The ATOMIC COCKTAIL Recipe

The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era and the Nuclear Age or Era, is the current period of history which started following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon named The Gadget at the Trinity test in New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, during World War II.

In the middle of the twentieth century  mankind was simultaneously fascinated and frightened by the atomic bomb. Atomic bomb testing was so frequent in the Nevada desert it became a Las Vegas happy hour show and people would sip aptly dubbed high proof concoctions while watching mushroom clouds form over the desert.

Though there was an entire group of drinks known as Atomic Cocktails during the heyday of nuclear tasting in the fifties, the recipe below seems to have survived the mid century happy hour holocaust to be the last and only true survivor.

Believe it or not this cocktail even had it's own song.

"It’s the drink that you don’t pour, now when you take one sip you won’t need anymore.
You’re small as a beetle or big as a whale.
Boom! Atomic Cocktail."
https://youtu.be/rUAYqtLQO9k

The
ATOMIC
COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 Oz. Vodka
1-1/2 Oz. V.S.O.P. Cognac

1 Tsp Amontillado Sherry
1-1/2 Oz. Champagne

GARNISH
Orange Slice

DIRECTIONS
Add the vodka, Cognac and sherry to a mixing glass filled with ice.
Slowly top off with Champagne.
Garnish with an orange slice and serve.

Enjoy, just don't get bombed!

Voiceover Video with Ingredients and Directions:

National Atomic Veterans Day is July 16th

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The SALTY DOG Cocktail Recipe

The Salty Dog was originally created as The Greyhound by Harry Craddock (see recipe in his 1930s The Savoy Cocktail book). In the 1950s it was modified slightly by adding a salted rim to balance the bitterness of the grapefruit juice. This is when the rumors popped up that actor George Jessel was responsible for the addition. Others say it was changed by the same person who invented the Bloody Mary. Yes, another murky cocktail history ... but what do you expect? They were all drinking all the time!

 
Originally a gin cocktail, vodka is the current popular spirit choice. Whichever spirit you prefer, choose a decent one because cheap booze is truly noticable in a simple recipe like this. This is my preferred version:

The
SALTY DOG

INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Vodka (or Gin)
4 Oz. FRESH Grapefruit Juice

Garnish:

None required but I enjoy a nice, fresh, grapefruit slice myself.

DIRECTIONS

Rub the rim of a Collins glass with lime juice.

Dip the rim in some nice Malden sea salt.

Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the ingredients, give the cocktail a nice stir to chill, then garnish and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO with Ingredients & Instructions:

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SNAP, KRACKLE & DRUNK Cereal Martini Cocktail Recipe

I like to think that I have covered all covered most of the food holidays with a cocktail recipe, but a friend caught me out the other day and asked me if I had one for National Cereal Day. Rats! Didn't.
Now I do.
So there.

TheSNAP, KRACKLE & DRUNKMARTINI
INGREDIENTS1 Oz. Marshmallow Vodka2 Oz. RumChata1.5 Oz. Cream2 Dashes Coffee Bitters
GarnishCrispy Rice Cereal RimCrispy Rice & Marshmallow Treat
DIRECTIONSDip the rim of a cocktail glass into the marshmallow vodka and then into crispy rice cereal.Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until blended and chilled.Pour cocktail into the glass and garnish with a crispy rice marshmallow treat.
Voiceover Video with Ingredients and Directions: 

Take that Snap, Krackle & Pop!
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CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

My love of chocolate covered cherries goes back as far as my memories. I looked forward every year to my grandfather bringing us a box of Brach's Chocolate Covered Cherries at Christmas. That first bite, with the cherry liquid center oozing down your fingers, was a sticky sugar rush heaven.

I've recreated that whole experience here - only you get 3 ounces of liquid center followed by the bite of chocolate cherry, AND you get that at 40 proof.

The

CHOCOLATE COVERED

CHERRY MARTINI

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 Oz. Three Olives Cherry Vodka

1 Oz. Dark Creme de Cacao

1/2 Whipped Cream Vodka

GARNISH: Chocolate Covered Cherry

DIRECTIONS

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the ingredients, shake until chilled and blended, pour into a cocktail glass, garnish and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS

I also have the creamy center version:

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY COCKTAIL

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ALABAMA SLAMMER aka The Yellowhammer Cocktail

