Sprite, rum and mojito mix are just a few of the tools that you'll need to make the most delicious mojito you've ever tasted. Make a mojito with Sprite, rum and mojito mix with help from an experienced mixologist in this free video clip.
Adding coconut to a vodka drink can actually soften the drink's potency somewhat. Make a coconut drink with vodka with help from a nationally recognized drink mixing expert in this free video clip.
Strawberry lemonade vodka uses a few basic ingredients, like real strawberries and lemons, in addition to the vodka. Make strawberry lemonade vodka with help from a nationally recognized drink mixing expert in this free video clip.
One very unique bourbon drink that you can make right at home is called the Bacon and Waffles number 12. Make bourbon drinks with help from a nationally recognized drink mixing expert in this free video clip.
Making the perfect vodka drink involves making something called a rosemary lemon-drop. Make a perfect vodka drink with help from a nationally recognized drink mixing expert in this free video clip.
Two key ingredients in the Purple Lobster drink are Crown Royal and pineapple juice. Make a Purple Lobster drink with Crown Royal and pineapple juice with help from the author of Your Resident Gourmet, an interactive food site, in this free video clip.
Making the mixed drink Tarantula with Tequila Blue is a great way to become the most popular person at any party. Make the mixed drink Tarantula and Tequila Blue with help from the author of Your Resident Gourmet, an interactive food site, in this free video clip.
Champagne and ice cream are two important ingredients in a couple of really delicious blender drinks. Learn about blender drinks that you can make with champagne and ice cream with help from the author of Your Resident Gourmet, an interactive food site, in this free video clip.
Frozen orange drinks really taste great when made with some delicious apricot brandy. Make a frozen orange drink with apricot brandy with help from a food host and private chef in this free video clip.
One great way to add a little flavor to mixed drinks is through the use of cotton candy vodka. Make mixed drinks with cotton candy vodka with help from a food host and private chef in this free video clip.
One key ingredient in the famous jelly bean drink is good, old-fashioned tequila. Make a jelly bean drink with tequila with help from a food host and private chef in this free video clip.
Sangria tequila drinks require you to start at the beginning, with the Cointreau. Learn how to make a sangria tequila drink with help from a craft bartender and the co-founder of the Ford Mixology Lab in this free video clip.
Champagne is typically designed to be consumed at just the perfect temperature to maximize flavor. Learn about the best temperature to drink champagne with help from a professional sommelier, beverage director, and wine educator in this free video clip.
The only thing better than a regular Popsicle drink is one with delicious banana vodka. Make a Popsicle drink with banana vodka with help from a gourmet Popsicle and treat expert in this free video clip.
Making a margarita drink with tequila is a great cocktail to make for someone who likes things a little stronger. Make a margarita drink with tequila with help from a boutique bar owner and operator in this free video clip.
A Paloma cocktail drink has a few very specific ingredients, like tequila Blanco, that need to be mixed properly for the best taste. Make a Paloma cocktail drink with tequila Blanco with help from a lead mixologist in this free video clip.
Mixing vodka and grenadine will result in a drink that will have everyone who tries it asking for more. Mix vodka and grenadine with help from a lead mixologist in this free video clip.
A vodka club is a classic drink that you can prepare from the right ingredients in just a few minutes. Make a vodka club with help from a lead mixologist in this free video clip.
Kahlua, vodka and Baileys come together to form a classic drink that is sure to please everyone who tries it. Find out about the best drink using Kahlua, vodka and Baileys with help from a lead mixologist in this free video clip.
Zing Zang and vodka mix together really well - that is, if you follow the appropriate process and do it right. Mix Zing Zang with vodka with help from a mixology educator in this free video clip.
You can make a Dreamsicle drink with one of a few different kinds of flavored vodka depending on your preferences. Make a Dreamsicle drink with flavored vodka with help from a bartender in this free video clip.
Sugar cubes are no longer saved for tea time – Joe Campanale shows you how to make a classic champagne cocktail by adding a sugar cube and a bit of bitters. If you want to take it one step further, grab the Grand Marnier for a touch more color and flavor.
Midori is a melon-flavored liqueur used to make a range of cocktails and mixed drinks. Its main ingredient is a type of melon primarily grown in Yubari, Japan, which adds a subtle, fresh sweetness to beverages. Midori combines well with other liquors, juices and mixers without overpowering their individual flavors. Based on bartending competitions and consumer feedback, the Midori company compiled a list of the top 10 drinks made with Midori as of 2011.
