Welcome to my new blog...

If you've stumbled across this blog by accident, you may be wondering what it's all about. Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. I'm trained as a bartender and I like talking about some of the drinks I've made for people and how you can change them a little to either give it a new look or change the taste a bit. New posts may come as often as daily or possibly weekly.

In each post, I will lay out the recipe for a popular drink (sometimes it may just be one that I like). I'll give you the ingredients, what kind of glass to use and how to go about mixing it together. Today, I thought I'd start with one of the most popular drinks, the Long Island Iced Tea.

To start, get a pint glass and fill it with ice. Once you've done that, pour in 1/2 ounce of each of the following: vodka, gin, light rum, tequila and triple sec. Some bars will leave out the tequila, calling it a Texas Tea if the put it in. Next, you pour in 1 ounce of Sour Mix. Sour mix is available at a good liquor store, but sometimes it's better if you make your own. At the end, I'll give you a good recipe for making it yourself. Anyway, after you pour in the sour mix, cap the glass with a metal mixing tin (making sure it's sealed), turn it over and shake it 8-10 times. Take the mixing tin off the glass (sometimes you may need to gently hit it with the heel of your palm) and pour the contents back into the glass. Top the drink with a little Coke (or Pepsi if you prefer) and stir it with a straw. Garnish it with a lime wedge (over the edge of the glass) and you're done.

Now, you might be wondering why you'd put the cola on top after you shake it. The only reason you'd do that is to keep from flattening the cola. It's not a big thing, but if the person you're making it for drinks them a lot, they'll notice.

Okay, that's the recipe for a Long Island Iced Tea. One variation is called a Miami Ice (in some places). It's a blue version of the Long Island. How do you turn it blue? Substitute blue curacao (pronounced cure-a-sow) for the triple sec. They taste exactly the same. The only difference is the color. If you want to see how good your bartender is, ask them if they know where blue curacao comes from (from the curacao oranges that come from the Curacao Islands off the coast of Venezuela). Now, to keep it blue, you can't use a regular cola. Instead, use 7-Up or Sprite. It will taste a little different, but it will still be blue.

Personally, with the sour mix, the drink is a little too tart for my taste. So I will substitute lemonade for the sour mix. You still get the citrus taste, but it will be a little sweeter.

Now, for the recipe for the sour mix if you'd like to make it at home. A lot of times, the fresher the ingredients, the better the drink will taste. A word of caution: If you have vegan friends you'll be making this drink for, you may want to tell them the sour mix has an egg white in it. Or you may not. It's up to you.

In a blender, combine 1 egg white, 1 cup of water, one cup of fresh lemon juice, 4 heaping tbsp of sugar (or 1/4 cup). Blend until the sugar is dissolved. Store it cold in a sealed container and you'll need to throw out what you don't use after 8 hours.