Keet's Cocktails Blog
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Casablanca
The CASABLANCA is not a gin drink, as might be expected if referring to Rick’s gin joint in Casablanca. It’s a sweet & sour light rum cocktail with a crisp flavor and icy-white appearance. Its fresh balance is inviting for...
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Rob Roy
The ROB ROY is the scotch version of the rye or bourbon Manhattan. It’s a classic that has survived the test of time and is a regular bar order for many. It’s easy to prepare at home. It requires either...
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Manhattan Sweet w/ Bitter Chocolate
The MANHATTAN SWEET W/ BITTER CHOCOLATE adds a teaspoon of creme de cacao and Maraschino liqueur plus a dash of Chocolate bitters to the standard Manhattan. In so doing, the bourbon and vermouth are complimented to perfection with the hint...
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Upper Cut
The UPPER CUT mixes Cointreau, grapefruit and lemon juice into the Brazilian spirit, cachaca. In this rare cocktail occurrence, Cointreau takes the lead instead of just a supporting role, measuring twice that of cachaca. Tones of orange, lemon and grapefruit...
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What’s Up Doc
WHAT’S UP DOC is a carrot-juice cocktail which incorporates the ginger flavor of a Moscow Mule. There are bourbon, tequila and gin versions of this cocktail, but the vodka version is more refreshing and lighter. The carrot and ginger-beer balance...
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Hemingway Daiquiri
The HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRI is known for reducing sweetness of the rum by adding the more bitter-tart element of grapefruit juice, cutting out all sugar or simple syrup additives, adding maraschino liqueur and doubling the rum. Bartenders have since added more...
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Amaretto Sour
The AMARETTO SOUR is as simple as Amaretto liqueur and lemon juice. But the best recipe is the one originated by Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, which props up Amaretto with strong bourbon and adds frothy light texture with egg white....
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Gibson
The GIBSON is a classic martini, usually gin, garnished with a pickled cocktail onion rather than an olive or lemon twist. It’s an unusual gin martini because it doesn’t use any bitters as others do. The cocktail onion adds a...
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St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails
10 Must-Try Irish-Whiskey Cocktails — With Irish whiskey having its long industrious reputation in whiskey distillation, how better to celebrate than with an Irish whiskey cocktail? Several names below are variations of a Manhattan using Irish whiskey, presenting a sometimes...
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Emerald
It’s an Irish-whiskey Manhattan — the EMERALD. But it more closely resembles the Scottish Highlander in that it infuses the orange flavors from orange bitters and orange peel into an Irish whiskey instead of maraschino cherry into bourbon or rye....
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Gin Daisy
The GIN DAISY has two versions — an old-school and new-school. I favor the old-school recipe which sweetens lemon juice with orange liqueur. It maintains the classic lemony “Sour.” It’s refreshing, and is a great precursor to dinner. This simple...
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Scofflaw
The SCOFFLAW cocktail was created in 1924 Paris during Prohibition. The word is a noun used to describe a person who drinks illegally, a combination of the words “scoff” and “law”. The Scofflaw is a cousin to the Manhattan, since...
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Whiskey Sour
The WHISKEY SOUR dates as far back as the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and at the time used egg white for smoothness and texture. Now, the egg white is optional, but it remains a classic Sour — meaning it’s a...
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El Presidente
The EL PRESIDENTE is a Manhattan-style cocktail invented in Cuba around 1919. It remains a cocktail classic, even though Cuba’s Mojito and Daiquiri became more famous. The El Presidente is unlike the other Cuban cocktails in that it doesn’t require...
Jasmine
The JASMINE comes from the family of Campari cocktails, though it has less of the Italian red bitter flavor as a Negroni. Gin and lemon juice dominate the mix, while orange liqueur and Campari assume supporting roles and round out...
Pomegranate Margarita
Just in time for national margarita day comes the POMEGRANATE MARGARITA. Adding the sweet-tart flavor of pomegranate juice to the usual suspects of a standard margarita yields a delicious margarita variation. One can also argue that the anti-oxidants in pomegranate...
Pegu Club
The PEGU CLUB embellishes the common gin & lime combo with orange curacao, orange bitters and Angostura bitters. The resulting mix is a full-flavored drink. The Pegu Club is considered a classic “Sour”, and though not as famous as the...
Cosmopolitan (Cosmo)
The COSMOPOLITAN, or “Cosmo”, can vary from bar to bar. If you know what you like in the Cosmo, you can usually request it be made that way. If you don’t know what you like, the establishment’s mix usually disappoints....
Mississippi Punch
Here’s a delicious individual or party-group cocktail: The MISSISSIPPI PUNCH. It’s deceptively smooth and easy to drink, but has the components to pack a punch. For that reason, you may stretch it out some with club soda, or not. The...
Old Pal
From the family of Campari cocktails comes the OLD PAL. While the Boulevardier shifts the Negroni from gin to bourbon, the Old Pal becomes a drier and less sweet version of the Boulevardier by shifting to rye and dry vermouth....
Clover Club
The CLOVER CLUB is a classic raspberry-flavored gin cocktail which has been around since the 1880’s. Like many pre-prohibition drinks, it calls for raw egg-white to give it a smooth frothy layer on top. Combining the fresh-tart flavor of raspberry...
Cranberry Moscow Mule
The CRANBERRY MOSCOW MULE mixes the spicy flavor of real ginger beer with cranberry juice. As with a regular Moscow Mule, vodka and lime juice are the other components. Cranberry juice adds a refreshing sweetness that blends nicely with ginger....
Revolver
The REVOLVER introduces coffee liqueur to an Old-Fashioned style cocktail and fires flames at an orange peel to garnish. It’s a win-win cocktail for everyone — minimal ingredients that make it easy to make and delicious no matter the skills...
Black Tea Mule
Naming it the BLACK TEA MULE*, this non-alcoholic drink resembles the Kentucky Mule in preparation. It uses strongly-brewed black tea instead of bourbon and after cooling will mix with ginger beer, lime juice and spiced demerara syrup. The spiciness of...
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