Irish cider dates back several hundred years and is big business in Ireland. The majority of the cider is produced by a few large companies. However, there are many small producers who claim they make "real" Irish cider and consider the cider made by most of the large companies not "real." There are three main types of Irish cider: dry, medium and sweet; the type you like is down to personal preference.
Oranges are a terrific citrus fruit full of vitamin C, and their sweetness means that most kids enjoy them. While there are a few orange varieties that are seedless, the vast majority have seeds. The method for removing the orange seeds depends on whether you are juicing an orange, intend to use a segment as a garnish or simply cut it up to be eaten.
Mixologist and restauranteur Joe Campanale shows how to make the perfect mimosa, a favorite at brunches everywhere, and a variation called the "Texas Mimosa" that includes grapefruit juice, tequila and a grapefruit twist.
Tequila is a liquor made from the blue agave plant from the Jalisco state of Mexico. The liquor is a popular ingredient in mixed drinks and frozen cocktails. All tequila begins as a pure distilled liquor and the different varieties are determined by additives and aging times.
Thawing watered-down vodka makes the difference between staring at a frozen bottle of booze and drinking the contents of it. Watered-down vodka is the result of adding water to a bottle of vodka, which decreases the alcohol content and dilutes the flavor of the alcohol. Vodka does not typically freeze; however, water does. Mixing the two ingredients causes ice to form within a bottle once frozen. Defrost watered-down vodka to make chilled vodka cocktails with a frosty texture.
Sangria is a wine punch, originating in Spain and Portugal, which uses red wine, fruit and other ingredients. Traditionally it has a sweetener, such as honey or sugar, and a spirit, most commonly brandy, added to it. Modern variations use lemonade and forgo the brandy and sweetener. There are some people who do not drink and so a non-alcoholic sangria can be made as a refreshing alternative.
An original Shirley Temple is made by adding grenadine syrup to lemon-lime soda and ginger ale and garnishing the drink with a maraschino cherry. The drink was named after child actress Shirley Temple, though there are several stories about where the drink was first made and if it was made for Shirley Temple to drink. A Shirley Temple is a fun mock-cocktail (or mocktail) for children. You can make a Shirley Temple with orange juice with a quick and easy substitution.
Vodka is considered the most popular spirit in the world. The word "vodka" comes from the word “voda," which means water in Russian. Originally, it was the product of a grain that is found in parts of the Ukraine, western Russia and Poland. Vodka aficionados say the best kind of vodka is colorless, tasteless and odorless.
The classic combination of lemon and vodka comes together in lemon infused vodka. Lemon vodka can be used as a substitute for regular vodka in classic cocktails, shots and martinis. It can also be paired with fruit flavors and other liquors to make drinks with an extra boost of citrus flavor.
A clam digger is a savory cocktail that gets most of its flavor from vodka, tomato juice and clam juice. Alternatives to these classic ingredients include cherry liquor and clamato juice. However you make it, the clam digger is rich in flavor and benefits from a number of garnishes and spices. The classic recipe calls for the highest quality combination of ingredients and the most attractive garnishes for this salty salute to the coast.
Tequila is often paired with lemon because the acidity of the lemon cuts the harsh aftertaste often associated with the spirit. This is why people suck on a lemon or lime after taking a tequila shot. Additionally, some margarita recipes use the flavor of lemon to mask or mitigate the taste of tequila. Aside from lemon, there are other mixers that pair well with the liquor made from the agave plant found in Mexico.
Though alcohol can make one feel more sociable and relaxed, it can also lead to continual intake. Too much imbibing can cause a number of issues from alcohol poisoning, general illness and loss of judgment. Consuming alcohol therefore requires self-control and awareness, as the negative connotations can prove dangerous to the consumer and those around him.
Using a foam topping for cocktails and mixed drinks is an easy and creative way to add depth and flavor, not to mention jazz, to your presentation. Here are quick and easy instructions to make a cocktail with foam known as the heavenly pomegranate martini.
Brandy, a strong alcoholic beverage that is often flavored with stone fruit infusions, is an ideal gift for the food and drink aficionado in your life. Because brandy is easily paired with a number of sweet foods and can be used in several types of mixed drinks, a collection of gifts with a brandy theme could make your loved one's birthday, anniversary or professional accomplishment even more memorable.
