GINGERBREAD COCKTAILS

Gingerbread is my favorite holiday flavor. Whether it's a simple gingerbread topped with cream, gingerbread men or houses, gingerbread cream in my coffee or my all time favorite gingersnap cookie, there is always some spicy, ginger flavored treat on hand from the start of fall through the end of the holiday season. And often throughout the rest of the year.
Naturally, this holiday favorite of mine ends up in happy hour.
GINGERBREAD COCKTAILS GINGER BOURBON SNAP GINGERBREAD MARTINI GINGERBREAD MAN MARTINI GINGERBREAD LATTE COCKTAIL GINGERBREAD LIQUEUR GINGERBREAD MOCKTAIL GINGERSNAP MARTINI GINJA NINJA SLUSHY
Then, if course, there's MY MOM'S GINGERSNAP COOKIES:

National Gingerbread Day is November 21st.

Updated 11-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

BANANA COCKTAILS

I always have bananas in the house so, if nothing else, I can make a banana cocktail. And you'll see below that I have done this quite often, not always because it's all I had in the house either. I love bananas, it's one of the reasons I always have them in the house.

Aside from being healthy, they bring their own natural sweetness to a cocktail as well as providing a good amount of body and flavor to a drink. The best thing is that a banana that may be too ripe to eat is sometimes perfect for a cocktail because of the extra sweetness and flavor.

Below is my full collection of Banana Cocktails.I encourage you to go bananas. BANANA COCKTAILS   BANANA BREAD MARTINI BANANA CHEESECAKE PARFAIT (VIRGIN) BANANA CREAM PIE COCKTAIL BANANA CREAM PIE MARTINIBANANA DAIQUIRI BANANAS FOSTER BOOZY SHAKE BANANA SPLIT MARTINIBANANA  SPLIT SHOT CHOCOLATE BANANA MARTINI PARFAIT ELVIS SPECIAL PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA MARTINI FROZEN STRAWBERRY BANANA DAIQUIRIS LICUADOS DE MAYO Cocktail & Mocktail Recipes SLIGHTLY BANANAS, DEFINITELY COCONUTS, CHOCOLATE BOOZY SHAKE SNEAKY TIKI COCKTAIL SPICED BANANA DAIQUIRI
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Banana Berry Coconut Martini Bananas Foster Martini Banana Fudgesicle Martini Chocolate Banana Martini Chocolate Covered Banana Martini Great Gorilla Coconut Banana Martini
Banana Day is April 20th, National Banana Lovers Day is August 27, National Banana Split Day is August 25.



Updated 8-2025 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

COCKTAILS GO TO THE DOGS

  I made myself an Elderflower riff on a Salty Dog and it got me wondering if there were any other dog inspired cocktails. Believe it or not, there are quite a few drinks inspired by man's best friend. I love canines of all kind so today we're going to the dogs for happy hour.

GREYHOUND 1 Part Gin or Vodka 4 Parts Fresh Grapefruit Juice Shake with ice and strain into a chilled highball or Collins glass.
SALTY DOG Exactly the same as a Greyhound but with a salted rim.
ITALIAN GREYHOUND A Greyhound where the gin/vodka is replaced with Punt E Mes.

SALTY CHIHUAHUA Just replace the Greyhound's gin/vodka with tequila.
BLOODHOUND 1-1/2 Oz. Gin 1/2 Oz. Dry Vermouth 1/2 Oz. Sweet vermouth 1/2 Oz. Strawberry Liqueur Shake with ice, strain into a martini glass, garnish with a fresh strawberry.
GREAT DANE 1 Oz. Aquavit 1/2 Oz. Cherry brandy 1/2 Oz. Cranberry Juice Dash of Orange Bitters Shake with ice, strain into a martini glass, garnish with an orange twist.

