Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
My man and I just closed on a cozy little house in La Paz, Mexico that we lovingly named Casa Cóctel. While working on the lettering for the Casa Cóctel logo, I was reminded of a cocktail my pal Ben and I made up several years ago called the CiCi -- a blend of cachaça and Campari.
Sweetness often pairs well with bitterness so we went for the pure cane sweetness of a well-made cachaça but added in a touch of Campari, an Italian bitter aperitif made with orange.
Can you identify the ingredients in a martini, cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Mai Tai, Long Island Iced Tea, Harvey Wallbager and more? See how well you know your cocktails.
Cocktail Ingredients Quiz
Crazy for Cosmopolitans? You'll need vodka, Cointreau or triple sec, lime juice, and one other ingredient to shake 'em up at home.
Grenadine
Orange juice
Cranberry juice
Pink grapefruit juice
Some folks get fancy with the recipe, but a traditionally-made Mai Tai gets its signature flavor from lime juice, dark rum, grenadine (or simple syrup), curacao and what other key ingredient?
Almond syrup
Mango juice
Coconut milk
Orange juice
Shaking up vodka, cream, and this variety of liqueur results in a White Russian.
Coffee
White chocolate
Vanilla
Peppermint
The rim of a Sidecar glass is coated in what tasty substance?
Sugar
Salt
Cocoa
Honey
The non-alcoholic classic Shirley Temple contains ginger ale (or lemon-lime soda), orange juice and a sweet splash of what?
Fruit punch
Cranberry juice
Grenadine
Pineapple juice
Vodka or gin would need just this ingredient to be shaken or stirred into a gimlet.
Roses Lime Juice Cordial
Olive juice
Fresh lime juice
Pickle juice
Rye (or bourbon), vermouth, bitters and a cherry are the components of which classic cocktail?
Negroni
Old Fashioned
Manhattan
Rob Roy
Mix up rum, lime and Coca-Cola to make this drink.
Cuba Libre
El Presidente
Bronx
Corpse Reviver
Mint, sugar, lime, soda water and this liquor come together to be muddled into a mojito.
Cachaca
Tequila
Rum
Pisco
Standard ingredients in a Negroni include gin, vermouth and what other liquid?
Lemon juice
Egg whites
Angostura bitters
Campari
It's not just a punchline -- the Harvey Wallbanger is a fern bar staple featuring vodka, orange juice, and this odd liqueur.
Goldschlager
Rumplemintz
Galliano
Peach Schnaaps
When this is popped into a Martini in lieu of an olive, it becomes a Gibson.
Jalapeno pepper
Lime wedge
Gherkin
Cocktail onion
James Bond may be more commonly associated with the Martini, but writer Ian Fleming also had him slugging down Vespers, which are concocted from Lillet Blanc and which two liquors?
Brandy & Scotch
Gin & Vodka
Vodka & Bourbon
Bourbon & Brandy
Mix orange juice and this spirit for a hard-hitting Screwdriver.
Rum
Vodka
Champagne
Whiskey
Sure, you could ask for a vodka & cranberry with a lime wedge, but it's much more festive to order it this way:
Greyhound
Salty Dog
Cape Cod
Madras
If you've got bourbon, mint, and a splash of soda, you're on the right track to make the Derby Day classic, a Mint Julep. What's still missing?
Lime
Sugar
Bitters
Nothing
The Bloody Mary is a brunch standard, but this addition transforms it into a hearty Bloody Bull.
Beef broth
Red Bull
A whole hot pepper
Pepper vodka
Creme de menthe and cream are terribly tasty together, but if you want a Grasshopper, hop to the store for a bottle of:
Vanilla vodka
Creme de Cacao
Green food coloring
Mint extract
A Greyhound gets its distinctive flavor from vodka and this mixer:
Sweetened lime juice
Pineapple juice
Cranberry and orange juice
Grapefruit juice
We all know that a Long Island Iced Tea has no tea in the mix, but what liquor isn't part of the standard recipe?
Yes, there seems to be a whole bunch of drinks based around our favorite Gotham City crimefighter (and his friends and enemies).
The Batman Cocktail sounds like a variation on a Shirley Temple or Buck Rogers, something for the kids, and it includes grenadine and orange juice. The Penguin includes gin, cherry liqueur, and benedictine, while The Alfredo has Campari and gin. There are also drinks based on Robin, The Riddler, the Batcave, even Commissioner Gordon.
What, no drink for Catwoman? That sounds like a natural.
The Negroni is one of my favorite drinks (Ted Allen and I even talked about it when I interviewed him here last year). It was out of favor (well, at least by the trendsetters) for a number of years, but it's suddenly making a comeback. Don't let the fact that more people are drinking it now steer you away from it. It's one of the great, classic drinks.
As of late, one of my favorite warm weather, pre-dinner drinks is Campari
and soda with a big twist of orange zest. Pack rocks (old-fashioned) glass with ice, wedge your orange zest in, add 2-3
ounces of Campari, top the rest with sparkling water (I usually use San Pellegrino or LaCroix) and give a stir. Campari
itself is a great aperitif: bitter, complex and refreshing. To my taste, some fizz and citrus makes the effect that
much better.
Yes, there seems to be a whole bunch of drinks based around our favorite Gotham City crimefighter (and his friends and enemies).
The Negroni is one of my favorite drinks (Ted Allen and I even talked about it when I interviewed him here last year). It was out of favor (well, at least by the trendsetters) for a number of years, but it's suddenly making a comeback. Don't let the fact that more people are drinking it now steer you away from it. It's one of the great, classic drinks.
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