The Netherland

1 oz. brandy
1 oz. triple sec
dash of bitters

Stir in old fashioned glass with ice cubes.

Well, I hate this drink already. From Chris's subdued reaction, I gather he's not much of a fan. "I don't think it's great," he says, "but I don't think it's terrible."

Trust me, dear readers, it is terrible. Somehow, this tastes somewhat of sambuca as well.

Soother Cocktail

.5 oz brandy
.5 oz apple brandy
.5 oz triple sec
juice of .5 lemon
1 tsp powdered sugar

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. This drink further proves my first law of triple sec: i.e. everything with a significant amount of triple sec in it tastes good. Shannon was skeptical, but agrees that this drink really is rather soothing.

Sidecar

1 oz. brandy
1 oz triple sec
juice of .25 lemon

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

I think this drink is pretty good, but I also think triple sec is a magical beverage that makes everything better. Shannon was pleasantly surprised in that it does not totally suck.

Olympic Cocktail

.75 oz brandy
.75 oz triple sec
.75 oz orange juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

I think this drink is pretty good. Very orangey. Shannon does not like it, but she's not a huge orange juice fan anyway.

Third Rail Cocktail

.75 oz light rum
.75 oz apple brandy
.75 oz brandy
.25 tsp anisette

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Kim and Shannon took one look at this drink and want nothing to do with it. I took the first sip and I don't think it is that bad, but the taste of anisette overpowers everything else. I am consistently surprised by how small amounts of anisette always overpower the other ingredients in any drink.

Shannon will not even speak after one sip of this drink and Kim gagged and coughed. They are both now convinced that I hate them.

Sir Walter Cocktail

.75 oz light rum
.75 oz brandy
1 tsp triple sec
1 tsp grenadine
1 tsp lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Both Kim and Shannon think I just tried to poison them. That's how bad this drink is. They also think that it is also quite unfair because the unsuspecting drinker would have no idea how bad it is from looking at it. I don't think it is good, but I do not think it is quite as bad as the ladies claim.

Mariposa

1 oz light rum
.5 oz brandy
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
l dash grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Shannon and Kim both think that this drink has quite a pleasing appearance. This is probably due to the grenadine. Shannon would drink it if it was free, but not otherwise. Kim thinks it is not bad. Both agree that it does not meet expectations after looking and smelling it. Shannon just said that it is too acidic and I agree.

Boston Sidecar

.75 oz brandy
.75 oz light rum
.75 oz triple sec
juice of .5 lime

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

I don't think that this drink is all that bad. However, that may be because I actually chilled the glass first this time and the taste may be masked by the coldness. Shannon thinks it tastes like spiked lemonade. Shannon cannot decide whether this is good or bad, she has settled on familiar.

Harvard Cocktail

1.5 oz brandy
.75 oz sweet vermouth
1 tsp grenadine
2 tsp lemon juice

I must have made this drink correctly, because it has a distinct crimson color to it. It also tastes much better than I was expecting. Maybe that's just my Harvard bitterness coming through.

Shannon disagrees with my original assessment. She thinks it looks more Princeton orange. She agrees, however, with my second assessment and thinks this drink exceeds expectations.

The Dream Cocktail (yeah, right)

1.5 oz. brandy
0.75 oz. triple sec
.25 teaspoon anisette

Shake and strain into cocktail glass.

I just realized why it's better when Crooney writes the intros -- knowing the ingredients in advance doesn't do much to whet my appetite for Mr. B.

Not shockingly, this drink looks like every other one this chapter. Crooney reports that you can really taste the anisette, despite its meager proportion. This isn't a problem, as he's ambivalent about licorice. Triple sec, he adds, is always a favorable ingredient.

I hate licorice flavoring, so I'm sure this drink will be phenomenal.

I held my nose before taking a sip, but it wasn't nearly helpful enough. This drink reminds me of ear infections as a child. Actually, it reminds me of liquid penicillin and trying not to vomit.

Incidentally, I would most stridently beg readers not to try this drink after visiting an all-you-can-eat, rodizio-style steakhouse.

Depth Bomb

Take 1 oz. brandy, 1 oz. apple brandy, 1 dash grenadine, and 1 dash lemon juice, shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass. It's not the best, but it's not the worst. Shannon took one sip and nearly gagged. She then begged me to take the drink away from her.

Deauville Cocktail

Take the juice of 1/4 lemon, 1/2 an ounce of brandy, 1/2 an ounce of apple brandy, and 1/2 an ounce of triple sec, shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Shannon says it looks and smells like every other Mr. Boston drink. However, it is surprisingly refreshing. But then again she's been drinking. I agree with her assessment. I attribute it to the magic of triple sec.

