So, I was thinking that you might enjoy some of the drink recipes that I tend to enjoy on a regular basis. Here you will find a collection of drink recipes (alcoholic and non...but, let's be frank, they're mostly about the sauce). These are all recipes that I have either invented, contributed to, or have fallen completely in love with. I encourage you to take these recipes and run with them: add a splash of tonic or a dash of peychaud's....then you can send me your new recipe and I'll let you know if it's any good ;-)
This is my current fave. I've been drinking micheladas for about a month now and I just can't stop. I first encountered the michelada around Christmas 2007; my sister and her boyfriend were using some michelada mix out of a container that looked exactly like a bottle of tabasco and I watched them put down a half dozen or so before I gave it a shot. I wasn't impressed. Then, about a month ago, I ran into a recipe in Food & Wine that made my mouth water. I had to give it a go. What I experienced next was straight money -- the perfect balance of savory, sour, spicy and, well, beer...y. This recipe is my personal take on the F&W recipe. Cheers.
Wash and quarter the lime. Take one quarter and rub it around the rim of the glass. Dip the rim into the coarse salt. Now, squeeze the lime quarter and one to two more into the bottom of the glass. You're looking for about 3oz. of lime juice. Add the worcestershire and hot sauce. Now pour in the beer until the head reaches the top of the glass (it should foam up pretty good). Stir. Add the ice to bring the liquid level up to the salt rim. Try not to weep as you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
I invented this cocktail quite recently, as one of you was kind enough to gift us a bottle of Jameson's Irish Whiskey for the wedding (erin go bragh!). Irish whiskey is a much under appreciated spirit, IMHO. If Scotch whiskey represents the pinnacle of complexity in whiskey, then Irish whiskey represents the ultimate expression in refinement; plus, I find the color of the liquid to be....ethereal. Of course, many primates consider Irish to be nothing more than a shooting whiskey and if you're going to shoot whiskey I'd say it is the way to go (if a waste of a tasty spirit). But the truth is, this liquor deserves to be put into situations where its flavor can truly shine through. To that end, I decided to match this smooth, crisp whiskey with a couple of old standbys that don't seem to find their way into enough new concoctions, sherry and bitters.
Toss a small handfull of ice into a tumbler. Add the whiskey, then the sherry, then the bitters. Stir. Enjoy. I use the cheap sherry (cuz it doubles for my cooking sherry) at around $10 a bottle. Also, do not stir this mixture vigorously - you'll bruise the ingredients and miss the point of this blend. I think you'll find that the bitters and the sherry will each bring out a distinct aspect of the whiskey base. Cheers.
I can't say that I invented this drink, but in some weird way I contributed to its conception. So, I've got this buddy from Colorado, Eduardo Garcia, and sometime last year I introduced him to the Prairie Fire (tequila and tabasco - thats it!!); he, being a sensible person, enjoyed it thoroughly and subsequently described the drink to his old man, Vic. Well, something got lost in translation no doubt, because when Vic called his boy back a few days later to express his elation over the newest drink in his arsenal, Eduardo realized that his pop had not only completely mutilated the prairie fire recipe, but he had unleashed upon the world some Frankenstein's monster of a cocktail. Eduardo and I tried Vic's recipe and we both agreed that it was hideous. At that point, Eduardo gave up on the mongo prairie fire. But I stuck with it and over the past few months I have continued to tweak it to the point where I think can hold its own with anything on the party scene today. Cheers.
Toss a handful of ice into an old fashion glass. Add the vodka and habanero sauce (go for quality here; get something imported from the Bahamas or Central America). Squeeze in the lime wedge and toss it into the drink. Stir gently to marry the flavors.