This week we’ve picked a little valentines number that is sure to please your palate. While not exactly pink and exciting in that direction, it’s definitely a cute little shooter for your Sunday. This recipe was build from an original cocktail recipe, in a smaller glass. You can always make a big ol’ glass of them.

Of course, you can also load them up in a Party Paddle as we did!

The top twelve products to add to your holiday gift list include:

#12: Bailey’s Mint Chocolate Irish Cream

Everyone is used to Bailey’s standard Irish Cream offerings, but they’re missing out on some of the holidays best flavors: mint chocolate! This flavor offers the same Irish Cream kick but allows you to flavor your coffee and cocktails with something a bit more minty without taking it overboard. You’ll find it’s subtle enough to be a great stand-alone spirit without overtaking your senses like a schnapps; all built with the same quality of any Bailey’s Product.

#11: WMF Boston Cocktail Shaker

Are you sick of shaking cocktails in a metal shaker that freezes solid making it impossible to remove the lid and reload a second cocktail? The three-piece cobbler shaker’s are nice but the Boston Cocktail Shaker is much cleaner and faster to build cocktails at parties or for yourself. In addition, you’ll look like a real bartender and, once you learn how to use the Boston Cocktail shaker, you’re on your way to cocktail excellence.

If you want to buy a Boston Cocktail Shaker, consider buying it today and hiding it until Christmas or the holiday of your choice because they can take awhile to ship and keep in stock; ours took three weeks to ship from amazon! I’d also consider a loft bar strainer to round out the purchase, that allows you to strain the cocktail without the partially melted ice falling into the glass.

#10: 10 Cane Rum (Light Rum)

Many people have had a standard light rum, made from molasses and that’s all fine and dandy. But the holidays are about trying to be creative with your gift giving choice, 10 Cane Rum can bring something new to the table. 10 Cane Rum has a sweeter profile, great mouth feel and stands out amongst other rums in its class. There is nothing wrong with a typical light rum, but why not give something a bit more unique for the holidays?

If you can’t find 10 Cane Rum, see if you can find Depaz Rhum Agricole, that’s another great pure cane rum but is a bit more “organic” and “green” in flavors.

#9: G’Vine Floraison Gin

Produced in the Cognac region of France, G’vine is a four-times distilled gin created from Ugni Blanc grapes. This gin brings more than juniper to your palate, with beautiful bright floral flavors and an elegance unseen by standard London Try gin varieties. You will definitely pay a bit more for the experience but the selection and experiences held within the bottle will please the receiver of your gift this holiday.

The G’vine Floraison with cost roughly USD $40 and is infused with the vine flower, giving it a very aromatic nose. This gin stands out as a completely unique experience not shared with other gins in the market today. You can read our review of G’Vine Floraison gin and decide for yourself.

#8: Bison Grass Vodka

Let’s be honest, most vodka brands taste the same and the culture of vodka, today, is to create a highly distilled product that brings clean and crisp flavors but very little more; a true “neutral grain” spirit. If you’re going to buy something that brings little taste profile, spending excessive money doesn’t make sense, just buy Tito’s Vodka and you’ll get all you need from a standard neutral vodka. For something more flavorful and unique that takes nuances to a new level, try Bak’s Bison Grass Vodka, now available in the United States.

Bison Grass Vodka isn’t the typical neutral grained vodka, it’s distilled to the point of clean tasting vodka without pulling all of the “impurities” from the spirit. The concept behind vodka is to remove all impurities but many of those so-called impurities add flavors and tastes that change the definition of the spirit, such as bison grass. Bak’s Bison Grass can be sipped as a neat spirit or added to a cocktail or apple juice to bring an invigorating sense of cocktailian pleasures.

#7: Absinthe Dripper/Brouilleurs

You know an absinthe drinker in the family or a friend? If so, they really cannot go on with life without this really awesome absinthe dripper from AbsintheOnTheNet. It’s small enough to be stored anywhere yet louche’s absinthe like a champion without the need for a huge absinthe fountain (which itself is a neat gift).

The Cusenier Absinthe Dripper Auto Verseur makes a great gift for the holidays because it brings a unique mechanical flare to preparing absinthe with all the functionality of a dripper. The added shock value will make your gift the most talked about product at the party and leave a smile on the face of those receiving one. They’re a bit pricey, at USD $109 but a product like this can be passed down through the generations, as long as you explain its purpose and share absinthe with the family.

