Vodka Gimlet

1 1/2 oz. Vodka
3/4 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
1 Lime Slice

1 Mint Sprig

Fill a rocks glass with ice, and pour in the liquids. Stir until well chilled, then garnish with the lime slice and mint sprig before serving.

Tip: For a different taste, try substituting a green olive or pearl onion for the lime slice. Or try a regular Gimlet, which is made with gin.

Sombrero

1 1/2 oz. Coffee Liqueur
1 oz. Half & Half

Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice cubes, pour in the liqueur, and give it a couple of stirs. Float the cream on top of the liqueur by pouring it slowly over the back of a spoon that's held with its tip just touching the drink's surface.

Shandy

Beer
7-Up (to fill)

Pour beer into mug until it's 3/4 full. Top off with the 7-Up and serve.

Trivia: Shandy is a popular drink in England, where young adults and light drinkers enjoy it in pubs. If you order one there, don't be surprised if the barkeep refers to 7-Up as "lemonade".

Vodka Tonic

1 1/2 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Tonic Water
Lime Slice

Pour into an ice-filled highball glass and stir to chill. Garnish with the lime before serving.

Tequila Sunrise

1 1/2 oz. Tequila
3 oz. Orange Juice
1/4 oz. Grenadine

Pour the grenadine into a tall glass, and fill with ice. Pour the tequila gently down the side of the glass, to maintain the separate grenadine layer. Repeat with the orange juice, garnish with fruit and serve.

Ramos Fizz

1 oz. Gin
1 1/2 oz. Sour Mix
1/2 oz. Half & Half
1 splash Orange Juice
1 Egg White(s)
1 inch Club Soda
1 Orange Slice

Nutmeg

Shake or blend the gin, sour mix, cream, orange juice and egg white together with ice until completely incorporated. Pour soda into chilled highball glass. Add the blended mixture, sprinkle with nutmeg and garnish with the orange slice.

Tips: Be sure to add the liquor mix to the soda, in that order, for maximum fizz.

Trivia: This once-popular drink was invented by a bartender named Ramos who worked in New Orleans' French Quarter. Legend has that it took several waitresses to shake the drink to its signature fizz.

Root Beer

1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
1 oz. Galliano
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp. Superfine Sugar
1 Lime Slice
Cola (to fill)

Combine the first four ingredients and shake or blend with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice cubes, top off with cola, and stir. Garnish with lime slice.

Tips: Use a dash of sugar syrup, if you don't have superfine sugar on hand. Granulated sugar will work in a pinch: stir it with the lemon juice, until dissolved.

Gin & Tonic

1 1/2 oz. Gin
3 oz. Tonic Water
1 Lime Slice

Pour into an ice-filled highball glass and serve. Squeeze a wedge of lime into the drink before serving.

Chi Chi

1 1/2 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
1 oz. Coconut Cream
1 Maraschino Cherry

1 Pineapple Slice

Shake or blend together with ice, and strain into a chilled champagne glass. Garnish with the cherry and pineapple and serve.

Variations: Served over crushed ice, and as long as you can ignore the fact that "chi chi" is Spanish slang for a woman's breast, this is a delightful summer cocktail. To jazz it up even further, add an intensely flavored liqueur, such as Chambord, Galliano or Kahlua by substituting equal parts liqueur for pineapple juice (up to 1 ounce).

Americano

3 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 1/2 oz. Campari
Lemon Twist
Club Soda (to fill)

Pour into an ice-filled highball glass and add the twist of lemon. Fill with soda water and serve.

Singapore Sling

1 1/2 oz. Gin
1 oz. Cherry Brandy
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Club Soda (to fill)
1 dash Cointreau
1 Lime Slice

1 Pineapple Slice
1 Maraschino Cherry

Stick the lime, pineapple and cherry together with a toothpick. Shake the gin, brandy, and sour mix together and strain into an ice-filled collins glass. Fill with club soda, top with the Cointreau and garnish with the fruit to serve.

Tips: No cherry brandy on hand? Substitute 1 oz. of sloe gin or 1/2 oz. of grenadine instead. Some bartenders prefer sour mix instead of lemon juice.

Trivia: The Singapore Sling was invented at the famous Writer's Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Joseph Conrd and Rudyard Kipling were among the many famous colonial-period authors who downed a drink or two there under the breeze of a slowly-turning ceiling fan.

Irish Coffee

1 1/2 oz. Irish Whiskey
Hot Coffee (to fill)
Brown Sugar (optional)
Whipped Cream

Pour the whiskey into a coffee mug, and fill with coffee. If using sugar, add to taste and stir until dissolved. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Screwdriver

1 1/2 oz. Vodka
Orange Juice (to fill)

Pour the vodka into an ice-filled highball glass. Fill with orange juice and stir before serving.

Variations: Any other white good, such as rum or gin, may be substituted for the vodka.

Trivia: According to bar lore, the screwdriver was named by the Texas oil rig workers who invented the drink, and used their tools as impromptu swizzle sticks.

Grasshopper

1 oz. White Creme de Cacao
1 oz. Green Creme de Menthe
1 oz. Half & Half

Shake the ingredients together with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Variations: Substitute an equal amount of vodka for the cream to create a Vodka Grasshopper. Or try substituting coconut cream for the cream to produce a tropical version of this ever-popular (but caloric) drink.