PINK POODLE 1 Oz. Vodka 2 Oz. Fresh Pink Grapefruit Juice 1/4 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice 1 Oz. Grenadine Shake with ice, strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist.
REGAL BEAGLE 1-1/2 Oz. Vodka 5 Oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice 2 Lime Wedges 1 Tsp. Honey Splash of Dry White Wine Muddle the honey and limes in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add ice, pour in grapefruit juice and vodka and the wine, stir. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
ASTA COLLINS 2 Oz. Vodka 1/2 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice 1 Oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice 1/2 Oz. Campari 1/2 Oz. Simple Syrup Club Soda Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, top off with the soda and garnish with a lime wheel.

BULLDOG SMASH 2 Oz. Bourbon 1/4 Oz. Cointreau 1/2 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice Half a Fresh Peach, Cubed 1 Tsp. Simple Syrup 6 Mint Leaves Muddle the lemon, peach, mint, and simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, pour in the bourbon and Cointreau, shake until chilled then strain into an rocks glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.
POMERANIAN 1-1/2 Oz. Pomegranate Vodka 2 Oz. Grapefruit Juice 1 Tbsp Honey Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a mint sprig.
PIT BULL 1-1/2 Oz. Vodka 1/2 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 Oz. Grapefruit Juice Splash of Lemon-lime Soda Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass then garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
COLORADO BULLDOG
COLORADO PIT BULL 3 Oz. Spiced Rum 3 Oz. Coffee Liqueur 1/2 Oz. Cream 1/2 Oz. Cola Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass and garnish with toasted filberts.
And we can't leave out the actual dogs, so here's my non-alcoholic Bow Wow Martini

This post is dedicated to Pixel, my cocktail wingman for 17 years.

National Dog Day is August 26th. National Puppy Day is March 23rd. National Mutt Day is July31st.
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Color Your Cocktails - Coloring Book Review

A lovely review and look through of my Color Your Cocktails Coloring Book!




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GINJA NINJA SLUSHY, A Frozen Ginger & Orange Cocktail

I was browsing through David Embry's "Fine Art of Mixing Drinks", looking for some inspiration for a cocktail challenge involving a Fernet Branca slushy, and happened upon the Toronto Cocktail. The Toronto is somewhat similar to a Boulevardier which is a Negroni-esque drink that employs Campari and sweet vermouth but with rye whiskey replacing the Negroni's gin. The Toronto recipe uses Fernet in place of the Campari and completely ignores the vermouth.
Since I love both a Boulevardier and a Negroni, I knew a riff on the Toronto was the direction I wanted to take. It was then only a matter of how to tweak the classic Embury recipe of "1 part sugar [simple] syrup, 2 parts Fernet Branca, 6 parts Canadian Whiskey and 1 dash of Angostura" for a unique frozen adaptation.
Slushy classic cocktails (who are we kidding here, a slushy is just another name for a frozen cocktail) are all the rage lately, especially slushy classic cocktails, like Negroni Slushies. While searching the ratios for doing a Negroni frozen I stumbled on a recipe for Fernet Branca Cookies that were nearly dead ringers for my Mom's Gingersnaps, my favorite cookies ever in the world! The Fernet Branca Cookies and my Mom's recipe for Gingersnaps were practically identical except the Fernet Branca Cookies used oil in place of the butter used in my recipe and, of course, they added some Fernet Branca.
Since I occasionally add a little orange zest to my Gingersnaps when I make them, that was my inspiration. I was going all ninja with ginger and orange flavors for my frozen twist on the Toronto, and I was making those Fernet infused cookies as a garnish!

I adapted my recipe because, well, butter instead of oil, and I love the spice balance. Then I added in a teaspoon of orange zest and simply replaced a tablespoon of Fernet for a tablespoon of the molasses in my recipe and added a small pinch more flour.