I brough this dripper to a family event over the summer and everyone would sit there and watch it’s mechanical glory as if it was some alien object of desire.

#6: Veev Açaí Spirit

Açaí juice is extremely tasty but I never considered purchasing it at the store until I sat down with a VeeV Açaí cocktail which changed my perspective on fruit flavor. The scent of the spirit is delicious and slightly potent with unique flavors unseen by many US brands of spirit which all pair well in a cocktail with other fruits and flavors. Açaí is a fruit all its own and its taste cannot be compared to other standard fruits and berries, it’s a Brazilian delight.

My first experience with VeeV was in the VeeV Açaí Lemonade, a great lemonade style cocktail for the lemonade lover and offers a low-calorie look at cocktails. Many specially designed VeeV cocktails bring low calorie alternatives without losing the sweetness and flavors, that’s just something Açaí brings to the table. Read our review of VeeV and make your own decision.

#5: Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Whiskey lovers in the Kentucky area will be all like “no duh!” for this one, but it’s hard to shuffle through all the mass market brands of mediocre bourbons to find one that really shines. You can drink the same whiskey you drink everyday or you can try something a bit better and pickup the Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

Buffalo Trace Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (~$23.99) begins with the finest Kentucky and Indiana corn, selected rye, and superior malted barley. Upon delivery the grains undergo a general visual inspection for any obvious abnormalities. Buffalo Trace Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey is 90-Proof (45% ABV) with its distillery located in Franklin County, Kentucky. I’ve found this brings a huge series of flavor nuances without over-oak or burning sensations, the perfect bourbon for a perfect whiskey sour! You can’t ask for more!

#4: Republic Tequila Reposado

The market is full of great 100% de agave tequila and you really can’t go wrong with a real tequila. However, there are so many to choose from and I believe Republic Tequila Reposado is the hidden gem in the tequila industry right now. It’s a 100% Blue Agave Organic tequila with flavor nuances that lend itself to rich pineapples, sweet brown sugar and spicy white pepper.

The Republic Tequila Reposado reminds me of a nice bourbon in its complexity and deep experience and commands a competitive price in the mid USD $40 range. You’ll find dozens of USD $40 tequila brands but only a few with the complexities to feel like a USD $60 tequila, Republic Tequila’s Reposado does more than expected. Read our review.

#3: Bluecoat American Dry Gin

We’ve taken a look at G’Vine which brings a floral experience to your gin, now we’re looking at a more traditional American dry gin. Bluecoat has organic juniper berries, organic citrus peels and other organic materials in their gin recipe. The viscosity was thick and well-bodied which shows some great class. While appreciating the smoothness on the palate, a huge explosion of orange zest exploded in my mouth in every direction which tickled all the senses from the tip of the tongue to the back of the nasal passages.

Until I had Bluecoat I never really appreciated the zesty orange that can be found in a good American dry gin. Read the review for yourself.

#2: Don Q Grand Añejo

This is the second most awesome gift for this holiday. Don Q Rum, in general, is a tasty spirit but their Grand Añejo brings a huge complexity to the dark rum style and mind blowing flavor. I brought a bottle to a family event and most people looked at me strange when I told them to “sip this rum” as they associated rum with mojito cocktails. They took a sip and said, “is this really rum? This isn’t a whiskey?”

Don Q Grand Añejo doesn’t taste like a full bodied whiskey, it tastes like a full bodied rum with the backbone and nuances you normally would receive in a classy whiskey. It’s maturity commands a fairly high price, at USD $59.99, this isn’t a low-grade rum by any stretch of the imagination. While it may break the budget of a Secret Santa gift, this is a respectable product to give to a loved one over the holidays as it is a sign of respect.

#1: Riazul Añejo Tequila

Unfortunately, Riazul may be hard to get across the United States, but you may find it at Spec’s Online (if you can figure out how to navigate their order process). Riazul Añejo will run you around USD $54 but easily tastes like that of a USD $200+ bottle of tequila in flavor profile, mouth feel and overall excellence.

