Today is the first day of summer here in the United States. If you happen to be in Europe, then you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for summer to start.

I don’t know why that is. Maybe some of you can clue me in.

At any rate, to celebrate the fact that the sun is hot, today’s cocktail is the famous “Sex on the Beach”.

I remember the first time I actually drank in a bar. I was with a friend of mine, we were about sixteen years old at the time. But we were tipping well, and that’s all the waitress seemed to care about.

I remember that day because we were doing shots of Sex on the Beach, and we were too young to know that the bartender was making them weak since he knew damn well we weren’t old enough to drink.

But they were good anyway, and these days I prefer to drink my Sexes as cocktails rather than shots.

Now, Sex on the Beach’es can be made in a number of ways. Generally, however, it’s Vodka, Peach Schnapps, and some mixture of fruit juices. The ratio of juices to alcohol is usually about 1:1, but you can change that to taste.

If you want to create higher alcohol versions of a Sex on the Beach, then what you would do is substitute different fruit Schnapps for the juices. So, for example, if you wanted a Pineapple tasting Sex, then you would substitute Pineapple Schnapps for Pineapple Juice. Usually you do this if you are making shooters.

So, that being said, here’s how I make them:

• 1 ½ oz Vodka
• 1 ½ oz Peach Schnapps (Or Southern Comfort)
• 1 ½ oz Cranberry Juice
• 1 ½ oz Orange Juice

Southern Comfort is a Peach Liqueur, so if you don’t have the Schnapps, then SoCo would be a reasonable substitute. Also, as I indicated above, you can change out the juices all day long depending on what you have in the fridge. Usually you try to mix a sweet juice with a tangy juice.

So, some good combos would be: Pineapple Juice and Grapefruit Juice; or Apple Juice and Cranberry Juice. Some people also put a teaspoon or so of Grenadine in – it has that sweet/tangy thing built in. You get the idea.

Anyway, Sexes are served in just about every kind of glass: shot glass, highball glass, rocks glass, or (my favorite) the cocktail glass.

If you’re serving in a shot glass, then you’ll be making a stronger drink that uses the schnapps in place of the juices.

Regardless, I hope you have a great first day of summer.

Cheers!

If you’ve ever been to New Orleans then you can probably appreciate the benefits of a strong Hurricane. And no, I’m not talking about Katrina or Andrew. I’m talking about the kind of Hurricane every drunk should know how to make.

Now, there are some fancy pants bartenders who aren’t from the Big Easy who get stingy with the booze. I’ve seen recipes for Hurricanes that only include one ounce of liquor in a big glass of juice. Sorry, that’s not how you make ’em.

When you order your Hurricane from one of the open, walk-up bars on Bourbon street , the drink is strong. Like “knock-you-on-your-a$$-strong”. I mean, it’s called a Hurricane, not a “drizzle”. Hurricanes destroy things, so it follows that if you drink one, you should be likewise destroyed, right?

But you don’t have to go to Louisiana to get a good Hurricane because you’re a Drunk and you can make your own. Here’s how to do it:

• 1 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Amaretto
• 1 oz Gin
• 1 oz Light Rum
• 1 oz Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz 151 Rum
• 1/4 oz Grenadine Syrup
• Pineapple Juice
• Grapefruit Juice 

Directions: Pour the liquors into a Hurricane glass (or pint glass, or collins glass, or whatever big glass you have) 3/4 filled with ice and stir. Fill the rest of the way with equal parts of the juices. Enjoy.

Remember there are Thousands of Cocktail Recipes at the Drunk Man’s Guide!

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.

More Mixed Drink Recipes

When we talk about chasers, we usually are talking about taking a shot and then “chasing” it with a beer. However some people do it the opposite way, they chug a beer and chase it with a shot. Many recipes also call for dropping a shot of liquor into a beer, or layering the liquor with the beer.

Check out our Chasers page for a five great recipes that combine beer and liquor.

Have you ever wanted to know how different kinds of liquor are made? Or, what’s the difference between different kinds of Tequila?

We’ve put together a page on Drunkmansguide.com that will lay it all out. There’s even pretty pictures that we swiped off the internet for you to look at
You can access the new page here: How Liquor is Made

Vodka stands out among liquors as the leader without any serious rival. It outsells all other categories many times over. The strange thing about Vodka, however, is that of all the liquor categories, it is probably the least defined in terms of its production procedures and requirements.

Whiskey, for example, is subdivided into many sub-genres such as Scotch, Bourbon, Irish, Canadian, and so forth. Each of these has its own requirements for the percentage of the wash that must be made with corn, barley, or other feedstocks. In the case of Scotch, particular types of peat moss must be used to smoke the malt. Bourbon has to be aged for at least three years. And this is just the beginning for the Whiskey category.

Similar wild rules exist for other categories of Spirits such as Gin, Tequila, Rum, and Brandy - but not for vodka.

Vodka is made from many feedstocks including Potatoes, Corn, Sorghum, Rye and Wheat. I’m just waiting for someone to make Carrot Vodka. Don’t laugh, it will happen.

The reason is quite simple, of course. Vodka is such a pure form of ethanol and water that it doesn’t really need a lot of definition other than the requirement that it not taste or smell like anything in particular. Watered down ethanol is probably the best description one can come up with for Vodka – good vodka that is.

All this begs the question. Is Vodka the undisputed king of Liquors because it is undefined? Or is it undefined because it is produced by so many different types of distilleries using so many different feedstocks, and distilled in so many different ways.

That’s a rhetorical question of course; however it may lend some credence to the cliché that variety is the spice of life!

You can get more information about Liquor and Mixed Drinks at www.drunkmansguide.com.

Step 1

Stocking your bar usually starts off with having a short conversation with yourself.

You can do it the way we do it; talking out loud while sitting at the back of the bus. Or you can do it silently by yourself. Whatever.

During this conversation, decide what drinks you like the most and make sure you always have the stuff to make them on hand. IOW, if your name is Jeffrey Lebowski, then all you need is some cream, a bottle of cheap Vodka, and some Kahlua.

Step 2

Put together the basic components of most other drinks. This will usually require a little more money, and you might want to build it up over time. Here is a short list of the staples most any bar includes:

Liquors and Spirits

• Gin
• Vodka
• Tequila (White and Dark)
• Rum (Light and Dark)
• Vermouth (Extra Dry and Sweet)
• Whiskey
• Scotch
• Brandy/Cognac
• Beer

Fillers, Liqueurs, and Flavoring Agents

• Triple Sec
• Grenadine
• Bitters
• Cream
• Sugar
• Lemon Juice
• Lime Juice
• Orange Juice
• Various Sodas (Cola, Club Soda, and Lemon Lime at least)

If you buy “good” liquor (that’s the stuff on the middle shelf), then properly stocking your bar will probably cost you about $350.

If $350 is looking like it’s too similar to your week’s pay, then look for your liquor on the bottom shelf – that will bring your cost down to under $200.

If $350 is looking more like an hour’s worth of pay, then you can probably look for your liquor on the top shelf.