Alabama Slammer

• 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz Southern Comfort
• 1/2 oz amaretto
• 1/2 oz sloe gin
• orange juice

1. Pour the liquors into a highball  
    glass filled with ice.

2. Fill with orange juice.

Anejo Highball

• 1 1/2 oz Anejo rum
• 1/2 oz orange curacao
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 2 oz ginger beer
• lime wheel for garnish
• orange slice for garnish

The Anejo Highball is one of the great, new cocktails and it's one that everyone should try and every bartender should know. It was created by Dale DeGroff, one of the masters of modern mixology, in 2000 as a tribute to Cuban bartenders of the early 1900's. The Anejo (or old) rum really makes this drink, so it's best not to skimp on that ingredient, or the orange curacao for that matter (if that isn't available Cointreau is a worthy substitute). This is simply a great mixed drink, especially for summer or anytime you want a taste of the Caribbean. 

Bay Breeze

Ingredients:

• 2 oz vodka
• Cranberry juice
• Pineapple juice
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

You may also hear this highball referred to as a Hawaiian Sea Breeze or Downeaster. The Bay Breeze is a simple mixed drink similar to a Cape Codder with the added tropical taste of pineapple juice.

Black and Tan

• 8 oz Guinness Stout beer
• 8 oz pale ale beer

Preparation:

The Black and Tan has become a popular beer drink. It is a layered drink of a pale ale (ie. Bass, Boulevard, Sierra Nevada) on the bottom and Guinness Stout on the top. These two beers make a perfect "black and tan" layer in the glass if they're poured correctly. Because of this drink many bar taps with stout will have a Black and Tan spoon attached, which is the key to those great layers. As you drink this beer mix you'll find the two stay layered and that the finish is the complete opposite of the beginning.

Bloody Caesar

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 4 oz clamato juice
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of Tabasco sauce
• Lime wedge
• Pepper to taste
• Celery salt
• Celery stalk for garnish

Preparation:

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The Bloody Caesar is sometimes referred to simply as a Caesar and is a slight variation of the Bloody Mary. The Caesar is a popular drink in Canada and replaces the tomato juice of the Mary with clamato juice (clam and tomato juice) for a twist. While clamato makes this a drink one that not everyone will like, but for those who do it makes a great brunch cocktail and another that should help alleviate hangover pains.

Bloody Maria

• 2 oz tequila
• 1 tsp horseradish
• 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of lime juice
• 3 dashes celery salt
• 3 dashes pepper
• Tomato juice
• 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
• Celery stalk for garnish
• Lemon and/or lime wedge for garnish
• Cucumber and/or cocktail shrimp for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

The Bloody Maria is a favorite rendition of a Bloody Mary. The only difference between the two is that this one uses tequila instead of vodka and that single tweak makes a noticeable difference in the flavor. Unlike vodka, which gets lost in this heavily flavored, spicy drink, the tequila in the background stands out, adding a vegetal earthiness that only this liquor can produce.

Red Beer (Red Eye)

• 2 oz tomato juice
• 14 oz beer
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Red Beer (or Red Eye) is a no brainer if you think about it: beer and tomato juice. I often hear people refer to this as a Bloody Mary; a clear misconception, but a common one.

Any beer can be used in this drink, although I would advice using a lighter one that is inexpensive (save the good beer for drinking alone). You can also dress up the flavor in the same way you would a Bloody Mary, by using hot sauce, pepper, celery salt, etc.

Bourbon & Water

• 2 oz bourbon
• water

Preparation:

It really cannot get much easier than this mixed drink. Really, the name says it all, it's bourbon and water. Because there is no taste from the water to disguise a value brand of bourbon, be sure to choose a premium bottle for this drink. Jim Beam Black Label and Maker's Mark are both excellent choices.

Campari & Soda

• 2 oz Campari
• soda water
• lemon or lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

The Campari and Soda is a great aperitif that displays the bitter Campari without any outside flavor influences. Along with Campari on the rocks, this simple soda addition is one of the signature ways to serve the Italian spirit. The lovely part about this simple recipe is that you get to taste the full flavor of Campari in a tall, refreshing form. Again, Campari is a distinct bitter and not everyone is going to enjoy it right away, but sometimes with such bold flavors it is a matter of training your palate to enjoy it. If you prefer something a touch sweeter, try substituting ginger ale for the soda.