Sometimes I feel like a Riazul spoke’s person by praising their product so much but you have to give respect to a hard working crew that’s really trying to change the tequila industry by offering a great price on an exceptional product. Riazul Añejo resembles a 15 year old wine in smoothness and completeness and can easily compete with the best aged whiskey on the market today in complexity. White chocolates, subtle fruits, ripe pineapple and beautiful finish. If you find this for your holiday shopping list pickup a second bottle for yourself… pickup a third bottle for me since I recommended it! Read our full review.

Hopefully we’ve given you some direction to go on your holiday gift shopping list for spirits, liquors and cocktail gifts. For mom or dad, or any siblings over 21 years of age, these gifts will show people that you’re in “the know” and following exceptional trends in the industry. Happy holidays!

It’s Tuesday and that means we’re bringing another week of cocktail recipes to your face. The first in our series will be the Cherry Bomb, we’re starting off a bit sweet. This cocktail will have a bit of vodka, tequila and light rum combined with some tropical fresh flavors in the form of coconut and pineapple with a little milk thrown in for texture and color.

For those that want to follow along with our cocktail recipe, airing on November 20th, you can head out to buy your bottle with included spiced packet now. If your retail store isn’t carrying the bottles with the spice packet perhaps we can help. I’ve got around twenty spice packets I can give away to anyone who needs them to complete the 10 Cane Spiced Apple Punch recipe and cannot find them.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this is a must-try recipe for the season. You can build the recipe hot or cold, depending on your preferences. We’re going to create the cold version of the cocktail for the show on the 20th but we’d love to hear back from those that create the hot recipe.

Here are the two very simple recipes (also included with spice packet):

10 Cane Spiced Apple Punch (cold)
51 oz. Apple Juice
750ml Bottle of 10 Cane Rum
10 Cane Spice Packet
12 Cinnamon Sticks

Remove wrapper from spice packet. In a large container, place the spice packet (like a teabag) and one 51 ounce bottle of apple juice. Chill in refrigerator for at least one our and then squeeze the remaining liquid from the spice packet and remove it from the juice. Pour entire 750ml bottle of 10 Cane Rum into the spiced apple juice and stir.

To serve, shake 6 oz. of the spiced apple punch in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Or, simplier, pour over ice into a tall Collins glass. In both cases, garnish with a cinnamon stick and serve. Serves twelve cocktails.

10 Cane Spiced Apple Punch (hot)
51 oz. Apple Juice
750ml Bottle of 10 Cane Rum
10 Cane Spice Packet
12 Cinnamon Sticks

Remove wrapper from spice packet. Heat 51 oz. of apple juice to just below boiling then add the spice packet and steep for 3 to 5 minutes (or desired strength). Squeeze the liquid from the spiced packet and remove. Add 750ml bottle of 10 Cane Rum to the mix and stir.

Serve the 10 Cane Hot Spiced Apple Punch in your favorite mug and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Serves twelve cocktails.

Remember, we’ll be launching the 10 Cane sponsored episode on November 20th, just in time for you to prepare your recipes for the following Thanksgiving day festivities. However, you can enjoy this recipe all season long and well into the winter with the warmer cocktail variant. If you find you need a spice packet, we’ve got some to give away so contact us (while supplies last).

This is a overflow from our holiday week but it fits any time of the year as it’s a great potent little number known as the Axe Murderer. This cocktail has nice sweet flavors reflecting that of a tropical/tiki cocktail (with less rum) with a potent finish that reminds you that this cocktail has a lot of unique alcohols.

As with other intense drinks of this nature, the alcohols all play well together without giving any offending taste profiles. It will creep up on you… like an AXE MURDERER!

The Pink “Kitty,” also goes by the recipe name Pink Pussy but we’re not exactly happy with the naming convention of the original recipe so we changed it. This is a beautifully looking cocktail which reminds us much of a margarita with a distinct citrus finish. The limón rum (Don Q in our case) hides well in this drink and brings a slightly enhanced sour undertone to the cocktail.

The Cucumber-Melon Delight #2 is something completely new and different on the palate. This cocktail gives you a nice sweetness mingled with fresh cucumber flavors all with a pretty color and presentation. This viewer submitted recipe is well worth a try for all those others that like to share in the cocktail experience.

We’re making our own “sweet and sour” with lemon and simple syrup, you can try a pre-mix if you want and tell us what you think.

