Secret Ingredient - Mango Recipe

Pop on the Bottom

In a food processor, blend together 1oz of Mango (frozen or fresh) and 1 oz of Limoncello. Pour into a champagne class. Fill glass with Sprite.

This one is pretty darn tasty, and with all of the Citrus, you won't have to worry about getting Scurvy!

Booze News -- A bit on Bitters and a Recipe

NPR.org Weekend Edition had a wonderful story this morning about Derek Brown and his bar tending classes. One of the things that caught my attention was the discussion on bitters. If you click on the link above, you can listen to the whole story. The part that has been written about on the page is a very small fraction of the story, and not even the most interesting part. There's also a recipe for Angostura Sour that definitely sounds interesting.

Fantastic Friday Fix - Piña colada

The piña colada is a staple for any tropical-themed night. Here's the recipe that we use. It's simple and delicious! You'll need a blender for this one.

1 Frozen Piña colada bacardi mixer
Follow the directions on the can with ice and whatnot), with a few adjustments. Use half regular rum, but the other half should be Spiced Rum.
Add a little more Spiced rum to the mix!
Also, add in one cup of diced pineapples - preferable fresh

Blend everything together and pour into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a slice of Pineapple and a little umbrella. A standard blender should make 3-4 servings.

Secret Ingredient for August 25

This week's secret ingredient is...


MANGO!

August is winding down and with it the feeling of summer. School is back in session, but the leaves haven't changed, yet! So while it's still in the 80s out there, let's have one last yummy summery secret ingredient. You can post your Mango-inspired booze recipes in the Comments, or you can e-mail them to me at aprilnloebick@gmail.com. As always, I will post my own recipe on Monday. Have fun!

Cutesy mango picture taken from: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Cut-A-Mango/ which shows you how to make said mango monster.

Secret Ingredient - Iced Tea Recipe

This week's drink is a really simple concoction. Pour your favorite Iced tea into your favorite glass. Add one part Limoncello per 2 parts Tea to make the sweeter and buzz-worthy. I'm sure that this would also work pretty well with hot tea, but that's something I've never tried.

Want to make your own Limoncello? Check out THIS NPR STORY for make-your-own limoncello recipe and other food recipes containing this versatile drink!

Fantastic Friday Fix - Limey Bastard

Here's a quick and easy drink recipe. I recommend this to anyone who loves the taste of lime sherbet.

Limey Bastard

Fill a rock glass have way full of ice
1.5oz of Captain Morgan's Lime Bite
Fill the rest of the glass with Pepsi

I prefer using Pepsi when making drinks because it tends to be fizzier, which really enhances the effect of a drink. At least it does so in my house.

For a review of Captain Morgan's Lime Bite, visit: http://blog.theyoungconnoisseur.com/2010/02/04/captain-morgan-lime-bite-review.aspx

a lolcats special

Below is an entry that I swiped from dailysquee.com (pic and recipe belong to dailysquee.com). This drink sounds awesome. I shall have to make one!




Someone had to do it! Now sand cats have their very own mixed drink! For our 21-and-older readers, here’s how you can make your own Felis Margarita:

1. Pour the following ingredients into a shaker glass:
• 1 oz Triple Sec
• 1 1/2 oz Tequila
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 1 3/4 Mango Juice
• 1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
• 1/2 oz Orange Juice
• Ice is optional; Sand cats thrive in both warm and cold environments!
2. Shake feverishly!
3. Salt the rim of your glass (this is the “sand” in sand cat!)
4. Pour the shaken ingredients into your glass.
5. Add two triangular orange wedges as garnish for cat ears. Make sure you cut a slit in the rind so you can stick them them on the glass upside down — otherwise it’ll look like a Scottish Fold.
6. Let a cherry sink to the bottom for the nose.
7. Enjoy responsibly!

That’s it! I’m not much of a drinker but I can attest that Felis Margarita is pretty great! If you guys ever use this recipe, be sure to let me know!

(PS: Here’s an exclusive behind the scenes look at my inexplicable life.)
(PPS: The model’s name is Zeus and he’s a very patient kitty!)

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Secret Ingredient for August 18

This week's secret ingredient is....

