Juan Collins

 

Ingredients

-3 oz tequila (I used Montezuma)

-1 oz lemon juice

-1 teaspoon sugar

-6 oz club soda

Prep

Mix the tequila, lemon juice and sugar into a glass and stir.  Pour in the club soda and stir. 

Cost

-tequila ($7 dollars for the bottle of Montezuma

-1 lemon (50 cents)

-1 tsp sugar (10 cents)

-club soda ($1.50 for a small bottle)

Thoughts

First I just want to say that technically for this drink you should be using Hornitos Plata Tequila, but since I already had a bottle of Montezuma I made an executive decision to use that instead.  That being said, this is a great drink that is very easy to swallow.  The lemon juice and sugar work well together to give it a sweet and sour taste that masks the alcohol, while the club soda gives it a good amount of carbonation, and makes it taste like a soda.  Actually it tasted like sprite, with less sweetness and a little more sour.  I would definitely make this again.  

Long Island Iced Tea

Ingredients

-.5 oz gin (I used Gordans)

-.5 oz rum (I used Bacardi 151)

-.5 oz vodka (I used Smirnoff Original)

-.5 oz triple sec

-3 oz sweet and sour mix

                -The sweet and sour mix is just lemon juice (sour) mixed with sugar (sweet), one part lemon for each part sugar

-Fill to top with cola (I used coke)

-Lemon wedge for garnish

Prep

                Make the sweet and sour mix by mixing 1 oz lemon juice with 1 oz sugar and 1 oz water.  Mix the sweet and sour mix, gin, rum, vodka, and triple sec into a glass together, fill them glass up to the top with cola, and stick a lemon wedge on the side if you want extra presentation points.

Costs

-The bottles of gin, rum, and vodka will be the biggest expense, assuming that you don’t already have them.  Each bottle’s cost varies depending on the quality of the bottles you buy

-A bottle of triple sec should cost about $8

- The sweet and sour mix should cost about $1 (2 lemons+ a little sugar)

-A 2 liter bottle of coke costs about $2

So overall, once you have the alcohol you need for this drink, each individual drink should cost about $1.50… not bad for a drink that goes for double or triple that at any bar or restaurant!

Thoughts

As a few of you may have noticed, the recipe I used to make my Long Island Iced Tea last night is from Applebees.  I used to go there every Friday, when they had $4 dollar long island iced teas, and loved them.  It was a triple threat- great taste, good amount of alcohol, and a bargain at only $4.  But $4 is still a good amount of money to dish out on one drink.  I mean, it’s half an hours work for someone making minimum wage!  So I gripped the recipe online and  made my own Applebee’s long island iced tea.  It tastes just as good as the one they make, and If I turn on my radio (to 104.5) it almost feels like I’m sitting in a booth at Applebees as I sip it.  Minus the annoying waiters, and one guy at the bar whos clearly had too many $4 Long Islands.  

Mojito!

 

Ingredients

-1.25 oz rum (I used Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum)

-Mint leaves (between 10-12)

-1 TBSP sugar

-.5 oz lime juice

-2 oz club soda

Prep

Place mint leaves in the bottom of your glass, add crushed ice and then mix the remaining ingredients together.  Garnish with mint leaves. 

Cost

-bottle of rum (1/5^th of Captain cost me 15$)

-Mint leaves ($1-2)

-1-2 limes ($1)

-Club soda ($2)

So one drink should cost no more than $3, if you don’t have a bottle of rum, or club soda the overall cost would be about $20

Thoughts

This Cuban drink has always been one of my favorites.   The name Mojito likely came from “Mojo”, which is a Cuban base of seasonings and lime juice, which makes sense because of the distinct lime flavor in the drink.  The Mojito I made looked great.  The mint leave garnish is an absolute necessity if you care about the aesthetics of your drink, not to mention they add more mint flavor.  Like almost any drink, you can modify this Mojito recipe to your own personal preferences.  If you don’t care for mint, add 5 leaves instead of 10.  I like to add a little more rum to mine, about half an ounce to an ounce more.  I like being able to taste the alcohol in my drinks, just so I know it is there.  This is a great summer drink, as it is very refreshing, and would be a hit at any outdoor party, barbecue, etc.  I have yet to meet someone who does not enjoy the occasional Mojito (or three).   