After pouring, the nose rises up to a fairly intense alcohol which burns the nasal passages a bit. Once I work through a third sniff I was able to get past some of the intensity and find the subtle caramel and pineapple-like sweet aromas. The more a nosed the glass the more sweet the flavor profile grew.

The taste is medium body, not too thick or mature but not watery either. The initial attack of flavors were lightly sweet with a hint of chocolate in the mid-palate transition but still has a slight tingling burn on the edges of my tongue. The finish is quite clean and clear with a bit of dryness and pineapple sweet notes.

Overall, Flor de Caña is a fun tasting experience even though it’s a bit intense on the alcoholic nose. I think this is a wise buy at some of the prices I’ve found on the Internet. For the cost of USD $14.99 you’re going to get a crisp and clean rum experience with slightly sweet tastes that don’t go overboard in any direction.

The final installment of our first blind rum tasting concludes with this episode in which we battle current leader Bacardi against Cruzan and 10 Cane rum. While every rum we’ve tasted in our blind tasting has qualified as a good product, we can only have one winner so it will come down to round 3.

We wanted to thank everyone for all the comments. We had some great suggestions to keep in mind going forward and have learned a lot from the experience. We’ve seen passion behind specific brands where some people refuse to believe we “let” bacardi get this far while others defend them. You may not agree with our assessment of the brands and that is perfectly okay, everyone’s palate is different.

Welcome to the second blind tasting on the show. This is the prototype “pilot” episoide for a spinoff show that focuses on the spirit themselves, not the cocktail. Jennifer and I bring on round-2, this time we’re tasting Bacardi (yesterday’s winner) against Don Q and Brave Spirits rum brands.

Please note, as with yesterday, each of these brands, in our view, are great products — we’re searching for the one that tastes best on our palate without the persuasion of label or friendship. We love the producers of all the brands regardless to where they rank in our mouth.

For those that have sent comments on creative ways to rank or suggestions for the show, remember that this episode was pre-recorded after the last one so changes were not able to be made.

Welcome to the first true blind tasting on the show! This is the prototype “pilot” episoide for a spinoff show that focuses on the spirit themselves, not the cocktail. That means both Jennifer and I are on camera hoping to bring you close to the world of light rums through our own taste buds.

Many folks have been awaiting this show, as have we, and today it becomes real. This is one of a three-part blind tasting, tomorrow you’ll see round 2 and on Tuesday we’ll release the third and final round. This also marks Jennifer’s first appearance on the show, marking the 169th episode.

Our second guest star, Reinhard, is helping us create the Honolulu Lulu recipe. This recipe is unique as it looks like and hints at being a tropical drink but the finish of the cocktail is much more coffee-like than sweet. Don Q was used for our rum styles but you can use your favorite rum, my new favorite happens to be Don Q. In order to really enjoy the drink we’ve got our German friend to make sure we did it well, Prost!

Watch through the entire video to see our hidden Austrian attack after the recipe credits.

We’ve got our first international guest on the show, Oliver comes to us from Austria and he’s a huge cocktail fan. So, in order to “bless” him into the group, we’re creating the Scorpion Bowl cocktail. This is an exotic and extremely dangerous cocktail to say the least, a great deal of alcohol with tastes that go down fairly sweet with a burning finish.

Needless to say, Oliver left the house extremly “happy” after the event, having to be helped to the car and to his hotel a german friend who is strong enough to help him along. That friend… you’ll see on tomorrows show (teaser!!)

This week we’re starting the day right, with a bright green alien secretion. The proper blend of coconut rum (Cruzan), pineapple juice and Midori Melon Liqueur. This drink will satisfy the sweet tooth without bringing a huge sugar rush, it’s got sweets but it’s not overpowered by them.

Although bright green, the tropical flavors are undeniable and very easy to drink.

Check us out at Everydaydrinkers.tv to see the episode and leave some comments!

A dangerous but tasty exotic cocktail with many styles of rum (perhaps all), a bit of Apricot brandy and a ton of sweet juices all done tiki-style. This is one of those drinks you’ve got to play careful with. Please checkout our sponsors, including Averna Amaro and Awesomedrinks.com!

You support us by supporting our sponsors, not to mention they’ve got awesome products – we wouldn’t bring them on board if we didn’t believe it for ourselves.

Check us out at Everydaydrinkers.tv to see the episode and leave some comments!