Mike's Hard Lemonade is a leader in the "malternative" category, with competing brands such as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver. The drink is an alcoholic lemon-flavored malt beverage, with an alcohol content of 5 percent. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 12 million cases of the drink were sold in 2004. The brand is No. 2 in sales of flavored malt beverages, especially with other dominant brands dropping in sales since the 2002 peak in sales for these types of drinks.
One of the original nonalcoholic cocktails, Shirley Temples are named after the famous child actor of the 1930s who, in later life as Shirley Temple Black, gained a different kind of fame as a United States diplomat. Commonly served to children because of their sweet flavor and lack of alcohol, Shirley Temples only require a few ingredients. Make Shirley Temples to serve at birthday parties and other celebrations.
On a cold winter day, most people prefer to have some alcohol to warm up their bodies. However, the idea that alcohol helps keep up the body's temperature is just a misconception. Alcoholic drinks only heat up the skin, but then cool down the rest of the body. There are several other drinks, with little or no alcohol, to keep you warmer in the winter days.
It is not hard to think that when you have had one cocktail, you have had them all. But the universe of high bartending is expanding rapidly in all directions to include many new, fresh approaches to age-old cocktails. Making a drink "smoke" is a trick that is easy and great for parties and commercial bars alike.
Brandy comes in several varieties and serves as an ingredient in hundreds of cocktails. However, it is often served as an aperitif following a meal. It is made from fermented wine or fruit juice and aged in wooden barrels that lend the spirit certain flavors during the aging process. Bartenders serve brandy in wide-bowled glasses similar to wine glasses. The wide bowl is designed to capture the aromas of the brandy. These aromas can be further enhanced by warming the brandy prior to drinking.
While every gin gets its flavor base from juniper berries, each brand adds slightly different herbs and flavoring to vary the taste. Seagram's gin is lightly flavored with citrus notes, making it an ideal mixer with fruit-flavored beverages. After 150 years in existence, Seagram's Extra Dry Gin remains a top choice when mixing cocktails.
There are several types of Spanish or Mexican tequilas, including silver, gold, rested and vintage or "extra aged" tequila. Within these types, there are two categories, which are 100 percent agave and mixed or "mixto." Those made with 100 percent agave contain only sugars from the blue agave plant (Agave Tequiliana Weber), which is found in Jalisco, Mexico. Mixto tequilas are made with 51 percent agave sugars and 49 percent other sugars, as determined by the producer. Each type and category has its own identifying characteristic and flavor.
When most people think of Absolut Peppar Vodka, they think of a Bloody Mary cocktail, because the peppery flavor of the vodka adds a spicy kick to this popular drink. Absolut Peppar Vodka can spice up more than mixed drinks, however. You can add this fiery beverage to pasta sauce or use it for soaking cherry tomatoes to create spicy and flavorful dishes that will wow your dinner guests.
Hot buttered rum is a warm, sweet drink that is particularly popular during the winter, but the flavor of the seasonal cocktail also adds a rich, decadent taste to several baked goods like hot butter rum cake. The flavors can also be made into an icing and drizzled on cookies. It's easy to make butter rum flavoring yourself, using a few ingredients you may already have in the pantry. The flavoring is great to have on hand during the winter any time you want to prepare a cocktail or dessert.
There is nothing like a round of shots to kick off a night of partying, and there's no quicker way to get everybody in the mood than a round of shots. The Jackhammer, half tequila and half whiskey, is one shot that will get everybody started. However, be careful about slamming too many or your brain may feel like it's being jackhammered the next morning.
The name Gin Sling was taken from the German verb "schlingen," to describe how this drink is gulped hastily, or "slung" back. This relatively simple cocktail changed over the years, and has been either confused with or combined with the pink Singapore Sling throughout its evolution. The original cocktail however includes no coloring, bitters or vermouth. Instead it was a mix of gin, water, sugar, lemon peel and even nutmeg, and could be served as a hot toddie with boiling water, or a cold cocktail, with ice.
In the early 20th century, high-end hotels and bars commonly served wine cocktails. Fortified wines, like port, sherry and vermouth, were typically used. The early part of the 21st century has seen a revival in these drinks because they pair well with meals. Wine also gives an acidity to drinks while giving them body at the same time.
Taking a shot of alcohol with friends is one way to kick off a party or celebrate an event such as your favorite team winning a game. Some find that taking a shot makes them immediately feel ill due to the smell and taste of the liquor. Avoiding the problem completely by properly tossing the shot into your mouth prevents the smell and taste from lingering and keeps you from immediately expelling the alcohol from your mouth.