Cape Codder

• 3 oz cranberry juice
• 2 oz vodka
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

The Cape Codder, or Cape Cod, is one of those popular highballs that are simply a shot of liquor over ice and topped with a mixer. In this case the ingredients are vodka and cranberry. This duo cocktail is the base for quite a few trios like the Sea Breeze, Bay Breeze and Madras, in which one other fruit juice is added to the mix. They all make great light, everyday drinks, especially on hot summer afternoons. Also, use Blavod, a black vodka, to turn a Cape Cod into a dark Black Widow.

Cherry Hooker

• 2 oz cherry brandy
• orange juice
• lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

It's an interesting mixed drink filled with flavor. The Cherry Hooker is a simple highball of cherry brandy and orange juice (similar to the Screwdriver) that is often shaken in the glass. To do this place the bottom of a shaker or a cheater tin over the filled glass and (while holding both glasses firmly) give it a good shake or two.

 Creamsicle

• 1 oz vanilla vodka
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• orange juice
• Half and half

Preparation:

The Creamsicle is pretty much exactly how it sounds: a liquid version of the popular childhood treat by the same name. It’s a great use for vanilla vodkas and, although it has lost some steam in recent years, is still one bartenders may want to know . The flavor of the vodka mixes well with the orange ingredients and it’s served tall so there’s plenty of creamy sweetness to last awhile.

Review: "I think this drink is good, but I found a better way of making a Creamsicle drink. Shot of Whipped cream Vodka and Sunny D orange juice. It is amazing like that!"

Cuba Libre

• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2 oz light rum
• 4 oz cola

Preparation:

Cuba Libre translated means “Free Cuba” and was popularized around the end of the Spanish American War. This mixed drink is similar to a Rum & Coke, but the addition of fresh lime juice lightens up the drink and defines the Cuba Libre. It's an easy drink to remember and popular enough that it would be good to add it to the drinks to know list.

Dark & Stormy

• 2 oz Gosling's Black Seal rum
• 3 oz Barrit's ginger beer
• Lime wedge for garnish if desired

Preparation:

The Dark & Stormy embodies two great tastes of the tropics that and is darker than most tropical drinks, but is just as refreshing. This classic highball is a brand-specific mixed drink that is a completely, some would say wrong, taste if anything other than Gosling's Black Seal rum and Barritt's ginger beer. Some bartenders will add lime juice to the drink, but the addition of citrus is unnecessary and can be overbearing.

Freddie Fuddpucker (Cactus Banger)

• 1 1/2 oz tequila
• orange juice
• Galliano
• orange slice for garnish

Preparation:

This is a variation of a Harvey Wallbanger and is essentially the same drink, it just replaces the vodka with tequila. You may also hear this referred to as a Cactus Banger.

Fuzzy Navel

• 1 1/2 oz peach schnapps
• orange juice to fill

Preparation:

The Fuzzy Navel is a favorite drink of many because it's simple to make, tastes great and is light on the alcohol. Fuzzy Navels are great for a summertime brunch on the patio especially with a fruit salad. However, if you want to beef up your Navel there are many variations, most popular of which is the Hairy Navel.

Gin & Tonic

• 2 oz gin
• 5 oz tonic water
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

Classic, easy and light and perfect for a summer afternoon. The best Gin and Tonics are made with the best gins, especially those with a slight citrus flavor and a great blend of botanicals. Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray Rangpur are two of my favorites and if you like this recipe but could pass on the gin, you might want to try Vodka Tonic.

Gin Buck

• 2 oz gin
• Ginger ale
• Lemon wedge for garnish

Preparation:

Gin is a great base spirit for many simple mixed drinks. This highball is no exception and is a nice change of pace from the Gin & Tonic or Gin Rickey, they each vary by using a different mixer. This refreshing drink has spawned many similar gin mixes, including the Foghorn, Leap Frog, and Dragonfly.

Gin Rickey

• 2 oz gin
• Juice of 1 lime
• club soda
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

The Gin Rickey is a classic mixed drink. This highball is very simple (gin, lime juice and club soda) yet very refreshing and a good alternative to a Gin & Tonic. The drink was created at Shoemaker's in Washington D.C. and a popular hangout for Congressmen. It was named after Colonel "Joe" Rickey, a lobbyist who died in 1903 and was known for entertaining elected officials in the area lounges.