This is a sweeter cocktail, if you’re into sour cocktails, hold on until Saturday when we release the Carbonated Piston Slinger. This one is bright blue, the next will be bright red – so we’re all into colors here on Common Man Cocktails!

This cocktail has the light rum, fresh lime juice, triple sec and the brandy to darken and create the sooth behind the drink. If you want to sweeten the drink a bit, try splashing some maraschino cherry juice and dropping in a cherry.

This little guy looks sweet and innocent but packs a powerful taste. If you want to expand your cocktail tasting pallet, try one for yourself!

This week we’re going with a refereshing Long Island Ice Tea recipe. There are many to choose from, some simple, some complex and we’re going with the basic. Why? Because it’s something you can do in your own house with gin, tequila, rum, vodka, triple sec and a bit of sweet/sour mix!

Compared to rums like Bacardi, you’ll instantly notice the smell is a warmer, gentler scent without the sharp alcoholic barrage of the nasal passages. At Ease rum is 40% alcohol by volume, as you’d expect, but is a bit easier on your pallet. You’ll also find this distilled beverage a bit sweeter than the competitors, making it a happy addition to any tiki bar drink or fruity fresh summer cocktail.

Most importantly, the Brave Spirit company donates $2.00 from every purchase to charities that support the men and women of Americans military, fire departments and police departments.

This product is about relaxing.  It is about being off-duty.  It is about letting the job and stress melt away.  This is a weekend pass.  It is R&R. It is optimistic. This is about good times while always being respectful of the uniform.

At Ease rum is highly competitive with other light rums and offers the same experience with a slightly sweeter taste. If you live in the United States and go out of your way to buy 100% American made products than this is a no brainer. It’s made using sugarcane from the American Sunbelt and left in old bourbon casks in sunny Florida where it picks up some of its sweetness.

The bottle is cool, very “boxy” and sharp which goes against the grain compared to other distilled spirits in your local liquor store. However, it shows off pride in its silhouette of a standing soldier; buy all their brands and you’ve got yourself beverages waiting at attention for you to sip. Although, artistically, the bottle isn’t going to win any awards, it’s designed with a specific symbolic representation and you can’t fault them for it.

Because of its sweeter smell and taste this beverage handles well in a tropical drink, Polynesian recipe or other tiki bar cocktail. You really can’t go wrong with a beverage that tastes good, gives back to those whom protect us and mixes well in a cocktail (especially for those of us that aren’t big on shots of rum).

Definitely check it out.

In order to assure we get both great liquor and great protection, Brave Spirits, was born to cover both of our needs. Every product they sell results in a USD $2.00 donation to our men and women in uniform, police, fire and military.

“Brave Spirits is for Soldiers. Marines. Sailors. Airmen. Police officers. Fire fighters.
You come to the rescue. You protect. You defend American freedom.
You are America’s bravest.”

The company is founded by David Fox and directed by his wife Jennifer. Together the pair hopes to help build our folks in uniform while committing a great beverage to its customers.

David Fox has always felt a personal connection to members of the military, police and firefighters that work hard to serve and protect our nation everyday.  With a father who served in the Korean War and many friends and family who have served in varying capacities, David yearned to develop a brand that speaks to these women and men, and most importantly one that thanks them.  Drawing upon his successful career in marketing spirits, David has created Brave Spirits, an all-American made line of spirits that honors, remembers and celebrates the people that defend and protect our country.

Jennifer Dempsey Fox serves as the Director of the Brave Spirits Foundation and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Brave Spirits.  The Brave Spirits Foundation distributes the $2 a bottle donation that Brave Spirits makes towards charities supporting the military, police and firefighters.  The board of advisors is comprised of current and former members of the military branches, police and firefighters.

It’s hard to imagine being able to drink a relaxing beverage with bombs destroying our neighbors house, people living homeless in the back yard and gunfire waking us up every night. Police help lower crime rates and protect our possessions and lives while fire fighters save our lives when the unexpected happens, all under the shield of our military forces. This is what makes many other countries jealous of our homeland, we have little to complain about.

Here are the beverages you’ll be able to select from:

Valor Vodka
This product is crafted in recognition of the depth of character and level of bravery that our men and women in uniform possess.   Valor is showing courage, boldness and determination in the face of great danger.  Medals are given to those who demonstrate Valor.  It is not a word used lightly.