ICED TEA

So this week's secret ingredient will be a little bit easier to work with. I'll post the recipe that I come up with on Monday. If you have a recipe that you'd like to share, you can either post it in the comments or you can e-mail it to me: aprilnloebick@gmail.com

Extra Post

This picture from Somuchpun.com made me giggle so much that I figured I had to share it here. It is a picture of a St. BARnard-tender. If I were stuck up in the alps, I'd want this guy to find me. Not necessarily in the snow. He could come and give me a drink while I laze about in a nice cozy lodge.

Secret Ingredient - Blue Berry Recipe

I wish I could claim the name of this drink for myself, but it took the power of 4 drunk people to come up with this one (and yes, we were drinking said drink).

BLUE BALLS

In a blender mix:

1 handful of blue berries (about 3/4 cup)
2 cups of OJ
1/2 a banana

There's the basic smoothie part, take that mixture and pour into your glass. Add:

1 oz of Peach Schnapps
1 oz of Spiced Rum (I prefer Sailor Jerry's)

I should probably take a picture of this one. It's pretty fun and tasty.

Here's a link to some other blue-berry inspired drinks: Bar None Drinks.com

Booze News -- 100-year-old Scotch? Awesome.

Another thing that I want to do with this blog is link to neat-o booze-related news.

In 2006, explorers in Antarctica found a box full of Mackinlay's Scotch whisky that had been left there in 1907. It was finally opened last week. Here's the full story: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38686720/ns/technology_and_science-science/
AND/OR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129175292

**Picture taken from MSNBC.com. For full citation and credit, see the website linked.**

Fantastic Friday Fix - Grape-y Fuzzy Navel

I generally have these ingredients on hand, so this makes a perfect go-to drink if you are like me and always have OJ and Grape Vodka in the house.

In a rock glass, pour
1.5 oz of Grape Vodka (I prefer Smirnoff's wild grape for this drink)
1 oz of Peach Schnapps

over ice

fill glass with OJ (preferably the low-acid variety to reduce any heartburn that some people get)

This makes a really sweet-like-candy drink.

Secret Ingredient for August 12

This week's secret ingredient is...


BLUEBERRIES

Just in time for tasty summer treats! So send me your blueberry drink recipes (aprilnloebick@gmail.com) or post them in the comments. I'll be posting my recipe on Monday. Enjoy!

And I was only a day late in posting this, woot.

Secret Ingredient - Maple Syrup Recipe

If I'd been able to find some bacon-infused bourbon, I would have definitely made Steve's suggestion. I suppose I'll have to look harder and then post my comments on it at a later date. As for now, here's the recipe that I came up with:

Anitra's Dance

In a rock glass, combine over ice:

2 oz Canadian Whiskey
1.5 tsp maple syrup
Fill with Canada dry

Could we get more Canadian, eh?

I'll be posting the new secret ingredient on Wednesday. Well, hopefully I will. I'm going on vacation, and I'll be posting it if the WiFi works. If not, I'll post it as soon as I return!

Fantastic Friday Fix - Hurricane

This is the best Hurricane recipe that I have come across. I got it from the best source of recipes for most people - my mother.

Fill a hurricane glass about 1/3 -1/2 full of ice
2 shots (3 oz) of coconut rum
1 oz of Southern Comfort
Fill will Dole's Orange Guava Juice*
Add a splash of Grenadine for color

Garnish with a slice of orange, cherries, and or pineapple (any type of tropical fruit really).

Delicious!

*You can find the Orange Guava Juice in your grocer's juice cooler.

Secret Ingredient for August 4th

This week's Secret Ingredient is ... *insert dramatic pause* ...

Maple Syrup!

Welcome to the Iron Bartender!

If you like playing bartender around your house, then this is the perfect blog for you! Each week I will post a secret ingredient that will be contained in a new drink. I will post the recipe that I come up with, along with any other recipes that get sent into me.

Also, I will post other drink recipes that I experiment with or come across on the world wide web, that I think the public at large will enjoy.

Keep coming back for the secret ingredient, recipes, and more!

The Half-n-Half

A simple, yet tasty drink for those who like their drinks creamy and smooth. The Pecan Liqueur may be a bit difficult to find,but it is worth the search.

1 Shot (1.5 oz) of Pecan Liqueur
1 Shot (1.5 oz) of Bailey's Irish Cream

Pour over ice into a rock glass and enjoy.