I ate nearly the entire first batch in a day. It was difficult to save a few aside for the cocktail shoot. Then I dunked the 3 left in the cocktail. 
The GINJA NINJA SLUSHY A Ginger & Orange Frozen Cocktail
Ingredients 2 Oz. Templeton Rye Whiskey 3 Tsp. Fernet Branca 1-1/2 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice 1 (+/-) Oz. Ginger Simple Syrup* 3 Dashes Angostura Orange Bitters 2 Cups Crushed Ice
Garnish: Crystallized Ginger, Straw, Fernet Infused Gingersnap Cookies
Tools: Snow Cone Maker or Blender and cocktail shaker
Glass: Mason Jar, Chilled
DIRECTIONS If you have a snow cone maker, prepare your crushed ice according to the machine's directions then pack the ice into your chilled glass until it mounds over the top. Shake the rye, Fernet, orange juice, ginger simple syrup and bitters in an ice filed cocktail shaker then pour over the mounded ice. If you're using a blender, combine the rye, Fernet, orange juice, ginger simple syrup and the bitters in a baggie and place in the freezer for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight, if possible. Add the chilled cocktail mixture and the crushed ice to a blender and blend to a slushy consistency then pour into your chilled glass. Garnish and serve, with the Fernet Branca infused cookies, of course.
You might want this sweeter, considering it's a slushy. Start with a tablespoon of the simple syrup when you mix the cocktail. Once you add ice the sweetness will dissipate quite a bit so take that into consideration. I ended up adding another tablespoon of syrup during the final blend, but I have a major sweet tooth.
GINGER ORANGE SIMPLE SYRUP
INGREDIENTS 1 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Fresh Orange Juice 1/4 Cup Ginger, Peeled and Chopped
DIRECTIONS Bring the sugar, ginger, and juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar  has dissolved then remove from the heat and cool. Strain into a jar, cover, and chill. The syrup can be kept up to 2 weeks if refrigerated.
 


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MELON COCKTAILS

Summertime is when melons come into their glory. Those sweet, juicy globes of natural goodness are packed with nutrition and refreshment and just scream out to be paired with some spirits and poured into a cocktail glass for these hot summer days. 

So what are you waiting for?   MELON COCKTAILS   CANTALOUPE DAIQUIRI CANTALOUPE MARTINI  HONEYDEW MELON MARTINI MELON CUCUMBER MARTINI And, of course, ALL my WATERMELON COCKTAILS   You can even keep it simple and infuse melons directly with your choice of alcohol.   MELON: From the Latin "melopepo", derived from the Greek "mēlopepon".   Among the earliest plants to be domesticated, melons are thought to have originated in Africa and Asia and are all members of the Cucurbitaceae family.   Though the most common and easily obtained in the States are watermelons and cantaloupes, there are dozens of varieties around the world:   

    The Second Sunday in August is National Melon Day.
  Updated August 2026 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY  

The Hop SKIP & GO NAKED Cocktail, Updated

The (Hop) Skip and Go Naked cocktail is pretty basic. It's usually made with vodka, lemonade and beer served in a tall, ice filled glass. I've seen variations that use gin and sometimes pink lemonade is employed to give the drink some color. 

It's a refreshing little summer beverage but it's also a bit like a sixties surfer dude drinking beer bumped uglies with an eighties prom queen drinking her first pop cocktail while their drinks splashed together. Much like the millennial progeny that ugly bumping might produce, the drink is simple and not all that interesting.

I say we send the prom queen to go watch Carrie and point Surfer Dude towards the store to pick up some more innovative ingredients.

The

SKIP AND GO NAKED

for the 21st Century

INGREDIENTS

1 Oz. Four Roses Bourbon

2 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Oz. Sonoma Syrup's White Ginger Simple Syrup

1 Bottle Best Damn Brewing Co. Cherry Cola Ale

Ice

Garnish: Homemade Bourbon Cherry

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Collins

DIRECTIONS

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then pour in the bourbon, fresh lemon juice and ginger simple syrup.

Shake until chilled, strain into an ice filled, chilled Collins glass.

Top off with the Cherry Cola ale, garnish and serve.

P.S. I knew I'd find a way to use the rest of that Best Damn Brewing Co. Cherry Cola Ale I reviewed in a cocktail!

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