At Ease Rum
This product is about relaxing.  It is about being off-duty.  It is about letting the job and stress melt away.  This is a weekend pass.  It is R&R. It is optimistic. This is about good times while always being respectful of the uniform.

First In Whiskey
This product is about bravado.  It takes incredible guts to be the first in.  It is about the first ones to run at the danger.  The first ones will be in the thick of it before anyone else is prepared to help.  This is the epitome of courage and bravery.  The Marines say they are the First To Fight.  Firefighters say they are the First In and Last Out.  First In is about responding in an instant when called.

Standing Guard Gin
This product is about placing yourself between the good guys and the bad guys.  It is about being the wall that protects.  Those that Stand Guard accept the awesome responsibility to stop enemies and save lives. It is for the military, police and firefighters that keep watch over the citizens of our great country.

BRAVE SPIRITS, THE SPIRITS LINE DEDICATED TO AMERICA’S MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM, AVAILABLE
FOR FIRST TIME EVER

Pennsylvania Marks Inaugural Market For
100% American-Made Spirits Line

NARBERTH, PA, June 23, 2008 — Co-founders David and Jennifer Fox announced today that Brave Spirits (http://www.bravespirits.com), a new line of 100% American-made premium spirits, is now available for the first time ever in its home-state of Pennsylvania.  Brave Spirits, consisting of Valor Vodka, First In Whiskey, Standing Guard Gin and At Ease Rum, was founded on the principles to honor, remember and celebrate the men and women who protect and defend America everyday. In Pennsylvania, Brave Spirits is available in 20 wine and spirits outlets across the state as well as military bases Ft. Indiantown Gap, Carlisle Barracks, Tobyhanna and C.E. Kelly.  Brave Spirits believes in giving back, donating $2 from every bottle sold to the Brave Spirits Foundation.  The Foundation will have an Advisory Board composed of retired members of America’s services, Firefighters and Police, who will determine to which charities and foundations proceeds will go.

“Brave Spirits is the result of a life-changing visit to the Marine’s Memorial Club & Hotel in San Francisco,” said David Fox.  “I was so impressed by the level of dedication, commitment and bravery these marines demonstrate. I wanted to toast them.  But then I thought, ‘shouldn’t there be a spirit that honors them?’  Of course that spirit would have to be 100% American made.”

“I am excited to be a member of this Board whose mission is both unique and ambitious,” said Brave Spirits Foundation Board Member Ret. Rear Admiral John J. Sweeney.  “I am eager and proud to ensure that our men and women who serve, as well as their families, are properly supported through the donations of the Brave Spirits Foundation.” Jennifer Dempsey Fox, Director of the Foundation, said, “Our goal is to benefit the lives and families of these men and women.  The mission of the foundation is to benefit charities that keep them safe, help them recover and help them to celebrate. We feel that this foundation will have a profound impact right here in Pennsylvania by providing the extra support that they need in many different ways.”

Brave Spirits is a distinctly American brand— 100% of the ingredients are American-made with distillation taking place in Kansas, Illinois and Iowa.  Each bottle is crafted in appreciation of the sacrifices that American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, National Guard, police officers and firefighters, as well as their loved ones, make every single day.  “We tried to make the donation $3 a bottle but it didn’t work,” said David Fox.  “We think a product dedicated to the men and women who serve should be 100% American made- that is what Brave Spirits is all about — celebrating America.” Brave Spirits will continue to expand aggressively and strategically in the United States.  The entire Brave Spirits line carries a suggested retail price of $19.99.

About Brave Spirits
Founded in 2008 by David and Jennifer Fox, Brave Spirits is the ultimate American spirit line, created in respect and honor of the men and women across the world who defend America daily. Brave Spirits believes in giving back, making a $2 donation from every bottle sold to the Brave Spirits Foundation, which is directed by co-founder Jennifer Fox. The Brave Spirits Foundation, made up of retired service members, decides the appropriate charities and foundations to allocate proceeds to, from family members to veterans and active service members.

We checked out Discount Mugs and they have some pretty sweet custom shot glasses. They also have some hot looking Brandy Snifters, beer mugs and other beautiful glasses. We’re not affiliated with this store but we tripped over it doing some holiday shopping (or considerations) and it looks like an impressive site.

