Looking for the perfect touch to make your Golden Globes party special? Why not work a little of the wry humor of one of this year’s nominees, Thank You for Smoking, and concoct a cocktail with the new Perique liqueur. Liquor Snob tips us off to this tobacco-based tippler, which showcases the complex and sweet aroma of Louisiana Perique tobacco:

Louisiana Perique is the rarest and more precious tobacco in the entire world. Early French settlers learned the secrets of Perique cultivation from the native peoples, and while their descendents have continued the tradition for centuries, very little Perique exists today. The unique terroir of the Mississippi River gives Perique the intense spices and aromas that contribute to the delicate balance of this fine liqueur.

Since here in California it’s almost illegal to smoke even in your own lungs, this seems like a viable alternative. So if this takes care of both booze and smokes, all you need is a gun-shaped glass for your own M.O.D. Squad cocktail.

 

Silly hats? Check. Noise makers? Check. A million bottles of champagne? Check. OK, so you’re all set for New Year’s Eve … but have you put any thought into the most dreaded morning of the year?

Now, we’re not making any kind of commentary on your (or our) party proclivities. We’re just saying that, sometimes, you need a little, shall we say, hair of the dog to kick off the new year. And since you probably won’t want to look at another glass of champagne (at least for a few months), may we suggest the old standby, the Bloody Mary. Brenda Pederson at The Spirit World’s got your shopping list for that bleary-eyed beginner.

The nice thing about this drink is that it’s more than just a hangover chaser; it’s a meal in a mug. The shot of vodka helps clear out the cobwebs, but you’re also getting a shot in the arm of vitamins and minerals courtesy of the vegetable contents, so stock up on the good stuff. 

Ready to ring in the new year, and got a few extra bucks to blow? Swing on over to Vegas’ Body English club at the Hard Rock and order up an Aristocrat. Let’s see. That’ll be some Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac, some 150-year Gran Marnier, a splash of Dom Perignon … and $2,000.

Two. Thousand. Dollars. That better be one knockout cocktail.

Of course, we love a little extravagance, and if the market can bear a cocktail that costs more than a down payment on a car, so be it. But we can’t help but wonder whether this is a drink whose time is actually past due. Mightn’t it have been a little more timely, say, approximately seven years (minus one week) ago?

We’re just saying. 

(via Daily Olive) 

• One deluscious bottle of Modern Spirits Orange-Chocolate vodka
• One voluptuous bottle of Godiva chocolate liqueur
• One shakin’ cocktail shaker 
• One terrific tin each of chocolate and orange cocktail sugars
• Eight — EIGHT — tip-free stemless cocktail glasses for your tipsy tippling
• One copy of CocktailSmarts, to challenge your newly lubricated gray matter

This party waiting to happen is worth approximately $150, but can be yours for as little as ten measly bucks! Wanna know how? Then read on!

...continued: Menu for Hope: Feed the Hungry, Quench the Thirsty

We’ve waxed rhapsodic on the matter of Italian bitters, but there is a flip side to that alcoholic coin: Tuaca, the vanilla-citrus sweet liqueur that has made a mysterious resurgence in the form of light-spangled cooling machines in bars. We’re kind of in the same camp as San Francisco cocktail über-maven Camper English, in that we don’t really dig the sweet stuff, and so we’re all the more grateful that he put his palate out on a limb to try it not just once but twice: Room temp and chilled. Thanks to his diligent efforts, we know better and will certainly have our Tuaca shooter chilled ice cold, grazie.

Speaking of herbal liqueurs, Anita at Married …with Dinner has alerted us to one that is totally new to us: Kümmel. Sporting flavors of cumin and caraway, it’s sure to add intrigue and a certain je ne sais quoi to a variety of cocktails. Right out of the gate, we think it would be an awesome addition to bloody marys, but Anita shares a recipe from her fave bartender that pairs Kümmel’s complex notes with the brightness of lime and depth of bourbon: The Currier.

Oh, how the booze-fueled days of college inspired creativity. Left with unlikely ingredients was never reason not to have a cocktail — just mix, match and see what happens! Laura Rebecca points out one such collegiate concoction: the Dr. Kevorkian. The combination of vodka and Dr. Pepper is sure to go down smooth. Fewer ingredients than your childhood suicide blend, but after a few of these you’re bound to need some assistance.

Just cuz you’re camping doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the good things in life. After all, what could be better out in the great outdoors than a freshly blended margarita or daiquiri? Of course, power sockets are few and far between in the woods, so this hand-crank blender is just the ticket. If you’re really adventurous, you can pick your own berries for a one-of-a-kind custom cocktail. However, you’re on your own when it comes to finding ice.