Gilligan's Island

1 1/2 oz. White Rum
1/2 oz. Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz. Maraschino Liqueur
1 tbsp. Lime Juice

Shake the ingredients together with ice. Strain into an ice-filled hurricane glass, or a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.

Blue Margarita

2 oz. Tequila
3/4 oz. Blue Curacao
3 oz. Sour Mix
2 Lime Wedges
Salt (for glass rim)

(Optional) To salt the glass, pour salt onto a flat plate to create a pool wider than the mouth of your glass. Then rub a lime wedge along the rim of the chilled glass to wet it, before pressing into the bed of salt.

To mix the drink, shake the tequila, blue curacao and sour mix together with ice, and strain into the glass. Garnish with the remaining lime before serving.

Variations: Like the basic Margarita, this drink can be served with or without salt, and be blended or poured over ice. You can also try substituting lemon juice for up to 1 oz. of the sour mix. Pick your favorite and go with it!

Bali Hai

1 1/2 oz. White Rum
2 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Grenadine
3/4 oz. Amaretto
Champagne (to fill)

Pour the rum, lime, grenadine and Amaretto into an ice-filled glass and stir. Top off with champagne and serve.

Variations: Some bartenders prefer to use orgeat syrup (almond flavored syrup) instead of Amaretto. If you do, reduce the amount to 1/4 ounce.

Mint Julep

2 oz. Bourbon
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
3/4 oz. Sugar Syrup
6 Mint Leaves
1 Lemon Slice or Mint Sprig

Place the mint leaves in a highball glass, add the syrup, and "muddle" together using the back of a spoon. Pour in the bourbon and lemon juice, stir, add ice, and serve. Garnish with a lemon slice or mint sprig.

Trivia: This is the traditional drink that's enjoyed during the running of the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of each May.

Cowboy

3 oz. Whiskey
1 1/2 oz. Half & Half

Shake or blend with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Kangaroo Cocktail

2 oz. Vodka
1 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth

Stir with ice, strain into a chilled martini glass, and serve.

Tips: Adding a twist of lemon adds a nice bit of bite to this drink.

Long Island Iced Tea

1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Rum (either White or Dark)
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Sour Mix
1 Lemon Slice
Cola (to fill)

Pour everything except the cola into a tall, ice-filled glass and stir well. Top off with cola, garnish with the lemon slice, and serve.

Mai Tai

3/4 oz. Dark Rum
3/4 oz. White Rum
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Orgeat Syrup
1/2 oz. Sugar Syrup
1/4 oz. Lime Juice

1 Pineapple Wedge
1 Maraschino Cherry

Stick the fruit together with a toothpick. Then shake or blend all of the liquids with ice, and strain into an ice-filled collins glass. Garnish with the fruit and serve.

Variations: If you don't have orgeat (almond) syrup on hand, try using Amaretto as a substitute. Or even easier, use Mai Tai mix.

Trivia: The Mai Tai was invented at Trader Vic's in Oakland, California. According to a book written by the bar's illustrious owner, Vic Bergeron, the first person who happened to try the drink was a Tahitian woman who went on to say "Mai tai -- roa ae", which means "Great drink!"

Red Hot Mama

1 1/2 oz. White Rum
3 oz. Cranberry Juice

1 Lime Slice
Club Soda (to fill)

Shake or blend the rum and juice with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top off with soda. Garnish with the lime slice and serve.

Zombie

1 oz. Dark Rum
1 oz. White Rum
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Orange Juice
1 oz. Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
1 splash Grenadine
1/2 oz. 151 Proof Rum
1 Pineapple Slice
1 Maraschino Cherry or Mint Sprig

Pour the first 7 ingredients into an ice-filled mixing glass and shake well. Strain into a chilled collins or ice-filled hurricane glass, top with the 151 proof rum, and garnish with fruit before serving.

Sweet Martini

1 1/2 oz. Gin
3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 dash Bitters

Pour into an ice-filled mixing glass and stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve.

Rusty Nail

1 1/2 oz. Scotch
3/4 oz. Drambuie

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in the liquors and stir well before serving.

Russian Coffee

1 1/2 oz. Coffee Liqueur
1 oz. Heavy Cream
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 cup Crushed Ice

Shake or blend quickly, and pour into a chilled brandy snifter.

Tip: Chilling the vodka, cream and coffee liqueur before use will help to keep the ice from melting and preserve the life of the drink.

Rum Runner

1 1/2 oz. Dark Rum
1 1/2 oz. White Rum
1/4 oz. Lime Juice
1/4 oz. Sugar Syrup
2 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice
1 Lime Slice
1 Maraschino Cherry

Stick the fruit together with a toothpick. Shake or blend the liquids with ice, and strain into an ice-filled highball or hurricane glass. Garnish with the fruit and serve.

Sex On The Beach

3/4 oz. Vodka
3/4 oz. Peach Schnapps
2 oz. Grapefruit or Pineapple Juice
2 oz. Cranberry Juice

Pour the liquors into an ice-filled highball glass. Top off with juices and stir before serving.

Barking Dog

1 1/2 oz. Gin
1 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
1 1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Bitters

1 Maraschino Cherry

Stir with ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add the cherry and serve.

Bacardi Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. Rum (White or Gold)
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
2-3 dashes Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Tips: If too sour, use additional grenadine or sugar syrup as a sweetener. Or try mixing a regular Daiquiri, instead.