Friday 5 o’clock Cocktail – Tequila Sunrise

Maybe it's because Spring is in the air. Maybe I'm just low on Vitamin C, but I have to admit I've been drinking these all week.

The Orange Juice and Pommegranet flavor in the Grenadine goes well with the silky smoothness of the Tequila. A little squirt of lime juice really finishes the drink off nicely.

Here's how I make mine:
1 1/2 oz Tequila
3 oz Orange Juice
Splash of Grenadine
1 slice of lime

Directions: Combine first three ingredients in a rocks or highball glass with ice. Squeeze the lime slice over the drink and then drop it in. Stir gently. Enjoy.

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All-grain Brewing - The Mash

All-Grain brewing simply means brewing beer straight from grain instead of using pre-made barley extracts. It is considered to be an advanced form of beer brewing that most brewers don’t attempt until they have made several successful batches using extracts.

If you are considering making the jump to All-Grain Brewing, then this week we are going to get into the concept of the "Mash".

Mashing is the process of extracting simple sugars from barley. This is the first step in the process of brewing your own beer directly from grain, and most brewers consider it the most important.

Want to know more? Read our article: All-Grain Homebrewing Instructions: The Mash

How to Make a Highball Drink

You probably order highball drinks all the time without realizing it. In fact, although most people don’t think much about it, a great percentage of bar drinks fall into the category of "Highball". Which is not only a description of the drink itself, but also the glass it is typically served in.

A highball is generally defined as a shot of a single type of liquor added to a larger portion of non-alcoholic mixer with ice. The drink is served in a "Highball" glass. Which is a straight-sided glass that holds about 10 – 12 oz.

Highball drinks, like Lowball drinks, are designed to be made quickly. Their popularity at bars is as much a result of bartenders needing to make the best use of their time as it is of consumer demand.

For many of us, the beauty of highballs is their simplicity.

To give you a quick overview of Highball drinks, we created our Highball Cocktail page. Check it out: www.drunkmansguide.com/articles/highball.php

Some noteworthy highballs:

• Jack and Coke
• Scotch and Soda
• Seven and Seven
• Gin and Tonic
• Vodka Tonic
• Screwdriver
• Captain and Coke
• Fuzzy Navel

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Friday 5 o’clock Cocktail – Apple Martini

There are about a ton of ways to make an Apple Martini. The method below works well for me, although sometimes I just leave out the Vodka and double-up on the Gin.

This is a very strong drink, so don’t even consider operating heavy machinery like a car or a speedboat, or a catapult after you’ve had one of these.

You'll also have to have a large martini glass. This thing ain't suitable for the little dainty kind. You need one of those super-sized martini glasses!

Ingredients:
2 Ounces Good Quality Gin
2 Ounces Vodka
2 Ounces Apple Pucker
1 Ounce Triple Sec
1 Splash of Sweet 'n Sour Mix
Garnish with Apple Slice (optional)

Directions: Combine ingredients into a shaker and shake. Serve in a BIG Martini Glass.

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Beginners Guide to All-Grain Equipment

If you have been homebrewing for a while and you are using extracts, then you are probably a little curious about all-grain brewing. What is necessary to make the leap? Is it really as difficult as it seems?

As usual, the process of brewing your own beer from grain is much less complicated than many brewers would have you believe. But it does require some specialized equipment, and that’s what our first all-grain article is about.

Read our article on All Grain Equipment for Beginners.

Beer Review – Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

Uh oh… Samuel Smith disappoints! As much as it pains me to say it, I just cannot recommend this beer. It isn’t that it’s BAD. It’s just that… Well, read our Review of Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale

Friday 5 o'Clock Cocktail - Tom Collins

Want a refreshing drink you can make with stuff you probably already have in the kitchen? Try a Tom Collins. The drink is sweet and tart from the sugar and lemon juice. It's best to use fresh lemons to make this drink. But if all you have is bottled lemon juice, then that works too.

This recipe calls for simple syrup, which is easy enough to make. Just combine two parts sugar to one part water. It helps to heat the water up to dissolve the sugar, but you can make up a cup or two of this and keep it in the fridge. It is used in a lot of different recipes, so it's a good idea to keep some on hand.

How to make a Tom Collins
2 oz Gin
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
3 oz chilled Club Soda
Lemon Slice
Maraschino Cherry

Directions: Add the first three ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass, add the soda and garnish with the lemon slice and the cherry.
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Client #9 Shooter - a.k.a. Eliot Spitzer’s Bad Decision Shooter

You know the kind of night when you end up bellied up to the bar doing shots of Jager and talking shit to some guy from Texarkana for two and a half hours about the similarities between a taco and Britney Spears?

Learn how to make a Client #9 (Eliot Spitzer) Shooter More Mixed Drink Recipes >

Watch it jiggle, see it wiggle…

If you remember that jingle, then you know where we’re going with this one. That’s right folks, it’s Jello Shot time!

Jello shots can be much more than the plain old shooters you may be used to. Creativity and fun are what they are all about. Check out the ideas on our new Jello Shot page.

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Friday 5 o'Clock Cocktail - Rum Runner

Ready for some liquor trivia? During Prohibition in the United States, people used to take small boats out into the ocean and meet up with larger vessels that brought Rum up from the carribean. The boats that brought the rum were called Rum Runners, and they would park just past the 3 mile limit in order to avoid "Empirial Entaglements".

The most famous Rum Runner was a man named William McCoy who was one of the few smugglers who didn't water down his booze. As a result, word quickly spread up and down the east coast that if you wanted quality product, you could always find it at McCoy's boat.

McCoy's operation ended when the Coast Guard intercepted his vessel and a firefight ensued. The coast guard sank McCoy's ship, but his position in liquor lore is secure.

Today, when anyone tells you something is the "Real McCoy", you know it's a sign of quality. And that's where the term came from.

How to Make a Rum Runner:
1 1/2 oz Coconut Rum (Malibu Rum works well)
3 oz Cranberry Juice
1 oz Blackberry Brandy
3 oz Orange Juice
3 oz Pineapple Juice

Mix all ingredients in a tall glass with ice and serve.
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Beer Review – 2 Below by New Belgium

I was driving on I-70 with a friend of mine last week when I saw it - the New Belgium beer truck. And that was when it dawned on me that if I was going to hijack any beer truck, this should be the one. Right here, right now... Read our Review of New Belgium's 2 Below

How to Make a Collins Drink

With spring around the corner, we are going to start adding drinks that you will enjoy as the weather starts to warm up. That means more fruity and sour drinks, and fewer of the creamy deserty type that we normally associate with winter and the holidays.

The first of these is a classic family of drinks called the Collins. The most famous Collins drink is the Tom Collins, but there are many variations. So if you happen to be fresh out of Gin, don’t worry, you can probably still make a Colonel Collins!

Visit the How to Make a Collins Drink page to learn how to make the following drinks:

• Tom Collins
  


• John Collins
  


• Ron Collins
  


• Tex Collins