Bahama Mama

 

Ingredients

-.5 oz rum (I used Bacardi 151)

-.5 oz coconut flavored rum (I used Malibu)

-.5 oz grenadine

-1 oz orange juice

-1 oz pineapple juice

-1 cup crushed ice

Prep

Put all of the ingredients into a shaker/blender and mix together, the drink should have a slushy like consistency

Cost

-The bottle of Bacardi I used cost me about $17

-The bottle of Malibu was $15

-The grenadine was $12

-Most bottles of orange juice are around $2.50

-Most bottles of pineapple juice are around $2.50

   So the total cost to make one bahama mama would be around $2.  If you don’t have ANY of the ingredients you will need to invest about $47, but once you have everything you can make many Bahama Mamas. 

Thoughts

The Bahama Mama is one of those drinks that will likely be made a little differently by different people.  For example, a lot of people add coffee liquor to their Bahama Mama.  One of my friends, who is from the Bahamas, adds extra grenadine to his to give it a sweeter flavor, and Applebees adds banana liquor to theirs!  I have found that no matter how this drink is made, it is ALWAYS good.  It was very refreshing,  and no matter what little changes are made to it, it always tastes very tropical.  The best way to have this drink is as a slushy, but if you find it hard to come by crushed ice, or do not like slushies for some insane reason, just add a couple ice cubes to chill the drink.  I did not use crushed ice last night, and it still tasted great.  Like any drink, let your own personal preferences guide how you make them.  The ingredients listed here are just a general guideline. 

Margarita

Ingredients

-1.5 ounces Tequila (I used Montezuma)

-.5 ounce Triple Sec

-Dash of lime juice

-3 ounces sour mix

-Lime wedge for garnish, salt and/or sugar around glass

Prep

Mix the tequila, triple sec, and sour mix together into a glass and stir.  Sour mix is just 1 ounce of sugar water mixed with an ounce of lemon juice.  This drink should take less than 5 minutes to make, and tastes incredible. 

Cost

-bottle of Tequila, varies depending on quality. The bottle of Montezuma I used cost $7

-Triple Sec cost me about $8 for a bottle

-one lime for lime juice cost about 50-70 cents

- Lemon for the sour mix costs between 50-70 cents

-The cost of sugar and salt doesn’t even need to be mentioned

-one margarita would cost about 2$ to make yourself- compare this to how much you would pay at ANY bar

Thoughts

                I have been enjoying Margaritas for years now- I would jump at the chance to drink a few at family parties as I was growing up, and my Girlfriend’s dad makes the best Margaritas I have ever had.  Since turning 21 I have also spent much more than I would like to admit on this classic drink at bars and restaurants.  The lowest price I think I have ever paid for a Margarita was $4 at Applebee’s on Margarita Monday.  That’s price is just too damn high! Especially for a semi broke college student.  The Margarita I made last night tasted great- just as good as any I have ever had (not counting the ones my girlfriends dad makes), and only cost me about $2.  I added a little extra lemon juice to my sour mix, which made my drink a little more sour than most people are used to.  If you do not share the same love for all things sour that I do than you can either subtract some lemon juice, or add more sugar.  The presentation of my drink wasn’t so great- I do not own any margarita glasses, and did not have a lime wedge to place on the side of my glass.  I would take a drink that taste great over one that looks great any day.  But if you want a better presentation, use a margarita glass, put salt or sugar around the rim, and stick a lime wedge on the side for garnish.  Otherwise just mix all of the ingredients into your favorite drinking glass and chug it down.   

