Vodka Stinger

One oz vodka
One oz white creme de menthe

Shake, strain, serve over ice.

Crooney says it's tasty and tastes like mint. No surprises there. I must admit I rather like it myself. You might even go so far as to call it refreshing.

Derby Daquiris

1.5 oz light rum
1 oz orange juice
1 T lime juice
1 t sugar

Put into a blender with ice.

Crooney, Kim and I are drinking these in honor of the Kentucky Derby. Universal praise.

For the record, Kim is going with I'll Have Another. Crooney is all in on Gemologist and I'm rooting for Done Talking. We are united in hate for Union Rags.

Cinco de Mayo Margaritas from Mr. Boston

1.5 oz tequila
.5 oz triple sec
1 oz lime juice

"Tastes like a margarita, believe it or not."
Crooney

Just minus the salt.

Jericho's Breeze

1 oz. vodka
.75 oz. blue curaçao
2.5 oz. sour mix
Splash lemon-lime soda
Splash orange juice

Combine ingredients in shaker, shake with ice until frothy [sic]. Strain into goblet and garnish with pineapple and cherry.

Crooney says this drink is just ok. Certainly better than last night's.

I like this drink and think it would be even better with sour mix that didn't come from Acme.

The Gentle Ben

1 oz. vodka
1 oz. gin
1 oz. tequila
Orange juice

Shake alcoholic ingredients over ice and pour into collins glass. Top off with OJ.

This thing smells ... fierce. Crooney tasted it, sighed and declared, "It's pretty powerful." Then, "Yeah, I don't like that at all."

I tried the vile thing against my better judgment and made a horrible noise. Crooney helpfully volunteered to dump the entire glass. "Gentle Ben," eh? I think not.

Electric Jam

1.25 oz vodka
.5 oz blue curaçao
2 oz sour mix
Lemon lime soda

Pour first three ingredients over ice and top off with soda. Stir.

Crooney declares this really tasty. I could not agree more. Having just left my remedial grad school class, I could drink ten of these.

Bolshoi Punch

1 oz. vodka
.25 oz. rum
.25 oz. creme de cassis
2.5 oz. lemon juice
1 t powdered sugar

Shake and pour over ice in old fashioned glass.

We have a special guest with us tonight! Kim took the first sip. She said it tastes like the bottom of an Erin Express drink where nothing but lemon is left and she can no longer taste vodka. "It's not a bad drink. It just takes like lemon," she said.

Crooney took a sip and said it was not as bad as he thought it was going to be. His take: it tastes like pink lemonade. He said it also looks like pink lemonade, which is clearly untrue. Unless pink lemonade is brown. I concur with Kim in her opinion that this drink tastes like a lemon that might accidentally get you drunk. Too much lemon.

Black Russian

1.5 oz. vodka
.75 oz. coffee liqueur

Pour over ice in an old fashioned glass and stir.

Crooney prefers the Black Russian to the Black Magic. He realized the lemon juice cut the coffee liquer a bit too much for his taste. I'm also here to say the aftertaste was more lemon than vodka. Black Russian > Black Magic.

That old black magic

No, really. That's what this drink is called. Black Magic.

1.5 oz. vodka
.75 oz. coffee liqueur
dash of lemon juice

Pour over ice into an old fashioned glass and stir.

Proving that I will drink coffee with anything in it, I love this drink. We're trying to figure out whether that's a vodka aftertaste or a lemon juice one. Either way, I can live with it. Crooney says "not bad."

Watch this space.

Vodka cometh.