Greyhound

• 2 oz vodka
• 4 oz grapefruit juice
• lemon or lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

This grapefruit and vodka cocktail is an ideal choice for a summertime brunch. White grapefruit juice can also be used and gin can replace the vodka in a salt-rimmed glass for a Salty Dog. The beauty of this mixed drink is in its simplicity, much like the Screwdriver, and because the vodka adds no flavor your basically drinking spiked juice. That said, try the Greyhound with infused vodkas for a little twist... strawberry, blood orange, kiwi are all great choices.

Hairy Navel

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz peach schnapps
• Orange juice to fill

Preparation:

Like it's cousin, the Fuzzy Navel, this drink has the wonderful flavor combination of orange and peach. However, unlike the other highball, the Hairy Navel spices it up with a little vodka. While clear vodka will not affect the cocktail's flavor much, there are some interesting combinations when infused vodkas such as apple, pear and pomegranate are used.

Harvey Wallbanger

• 3/4 oz vodka
• 1 1/2 oz orange juice
• 1/4 oz Galliano
• orange slice for garnish
• maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:

This drink was created as one of those "all I got in the bar" drinks. Supposedly, the host of a party in the mid 60's had only vodka, orange juice and Galliano available. After a couple of these drinks a guest named Harvey was found to be banging his head against the wall and cursing the drink that caused him his misery. As such, the Harvey Wallbanger was born.

Highball

• 2 oz whiskey
• Ginger ale

Preparation:

Every aspiring professional bartender should put this easy highball on their list of drinks to memorize. A Canadian whiskey> works really well in this drink and while some may use soda water, ginger ale is most commonly used as the mixer. This mixed drink should not be confused with the class of drinks called "highballs." Those include most tall drinks with a base spirit and one or two non-alcoholic mixers. Not to be too confusing, a Highball is a "highball."

Hollywood

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz black raspberry liqueur
• pineapple juice
• pineapple chunk for garnish

Preparation:

The Hollywood is an interesting mix of fruit flavors that one may not think of at first as a possible combination. Realistically, the dark black raspberry and light pineapple work well together in a sort of yin and yang relationship. The Hollywood (sometimes called a Raspberry Smash) is a rather popular juice drink, and one that bartenders should know. If you prefer, the Hollywood Martini is a neat version of this rocks juice recipe.

Horny Bull

• 2 oz tequila
• orange juice

Preparation:

I almost prefer a Horny Bull over a Screwdriver. Using a good blanco tequila such as 1800 Tequila or Cabo Wabo can really add a stunning touch that vodka just can't beat.

Madras

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 3 oz cranberry juice
• 1 oz orange juice

Preparation:

The Madras is a refreshing, fruity highball drink that should be included on everyone's drinks to know list. Yet, while it may be an easy drink to make (vodka, cranberry, orange), it can be easily confused with its vodka-cranberry cousins like the Cape Codder (vodka-cranberry), Sea Breeze (vodka-cranberry-grapefruit) and Bay Breeze (vodka-cranberry-pineapple).

Melon Ball (shooter)

• 1/4 oz melon liqueur
• 1/4 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz vodka

Preparation:

The Melon Ball is a delicious, fruity vodka shooter. It is flavored with a melon liqueur (Midori is a good choice) and pineapple juice. In the expansive choice of shooters, this is one of the better tasting that has a hard vodka base but is a little more mellow than some of the others. You can also take this recipe and strain it into a cocktail glass or build it into a tall mixed drink.

Moscow Mule

• 1 3/4 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• Ginger beer
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

This is a refreshing vodka highball that uses ginger beer. Ginger beer is a non-alcoholic "root beer" that has a sweet taste and can be found at most organic grocers. Both the Moscow Mule and Dark & Stormy are classic mixed drinks with ginger beer and are drinks every bartender should know.

Orange Blossom

Orange Blossom

• 2 oz gin
• 2 oz orange juice

1. Pour the gin into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.
2. Top with orange juice.

Rum & Coke

• 2 oz rum
• Cola
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

Very simple and a classic, the Rum & Coke is a must have and a definitely a drink bartenders should know. But that shouldn't be too much of a problem, as all you need to know about the mixed drink is in it's name: mix rum with cola. Use your favorite rum, whether that be a light, gold or rum, each creates its own drink, and if you add lime you'll have a Cuban favorite, the Cuba Libre.

