Love Potion - the Heart-taker

1-2-3, fall in love with me

 This one comes straight from Africa, which is unusual thing for the Mixology. It is one of the rare mixed drinks that were invented there. Eventually, it was made by regular man. Neither drinkers, nor mixologists were involved. The story narrates about love affair for a woman, so one of the two decided to make sweet mixed drink with alcohol. He plotted to seduce her, while she is drunk. He gathered some advices of how to make cocktails, and it seems he looked for a Sex on the Beach. He was not even cloise to mixing it, but he found new one. With its own character and fairly well-rounded. The issue about the mix is not that much into the ingredients, but the mixing ratio. That is the key, which pushes ahead this cocktail. 

 It is still unclear, whether this cocktail is better than Sec on the Beach or not, I want to know what do you think?

Recipe of Love Potion

1 oz - Vodka

1 oz - Amaretto Liqueur

1 oz - Peach Schnapps

1 oz - Cranberry Juice

1 oz - Orange Juice

Mixing the Ingredients

Fill martini glass with ice an leave aside. Pour in shaker all the ingredients and do it vigorously with ice. Clean the glass from the ice and excess water and pour in softly. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Let's make Love Potion cocktail for our girls. 

Pina Colada - Coconut Fantasy

Soul of Latin

 There is drink known to be the same, which was mixed by pirates to boost their morale. The legend says that when the pineapple juice was poured into coconut with white rum, it went so far to the point of no return and inventing one of the best cocktails was inevitable. Sadly, they did not write the recipe.

 Long time passed since they re-invented the cocktail. A bartender in Buenos Aires told the world how to make pina colada, he mixed coconut cream, pineapple juice, rum and crushed ice in a blender. The result was trustworthy compared with the legend known about the forgotten cocktail.

 I do not say you have to blend it. It is matter of choice or , in my view, reliability. Go with the technique you are comfortable with, or leave the final word to your drinkers. So which one you choose?

Recipe of Pina Colada

1 and 1/2 oz - White Rum
3 oz - Coconut Cream
6 oz - Pineapple Juice

Mixing the ingredients

Fill with ice a Poco Grande glass and leave aside. Make decision, is it the shaker or you go with the blender. Fill a shaker with ice and crush it with the muddler. Drop it in the blender or if you will shake pour as follows. Pour the coconut cream first, then the pineapple juice and rum. Shake hard until reaching smooth mixture. Strain into the glass and garnish it with Maraschino cherry and Pineapple piece by decision. Now boost your crew morale and teach them how to make Pina Colada cocktail.

White Russian - the Defibrilator

Beware of the White Bear

 It dates back to 1949, when it first appeared. By this time they called it Black Russian, but later they added cream to the recipe, which made the drink White. Its origin is unclear, but it surely didn't come from Russia. It is called Russian, because the main ingredient is the Vodka, which comes from there.

 The first recipe of how to make White Russian was published at 21th November, 1965 in a newspaper, somewhere in California. This is the classic recipe of the cocktail and it calls for: "Equal parts of Coffe Southern, Vodka and Cream", where Southern is trademark of Coffee liqueur.

 The way you mix the ingredients depends on your style, but as long as this cocktail has no juices, all you have to do is stir. Maybe you can shake the cream, so it gets thin, but this is not necessary. Nowadays it is thought that White Russian is one of the best cocktails for dudes. Is this better than Old Fashioned, when it comes to young people's taste?

Recipe of White Russian

1 and 2/3 oz - Vodka
2/3 oz - Coffee Liqueur
1 oz - Fresh Cream


Mixing the ingredients

Fill old fashioned glass with ice and stir to chill faster. Then pour vodka and liqueur over the ice, stir briefly and top-up with cream. Stir one last time, but this time gently. It is easy to make cocktail, I know you will do it.

Pink Lady - the Notorious Beauty

Because water is lame

 It was initially mixed in the Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans. The Pink Lady recipe is invented by Armond Schroeder. He initially named the drink Pink Shimmy, but later the cocktaail was given new name, because of its creamy and girly nature. It is said the drink was made to compensate the low-quality of the gins in the past. This led the cocktail in the Top 10 Worst Cocktails of Esquire's Handbook.

 It seemed that only women, who do not understand much, drank it. But later, things changed so the cocktail became more desired, thanks to the celebrities, who loved it. With the years, drinker's taste changed the things even further, so now the Pink Lady cocktail is seen as top notch, when it comes to cocktails for women. 

 It is simple mix of gin, grenadine and egg white. There are many variations, most of which include lemon juice, but this is the most authentic one, which the mixed at first. On ladies focus, do you find this cocktail as one of the best cocktails for women?

Recipe of Pink Lady

1/2 oz - Gin
4 dashes Grenadine
An egg white


Mixing the ingredients

Fill martini glass and leave aside. Shake vigorously the ingredients without ice for half a minute, then fill the shaker with ice and go again for 15 seconds. Remove the ice and the excess water of the glass and pour the mixture. Garnish with Maraschino cherry. This is how to make Pink Lady dear ladies.