The elements of a margarita are simple, right? Tequila, lime juice and triple sec … or is that Gran Marnier? What about Cointreau? Which combination delivers that perfect sweet-tart-boozy balance? There’s only one way to find out: A knock-down, drag-out battle royale between the various ingredients. The verdict may surprise you, as it’s an “and” not an “or” in the end.

However, they don’t address the salt-or-no-salt issue …

Why, oh why do you need this charming white Buddha mug? (And you do need the Buddha mug, you realize. Right? Good, as long as we’re on the same page here.) Well, as if kitsch value alone weren’t enough, and the sheer joy of sucking through a straw in the enlightened one’s belly didn’t tickle yours, the main reason is that it is the only acceptable vessel for this swingin’ tiki cocktail: The Happy Buddha. Throw back a few of these, and you’ll be on the fast track to Nirvana. Or at least Nirvana-adjacent.

We — that’s the royal we — have a serious chili pepper problem. It’s a total addiction; capsaicism, we suppose. Suffice to say we haven’t found anything that chemical heat doesn’t make better.

So the very thought of Paul at eatnz’s Thai-influenced chile-infused cocktail, complemented with tropical flavors of coconut, ginger, cilantro and citrus, sends us into fits of apoplexy and uncontrolled salivation. Just park us on the beach with a steady stream of those, please.

There are those of us in the world, myself included, who are unabashed adorers of garlic. To us, culinary applications of the stinking rose are boundless and unlimited. So we’re even curious about this garlic martini, proffered up at Garlicster, a blog about all things garlic. Just plop in a pickled garlic clove instead of an olive for a surprising twist on a classic cocktail. I’ll drink to that!

The subject of how much vermouth in a martini is a contentious one indeed. Traditional recipes call for as much as a 1-1 ratio between the main booze and vermouth. At the other end of the spectrum, Winston Churchill was said to merely look at a bottle of vermouth across the room while pouring gin in his glass. So what if you were to forego the vermouth altogether, and add a scant few drops of good, aged, peaty whiskey? Then, my friends, you would have a Smoky Martini. Major props to the boys at Acme Instant Food for devising this devilish concoction.

We love cocktails and we love dessert, so what could be better than a dessert cocktail? SLOSHED! was on a mission to find the lemoniest cocktail imagineable, and this lemon sorbet martini fit the bill, featuring lemonade, limoncello and citron vodka. We’d pucker up for one of these any day, but especially during the dog days of summer.

If last weekend’s opening of “Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest” got you all hot and bothered for a trip to the islands, but you don’t have the clams to shell out on airfare, Art of the Drink’s podcast has a solution for you: Bring the tropical flavors home with a Planter’s Punch. This video instructional will show you how to mix up some light and dark rum with a bunch of juices — plus a couple of secret ingredients — for a refreshing cocktail that will transport you to the tropics. If Melissa, Miss All-American North Carolina, can do it, so can you. Aarrrrr!

We just love us the mojitos. We love them so much, you can make them with vodka instead of rum, and cherries instead of mint, and we’ll still love them. Considering Martha (well, probably Martha’s minions) made the recipe, you know it’s destined for rockstar popularity among queer foodies everywhere. So if it’s good enough for Bloghungry, it’s so good enough for us.

We just love a good aperitif. Evidently, so do at least another dozen or so bloggers out there. The most recent installment of itinerant blog cocktailing event Mixology Monday was focused on the pre-dinner potable, and bloggers came out in droves to share their favorites. Some concocted complicated (and in one case calamitous) cocktails; others took the high road and went for a classy glass of bubbly. No doubt, all went on to have a satisfying meal afterwards. Mixology Monday demonstrates how a civilized drink — and the blogosphere — can bring us all together.

Traditionally, a Pimm’s Cup is made with ginger ale, a spear of cucumber and, of course, Pimm’s, a mildly spicy, gin-based liqueur. It’s a refreshing and cooling drink, perfect for balmy summer days, especially when croquet is involved. But my mixological lexicon with respect to Pimm’s was limited to that one concoction, until now. Hungry Magazine offers an alternative version of the drink, with lemonade, 7-Up, citrus and cucumber. It’s a more complex rendition, yet none the less refreshing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to put on my tennis sweater and Docksiders. Has anyone seen my mallet?

There’s something about the dog days of summer that makes me dream of Italy, and there’s something about Campari that specifically sends me to the Amalfi Coast. The bright-red aperitif’s sharp bitterness tinged with citrus-sweetness immediately transports me to a sidewalk cafe in Sorrento, the smell of the sea, scooters buzzing by …

Fortunately, a bottle of Campari is a heck of a lot cheaper than airfare to Italy. Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour presents three classic ways to enjoy this tongue-tingling aperitif: Campari and soda, the Americano and the Negroni. Just grate some lemon zest in with some olives to serve along side, and you’ve got a brilliant summer’s eve coctkail party.