If you have a hankering to idle a few hours away in a rocking chair on your front porch after a day of running all over hell's half acre on errands this is the drink to idle away with. Cool and refreshing, pert with a kiss of peach mixed with the citrus and tingly spices dancing on the tongue, it'll surely wake up your down yonder.
An iconic 70s cocktail that was/is often served as a shooter (especially at Crimson Tide tailgate parties), the Alabama Slammer is also known as the Yellowhammer, so named because the Yellowhammer is Alabama's state bird. The original name, Alabama Slammer, hints at most likely the original version of this cocktail being a shot. It is believed to have first popped up in the late 60s at the University of Alabama. As it gained popularity the Alabama lost its Slammer and taller cocktail versions softened with orange juice replaced the collegiate, slam-worthy shooter. A few more drinking years down the country roads the Southern Comfort, sloe gin and OJ were left at the wayside and the Alabama picked up pineapple juice and vodka and turned into the Yellowhammer.
I believe if you want to stay true to the original you just can't leave out the Southern Comfort and sloe gin and the pineapple juice should be left with the Tiki drinks. All you truly need to balance out this drink is temper the sweet liqueurs with a bit of fresh lemon juice in addition to the fresh OJ and adjust the ratios. Now, think of it as a Screwdriver with a Southern kick.
Yup, not bad at all, especially now that Southern Comfort liqueur is again being distilled with a whiskey base as opposed to the harsher, cheaper neutral grain spirit of previous decades. We can thank Sazarac, who bought the SoCo brand in 2016, for that lovely, gentle switch back to a base that is much more sympatico with the fruits and spices of Martin Wilkes Heron's original Southern Comfort recipe. It definitely makes the Alabama (Slammer) a more graceful drink for today's more refined palates.

TheALABAMA(SLAMMER)
INGREDIENTS3/4 Oz. Southern Comfort1/2 Oz. Amaretto3/4 Oz. Sloe Gin2 Oz. Fresh Orange juice1 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
GarnishOrange SliceCocktail Cherry
DIRECTIONSPour the amaretto, sloe gin, and Southern Comfort into a highball glass. Top off with the fresh juices, add ice, stir, garnish and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE SHOOTER1/2 ounce of each spirit and 1/4 ounce of each juice, layered in a shot glass.
Alabama Day, the day Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state, is celebrated yearly on December 14th.
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LEMON CHIFFON PIE MARTINI Cocktail Recipe

Have you discovered Limoncello yet? It's a wonderful lemon flavored Italian liqueur enjoyed often as an aperitif and it's delicious. I make my own on a regular basis for gifts and to keep my own bar stocked.

Limoncello combined with rum and heavy cream creates a liquid lemon chiffon pie experience and the whipped cream dollop on top is the final pie touch for this cocktail.

The

LEMON CHIFFON PIE

MARTINI

INGREDIENTS1 Oz. White Rum1 Oz. Limoncello 1 Oz. Heavy Cream1 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar

Garnish

Sugared Pie Crust Crumbs on Rim

Whipped Cream

Candied Lemon Peel

DIRECTIONS

Shake ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

I serve this up often for dessert. It's much easier to make than a lemon chiffon pie and it tastes better.
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The Original ZOMBIE Tiki Cocktail Recipe

Invented in 1934 by Donn Beach (formerly Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt) below is the original Zombie recipe that was served at his flagship Don the Beachcomber's in Hollywood. The Zombie became world famous when it was introduced at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
There are many recipes for the Zombie, several from Donn Beach himself, but according to Jeff "Beachbum" Berry the complete original recipe is below. It is a true post war mainland Tiki culture drink, complex in nature and made with mostly rum, fresh fruit juices with an additional sweetener from a spice and nut based syrup. The Zombie is deceptively easy to drink but it's a dangerously strong punch-like cocktail, so strong that Donn Beach would never allow more than 2 to be served to a customer.
I made one change and replaced the recipe's half an ounce of "Don's Mix #2" (2 parts grapefruit juice to 1 part cinnamon-infused sugar syrup) with 2 simpler ingredients so you don't have to make a whole bottle of a weird ingredient like cinnamon infused grapefruit syrup.  The "Don's Mix #2" combo was part of Beach's drink recipe security. He would create syrups & mixer combinations that only he and a trusted few knew to make it harder for competitors and ex-Beachcomber bartenders to steal his drink recipes.

THEZOMBIE
INGREDIENTS3/4 C. Crushed Ice3/4 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice1/2 Oz. Falernum1-1/2 Oz. Gold Puerto Rican Rum1-1/2 Oz. Dark Jamaican Rum1 Oz. 151 Overproof Demerara Rum2 Tsp. Grenadine6 Drops PernodDash of Angostura Bitters1/2 Oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon Syrup
DIRECTIONSBlend until smooth, pour into a tall slim zombie glass, top off with additional ice if desired, then garnish with a grapefruit slice and a cocktail cherry, add biodegradable straws and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

World Zombie Day is October 8th. Zombie Awareness Month is in May.
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