Salty Dog

• 2 oz gin
• 4 oz grapefruit juice
• Salt for rimming
• Lemon or lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

The Salty Dog is the saline version of the popular "canine" drink, the Greyhound. These two drinks are great, if you learn one you know the other; just switch the vodka with gin and salt the glass rim and the your Greyhound becomes a Salty Dog. Personally I like this drink better, the gin adds depth to the grapefruit and if you add a dash of peach bitters, WOW!

Sea Breeze

• 1 3/4 oz vodka
• 3 oz cranberry juice
• 1 oz grapefruit juice
• Grapefruit slice for garnish

Preparation:

The Sea Breeze is one of many popular vodka and juice mixed drinks that every aspiring bartender should know. There are a few drinks that can be easily confused with the Sea Breeze: the Greyhound is grapefruit juice only, the Bay Breeze is pineapple and cranberry juices, and the Cape Codder is cranberry juice only.

Scarlet O'Hara

• 2 oz Southern Comfort
• Dash of lime juice
• Cranberry juice
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

Named for the southern belle from Gone With the Wind, the Scarlet O'Hara is as genteel a drink as its namesake. The cocktail features the liqueur that is a gem of the south, Southern Comfort, which is simply mixed with cranberry juice and a dash of lime (an optional, yet preferred ingredient). The Scarlet O'Hara has, for some time, been a popular drink and is a drink bartenders should know. There is also a Rhett Butler to finish the cast of characters.

Scotch & Soda

• 2 oz Scotch
• club soda

Preparation:

A Scotch & Soda is a wonderful way to enjoy a good Scotch in a mixed drink without disguising it's flavor.

Screwdriver

• 2 oz vodka
• 5 oz orange juice

Preparation:

Looking for a little Vitamin C? The orange juice in a Screwdriver makes this cocktail one of the best brunch picks. It's a favorite mixed drink that is very easy to make and a nice, refreshing highball for summer. Make your Screwdriver even better with fresh squeezed orange juice.

Seven and Seven

• 2 oz Seagram's 7 whiskey
• 7-up
• Lemon wedge for garnish

Preparation:

A Seven and Seven is very specific on both ingredients used. The liquor is Seagram's 7 whiskey and the mixer is 7-up. Any other combination is just not the same. This is a great way to enjoy whiskey in a refreshing highball.

Sloe Screw

• 1 1/2 oz Sloe Gin
• orange juice
• Orange slice for garnish

Preparation:

Smith & Kearns

• 2 oz coffee liqueur
• 2 oz cream
• Club soda to fill

Preparation:

This drink was created by the Blue Blazer's Gerbert "Shorty" Doebber in 1952 for two oilmen who were regulars, Smith and Curran. Over the years the drink was distorted from it's original ingredients and name. The bar atmosphere in which it was often ordered caused the name Curran to be misheard as Kearns and the original creme de cacao was soon replaced with Kahlua, or coffee liqueur. Both versions are great, personally cacao is my favorite, but if you order it in a bar you'll get coffee.

If you add vodka to this drink, a Smith & Wesson is formed.

Smith & Wesson

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz coffee liqueur
• 2 oz half and half
• Club soda to fill

Preparation:

The Smith & Wesson is an amped up version of the classic highball, Smith & Kearns. The difference between the two is that this one includes vodka. Both are great, refreshing highballs and ones that you can get in almost any bar

Tequila Sunrise

• 4 oz orange juice
• 2 oz tequila
• 1/2 oz grenadine
• orange slice for garnish
• maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:

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The Tequila Sunrise is a personal favorite because it tastes and looks great. The grenadine adds a fine sweetness to the orange juice and tequila and becomes more prominent as you get toward the bottom of the glass. The story behind the drink says that it was first served in Cancun and Acapulco in the 50's to welcome tourists but, after a brief surge in 70's discos, it lost much of its limelight.

Vodka Red Bull

• 2 oz vodka
• Red Bull energy drink

Preparation:

Vodka Tonic

• 2 oz vodka
• 2 oz tonic water
• Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

With the splash of lime, the Vodka Tonic is an easy-to-make, refreshing sipper for really hot days. Where the Gin & Tonic relies on the flavor of gin to make the drink, this vodka version is very clean and almost flavorless except for the lime. This is where a good vodka comes into play: a value vodka will add nothing to the drink and it's impurities will shine through. Also, try this out with any of your favorite flavored vodkas.

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