As an aside, this is my last Mr. Boston drink of my twenties. I'm so old.

Cuban Cocktail No. 2

Well, we're back. I've been extraordinarily busy studying for the bar, so we haven't been able to post much recently. We will probably be posting at least once or twice a week but we will be deviating somewhat from the order. Since we will be moving, we don't want to purchase any new bottles of alcohol, so we will be jumping around a little bit.

Today's drink is the Cuban Cocktail No. 2. I have not yet discoved the Cuban Cocktail No. 1, but I will keep you posted. This drink consists of the juice of 1/2 a lime or 1/4 a lemon, 1/2 an ounce of apricot flavored brandy, 1 1/2 ounces of brandy, and a teaspoon of light rum. Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

I like this drink. The apricot flavored brandy mixed with the lemon juice is pretty good. Shannon says it is not bad after being off the horse for a while. She was surprised when I told her we used lemon juice instead of lime juice.

Button Hook Cocktail

Shake half an ounce of creme de menthe (white), half an ounce of apricot flavored brandy, half an ounce of anisette, and half an ounce of brandy with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

This cocktail is rather tasty in my opinion. Shannon disagrees heartily and made her usual sour face. Guest bloggers Phil and Jannah split in a similar way, Phil thinking the drink wasn't that bad and Jannah cursing to high heaven about it. "It was awful," Jannah said. Phil said he could do with less licorice flavor, but that he'll finish it anyway. "I can't even believe you're drinking it," Jannah said. "You can't even drink it with a straight face." Phil: "It's not that bad."

This is a direct reflection of mine and Crooney's reaction.

Brantini

Take one and a half ounces of brandy, an ounce of gin, and a dash of dry vermouth. Stir with cracked ice and strain into an old fashioned glass over ice cubes.

I think it's not that bad. As the name suggests, it tastes like a gin martini with the undertone of brandy. In spite of the greater volume of brandy, gin remains the dominant flavor.

Shannon thinks that one must really enjoy the taste of alcohol to enjoy this drink. Still, it was not as bad as she expected because she managed to avoid an involuntary shudder.

Brandy Vermouth Cocktail

Take two ounces brandy, half an ounce of sweet vermouth, and one dash of bitters, stir with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.

It's actually not a bad sipping drink. Bitters and sweet vermouth do that to almost anything. Shannon took a sip and had another full body spasm.

Brandy Toddy

Dissolve a half teaspoon of powdered sugar in one teaspoon of water in an old fashioned glass. Add two ounces of brandy and one ice cube. Stir and serve.

As you might expect, it tastes like sweetened brandy. I find it to be ok. Shannon's first reaction after sipping was to jerk so hard that I thought she was about to have a seizure. She then proclaimed that this is the second worst drink in the book. She then said that giving her this drink was the meanest thing I had ever done to her. After some time to think it over, she asked me why I hate her.

After a long hiatus, the Brandy Swizzle

Take the juice of one lime, a teaspoon of powdered sugar and two ounces of club soda and pour them into a Collins glass. Fill the glass with ice and stir. Add two ounces of bitters and two dashes of brandy. Fill with club soda and serve with a swizzle stick. Note: for our purposes this evening we are using "Carlsberg pint glass" as a stand-in for a common Collins glass.

While Crooney mixes this latest libation, allow me to apologize for the lapse since our last post. Apparently we forgot that occasionally it is fun to drink beverages not on the Mr. Boston list. We got so carried away drinking craft beers and champagne that it was only a stern reprimand from a few of our loyal followers that brought us back to the land of brandy (blandy?).

He says this drink is "quite tasty." It has the appearance of every other drink in this chapter. That said, it tastes remarkably better. As I have long suspected, bitter(s) make(s) everything better. This is one I'll make (and enjoy) again.

Brandy Sour

Shake the juice of half a lemon, half a teaspoon of powdered sugar, and two ounces of brandy with ice. Strain into a sour glass.

This drink isn't bad, but the taste is awfully similar to several other drinks in this chapter. Shannon got angry and said she could not tell the difference "if [her] life depended on it."

Brandy Sangaree

Dissolve half a teaspoon of powdered sugar in one teaspoon of water. Add two ounces of brandy. Pour over ice into a highball glass and fill with club soda. Float one tablespoon of port and top with nutmeg.

For starters, my normal floating skills failed me, so that this drink mixed a little more than appears to be intended. The taste is not bad, but it is nothing special. Shannon agrees with my assessment of the taste. She adds that this drink is completely unappealing aesthetically.