We also took a glance at other personalized shot glass websites that may be worth a deeper scan. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah to need a personalized glass but it would make a grea addiction to a gift basket or something.

If the gift is for a tequila drinker you could put in some high end tequila with a few cactus designed shot glasses, a margarita mixer and some salt or do up a full brandy kit or rum kit. The options are limited only by your creativity.

In the first episode of the Everyday Drinkers podcast we mention two key recipes, the Mai Tai and The Golden Eye, here are the recipes we used for our drinks.

We chose them for two reasons, their easy to make and require very little ‘rare’ ingredients, we’re trying to make a “common man” recipe, that would be a recipe which doesn’t require a chemistry Phd and is handy for a fast mix.

Feel free to try them out and tell us what you think!

Mai Tai
2 oz. light rum 1oz Triple Sec
1 Tbs. orgeat (almond) syrup (basically sugar cane)
1/2 oz. grenadine
1 oz. lime juice

The Goldeneye
2 oz. Dark Rum (Appleton’s preferred)
Juice of a 1/4 lime
Ice (crushed if available)
Hot Ginger Ale (“Jamaican Style” is a common designation)

If you’re wondering which rum is best, which is most cost effective and which work best in a mixed drink listen to EveryDay Drinkers Episode 01! If you have any questions, feedback or comments about the podcast (or anything else), don’t hesitate to contact us.

We hope you enjoy the episode, soon we’ll get our podcast feed into iTunes so you can subscribe bi-weekly.

Next episode we’ll cover Brown Ale from a wide selection of breweries and Doug will tell you all you’ll need to know about ales, browns and how much head your beer should have!

Cheers

Don’t let the seasons fool you, there is no reason to stop drinking Mojito’s just because the leaves turn color or snow falls. Start a fire (preferably in a fireplace) and sip Mojito’s all year long. The citrus flavors and mint will keep you refreshed while masking the rum flavor so you can stick to a lower grade light/silver rum or a flavor rum. I prefer a “Mango Mojito” and usually use Captain Morgan Parrot Bay Mango Rum to equip my drink with a kick.

I’m a busy guy so I choose to use a pre-created Mojito Mix when building my drinks. When I’m hosting a card game or otherwise entertaining guests I really don’t feel like breaking down the ingredients by teaspoon measurements, making sure I have all the intended products… I want to drink and so do the party participants. We lean towards Rose’s Mango Mojito Mix because it’s fast and easy and has a recipe right on the back of the bottle!

I do try, however, to get myself some fresh mint leaves from a family members garden or at the store when available. Other than that, here is how we build ‘em:

1 oz. – 2 oz. Parrot Bay Mango Rum (2 oz. for some additional punch in the face)
4 oz. Rose’s Mango Mojito Mix
1/2 oz. Rose’s Lime Juice (or just leave it out if you like)
1 – 2 mint leaves
Crushed Ice

Some folks like to muddle the mint and lime juices, I just stuff it all in a shaker and go wild – nothing fancy. If you’re into mint you can double or triple the amount of leaves you use, personally I don’t care for a huge minty explosion and just go for a lighter mint flavor. This is especially true if you’re doing a mango flavored drink as there is no reason to explode your mouth with too many flavors and take away from the experience.

The final product will be a lightly yellow sweet drink with a bit of a hidden kick. You’re guests will find they can easily put down two or three Mango Mojito’s before they realize it and walking may become an issue.

Of course, if you do serve a large quantity of Mojito’s at your next festivity, remember to hide the car keys… don’t let your friends do something stupid.

So, you want to know how I make it? There are probably a half-dozen ways to do it, I’ve noticed some are lighter yellowish orange while others are dark red. This probably has to do with the amount of Grenadine used or substituting ingredients for orange juice.

2 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Triple Sec or Cointreau (any orange liquor basically)
1/2 oz. Grenadine
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 Table Spoon of Orgeat (almond) Syrup

Pour it all into a shaker, do some dancing, dump it over some crushed ice and sip. The Orgeat Syrup is pretty much sugar water, adds great sweetness to the drink. The Grenadine and Lime juice help to dull any chance you’ll notice you’re drinking 2 shots of rum and the Triple Sec just adds a bit of flare to the mix.

Two of these and you’ll feel like your at a Chinese Karaoke Bar within a half hours time.