Tequila Sunrise

Ingredients

-4 oz orange juice

-2 oz tequila (I used Montezuma)

-.5 oz grenadine

-Orange slice for garnish

Prep

Mix the orange juice, tequila, and grenadine in a glass, stir, and put an orange slice on the side of the glass

Cost

The cost for one tequila sunrise is negligible, maybe $1 at most.  If you need to go out and buy supplies things might get a little more expensive though- not many stores will sell you 2 ounces of tequila, or half  an ounce of grenadine.  A bottle of tequila can cost you anywhere from $5 to over $50, depending on the quality of the tequila.  As a (semi) broke college student, I opted for the cheaper tequila.  A 1/5^th bottle of Montezuma costs $7 at my local liquor store.  A carton of orange juice will run you about $2.50,  and the grenadine I bought cost me $12. So if you spend about $21.50 you will have enough supplies to make this drink for many nights.

Thoughts

My initial thought after mixing this drink together was “Thaaats why they call it a tequila sunrise”.  The grenadine, denser than the orange juice, settled to the bottom of the glass while the orange juice and tequila stayed on top.  This made the drink resemble a sunrise.  So before even sipping this drink I gave it thumbs up in my head for presentation.  After taking a sip, my first thought was wow, this would go great with breakfast.  The grenadine neutralizes some of the sourness of the orange juice, making this drink very easy to swallow, and while you can taste the tequila, it is far from overpowering.    My girlfriend Alice was once again with me to try this concoction.  She thought it was a little too sour, so she added more grenadine to hers (1/4 ounce) to make it sweeter.  She also decided to try this drink on the rocks, which made it even better.  She likes to modify drinks to her own liking, and while I don’t agree with everything she does, the extra grenadine and ice made her tequila sunrise a lot sweeter and easier to swallow for people who really do not want to taste their alcohol. So if you can not stand the taste of tequila, go ahead! Pour some extra grenadine in, throw a few ice cubes in, no one is judging you in your own house.  Cheers to Bobby Lazoff and Billy Rice for making the more popular version of this drink in the 1970s!

(Once again the picture is not mine, my digital camera is still messed up… might be time to buy a new one)

Late Night Whiskey Sour

Ingredients

-1.5 ounces whiskey (I used Jim Beam)

-4 ounces sour mix

                - The sour mix is just 1 ounce lemon juice, 1 ounce sugar and two ounces of water mixed together

-Crushed Ice

Prep

Combine whiskey and sour mix into a glass with ice, and stir it up.  You can add a lemon slice for garnish if you want to get fancy.  

Cost

To make one whiskey sour, you need 1-2 lemons which should cost about $1.  The sugar and water are pretty much free- a pound of sugar would cost about $2.50 depending on where you live so 2.5/16= fifteen cents for an ounce of sugar.  A bag of ice costs around $3 dollars, and a gallon of water cost about $1.  So the most you would spend on one swig of this delicious drink would be about $4-5, but most people already have sugar, ice and water, so it would actually be around $1 for supplies. 

Thoughts

I put together a few shots of this recipe after work last night.  I work 2^nd shift, 3-11, so by the time I get home I’m ready for two things- a drink, and bed.  This shot was just what I needed to get my mind off cleaning operating rooms (I know, awesome job).  I bought a few lemons on my way back from work, and even though they probably weren’t fresh (its winter here) they still added a lot of flavor.  I served this drink to my girlfriend, and my friend Rob, who decided to drop by for a late night buzz.  My whiskey sour was perfect, just the right mix of sweet and sour.  My girlfriend is a little less tolerant to the lemon juice, she thought it was too sour.  If your like my girlfriend, you can just add less lemon juice, like .5 ounces instead of a full ounce.  Rob was also satisfied with this recipe, but he tends to like any drink, as long as there is alcohol in it. I have to note that you can buy a whiskey sour mixer from the supermarket, and you just have to mix the mixer and whiskey together.  This is a good option for people who don't have a lot of time to make their own drinks, but a drink made with fresh ingredients will always taste better than a store bought concoction.    I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone who would like to enjoy a shot or two of whiskey rather than take them straight.    

(The picture I posted with this article is not the whisky sour I made, my digital camera wasn’t working so I just copied a pic from google images that closely resembled the drink that I made, in the future I will be taking my own pictures)