"drink recipes" news and stories

Several years ago I was asked to add some fun drinks to a girl's slumber party -- the parents weren't quite sure whether cocktail shakers and muddlers were appropriate for a party for minors. Loaded with everything from kiwis to kumquats, I proved that kids can create some pretty tasty libations with no alcohol involved.

The Shirley Temple is still a favorite. The original recipe of two parts ginger ale, one part orange juice and a teaspoon of grenadine has been simplified to just dashing some grenadine into ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Any bartender working in an establishment that allows families inevitably gets asked to make a drink for a youngster. If not a Shirley Temple, the other culprits are virgin frozen daiquiris or piña coladas. However, serving alcohol free drinks can involve more thought than simply leaving out the alcohol from your frozen daiquiri mix. Once the booze component is gone, often what's left behind is out of balance and overly sweet. It takes a bit more thought to balance out flavors.

I had the pleasure of working with Dutch bartender Timo Janse in Amsterdam last year when I discovered he had written a cocktail book for kids called "Shake It!" (You won't find it in English, but if you read Dutch it's a must have.) Timo prefers his Dark Invader saying the blackberries remind him of happy treats his mom made from their garden when he was a child.

Recipes after the jump...

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.

I hadn't touched tequila for the better part of a decade until someone handed me a glass of Patrón in Las Vegas a few years ago. The aged, crystal clear, premium flavor redefined any preconceived notion of tequila that I had, and set a whole new standard for what I would order in the way of tequila from that point on, even in my margaritas.

That said, I was pretty excited to see that they have expanded their line to include a tequila infused with pure coffee essence - Patrón XO Café. Since I haven't tried it yet, I'm hoping Jonathan will do an in-depth review at some point, but in the meantime I'll leave you with a number of drink recipes recommended on their website, which can be found after the jump.

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