Cuba Libre - the Spirit of Cuba

¡Por Cuba Libre!

 During the American-Spanish war, the Coca-Cola and Rum was popular highball among the Cuban patriots. The Americans were on their side and when they won the war, they gathered in a bar to party. This took place in Havana, Cuba. There Captain Russel ordered the well-known highball with lime juice as addition. He drank the cocktail with such pleasure that all his fellows wanted to try it. They had one, then 2 and so, but the cocktail had remained unnamed. So we know it now as Cuba Libre, or in other words its name is behalf the Independece of Cuba.

 Since then the cocktail walked its way to the second most popular cocktail of all times, ranking below only to the Mojito. Initially it was made with Gold Bacardi rum, but nowadays it is up to drinker's choice, whether the rum will be dark or light. It is served in highball glass.

 It started as exotic highball, which the euphory of the successful war kicked into new highs. It is thought that Mojito is better than Cuba Libre, even I think so. But what is your opinion, is Cuba Libre better and therefore the best cocktail of all times?

Recipe of Cuba Libre

1 and 2/3 oz - Rum
4 oz - Coca-Cola
1/3 oz - Fresh Lime Juice

Mixing the ingredients

Shake rum and fresh lime juice with ice for 10 seocnds. Pour into highball glass and drop some lime slices. Top the glass with ice and fill-up with coca-cola. Garnish with lime slice. Now you know how to make Cuba Libre at home, enjoy it!

Tequila Sunrise - the Sunrise of East Coast

California finest

 Once this cocktail was made with tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice and soda. The recipe was inveted by Gene Suilt and it was mainly served in Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Then the cocktail was reinvented by Bobby Lazoff and Billy Rice, who were working as bartenders at the Trident in Sausalito, California. Their modification is the popular cocktail we drink today.

 The initial mix was done during private party at the Trident, organized by Bill Graham, to promote the Rolling Stones'. In which Mick Jagger had one of the first Tequila Sunrises made with the new recipe. He and his circle started to bottom-up this, they took the recipe and they drunk it everywhere they went on their 'cocaine tour'. This way they quickly popularized the mixed drink.

 The concrete was laid down after they printed the cocktail recipe on the back of tequila bottles. Even more, they hired a group to record a song dedicated on the mixed drink. Its name comes straight from its look. But as long as there are 2 classic recipes, there will be competition. Which of two is better, the initial recipe or the official?

Recipe of Tequila Sunrise

1 and 1/2 oz - Tequila
3 oz - Orange Juice
1/2 oz - Grenadine


Mixing the ingredients

Fill with ice highball glass and leave aside. Squeeze some fresh orange juice into shaker and add tequila. Shake well with ice and pour over the ice in the highball glass. This was the easy part. Now take the bar-spoon and guide the syrup to the inner glass wall. This way it will fall on the bottom, without mixing. Because the grenadine heighs more than the mixture of the shaker. Thanks to this, we did cocktail that looks like sunrise. Garnish with orange piece and mint leaves. It's time to taste the sunrise.

Pisco Sour - the Floral Liquid

Specialite cocina latina

 This one comes with unique earthy flavor, which is subtle and fresh. Its soft approach makes you lay back to enjoy the magic of the moment, so short and sweet, more like a dream.This is provided from the Pisco liquor, which is the base. Traditional alcohol for Latin America. Both Chile and Peru say they are the homes of the cocktail. Also they present 2 different recipes, but we will look at the Peruvian.

 It calls for Pisco, lime juice, egg white and bitters. If you like it sweeter few free to add some simple syrup. Provided what people like, it seems that this version outperforms the Chile's one. Also the history says that an American bartender went to work in Peru, where he managed a club, which was popular for both local and foreigners. He did the initial mix in this place.

 The people spread the word and before the cocktail establish itself, Chile created rival cocktail. The same base, different spices. Although it is not confirmed, it is the popular belief of the story behind this cocktail. It doesn't really matter, because today it is the official mixed drink of both countries.

 Nowadays we are shown well-rounded sour, which smells more like a perfume rather than alcoholic mixed drink. Let me know what you think about its home, which is it - Peru or Chile?

Recipe of Pisco Sour

1 and 1/2 oz - Pisco
1 oz - Fresh Lime Juice
2/3 oz - Simple Syrup ( If you like it sweet )
An egg white
Dash of bitters

Mixing the ingredients

Fill an Margarita glass with ice to chill. Pour in shaker egg white, pisco and lime juice. Add simple syrup too, if you will use it. Shake without ice, for 15 seconds. Shake hard, so the pisco cooks the egg white into white cream. Open the shaker and fill with ice. Shake once again, vigorously. Strain it over the ice in the glass. Garnish with dash of Bitters over the foam.