Head on over to Jackalope Ranch for your lesson in how to play a game of eight-ball right.

JK Grence

The infamous AMF. Drink a few, you'll know how it was named.

It's that time again, time for the students at ASU to be on spring break, heading off to Puerto Peñasco or Lake Havasu or goodness knows where. And with spring break comes a time-honored tradition for college students everywhere: binge drinking. One of the most popular mixed drinks for copious consumption is the Adios Motherfucker, or AMF for short.

Thanks to its sweet taste and neon blue color, it has quickly gained a reputation for being a very strong party drink. It's a simple variation on the modern classic Long Island Iced Tea, a potent tipple in its own right. If there's ever been a successful monkey-at-a-typewriter drink, it's the Long Island Iced Tea. Mixing different base spirits is frequently a recipe for disaster. The Long Island thumbs its nose at this and reaches for every white spirit in the well: vodka, gin, rum, and tequila, then throws in the triple sec to boot.

When made right, it's a thing of beauty. It looks like iced tea, even tastes something like iced tea, and it sure does pack a wallop. The problem is that whole "when made right" bit.

More >>

Image courtesy sxc.hu

Since I sling drinks for a living, I get to hear quite a bit about people planning soirées at their houses. These descriptions of upcoming cocktail parties always come with an implication that they are looking for feedback on how to better throw their party. So, since many of you likely have the same burning questions, here are my tips on how to throw a great cocktail party.

Keep it simple! I know you want to look generous with a full bar, but you're already generous by inviting folks over and giving them drinks. Remember, Martha Stewart has an army of assistants! Keep your drinks to one or two choices, providing contrast if you have two offerings. When in doubt, pick two of the following: accessible beer (lager or light to medium ale), white wine, and a batch of cocktails made in advance (more about that later).

On average, a guest has two drinks, one of each if you have two offerings. I've done all kinds of parties; it always works out this way. Stock up on bottled water, one bottle per person. If you have some left over when the party winds down, offer it as people leave. Remember the ice, have 1/2 pound of ice per person plus some to chill bottled drinks. Oh, speaking of drinks on ice: use your washing machine to store iced bottled drinks. After the party, run the rinse cycle to drain.

More >>