Favorite Cocktail - Recipes

[LoveYouKisses]

We're having a casino themed party for my uncle's 40th birthday. We're going all out with food, decorations, and drinks. The party is going to be at my house, and we have a pretty well rounded alcohol collection (as any house with a 21 and 24 year old would be).
We're looking for themed drink recipes. So far I found things called "Nervous Breakdown" and "Royal Flush." I hope those give you an idea of the types of names we're looking for. Hopefully you have better ideas than me and my cousin who are planning the party.
I mean if all else fails, we're ok with just renaming the drinks for the evening. (i.e. making like cosmo's and amaretto sours but calling them other things). I'm going to make a drink menu to put on the bar. We have someone who is going to play bartender for the night, so that won't be a problem either.
Any and ALL ideas are really appreciated!!!
Thanks so much!
Julie

[KarenS]

I pulled out our Bartenders Guide and found the following:

Casino Coffee
1/2 oz brandy
1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
1/2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
5 oz hot black coffee
1 1/2 oz whipped cream
1 tsp sugar
Pour coffee and liquors into an irish coffee cup and sweeten to taste. Float the cream on top, sprinkle with grated chocolate, and serve.

Casino Cocktail
2 oz gin
1/4 tsp maraschino liqueur
1/4 tsp lemon juice
2 dashes orange bitters
1 cherry
Shake all ingredients (except cherry) with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add the cherry on top and serve.

Gamble
1 oz apricot brandy
3/4 oz Mandarine Napoleon® orange liqueur
1/2 oz sweet sherry
1 oz mango juice
3 tbsp vanilla ice cream
Blend briefly with half a glassful of crushed ice. Serve in a wine goblet.

Poker Face
1 1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz Cointreau® orange liqueur
4 oz pineapple juice
Pour tequila, Cointreau and pineapple juice into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Stir, garnish with a lime wedge, and serve.

Blackjack
1 1/2 oz Scotch whisky
1 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz lemon juice
In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine all of the ingredients. Shake well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass.

Russian Roulette
1/2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1/2 oz vodka
1 oz sambuca
1. Fill two or more shot glasses with the kahlua and vodka and place a slice of orange on the top of each glass.
2. Pour sambuca seperately into a wine glass and ignite. Pour onto the shots and allow to burn briefly. Extinguish, shoot the drink, and chase with a bite of the sambuca-soaked orange slice.

Blackjack version 2
1/2 oz. brandy
1 cup coffee
1 oz. kirsch
Mix all ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender and pour into a chilled wine glass.

Blackjack version 3
3/4 oz. blackberry brandy
3/4 oz. brandy
3/4 oz. heavy cream
Mix all ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Millionaire Cocktail
1/2 oz. Pernod
1 egg white (for two drinks)
1 oz. Plymouth Gin
Dash anisette

You could also offer "Straight" shots - like a shot of whisky or a shot of tequila or whatever.

[Etoile]

Another way to go is to serve classic cocktails--Harvey Wallbanger, Sidecar, Stinger, Manhattan, Martini, etc. These are easy to find recipes for and would definitely go with a casino theme.

[marchfamily]

Come share your favorite cocktail recipes!

[skyblu]

A yummy Fall cocktail. Sorry, I don't know quantities. I found the idea in Real Simple magazine (a very recent one, I think) and now I eyeball it.

Caramel Apple Cocktail

Mix some sugar and cinammon in a shallow bowl or plate. Moisten rim of champagne flutes with a lemon wedge, then "dip" the upside-down flute into the cinnamon sugar to coat the rim.

Pour a little bit of butterscotch schnapps and a little bit of apple cider into each flute. Top with champagne, garnish with a fresh raspberry.

[andrew&shannah]

From Martha Stewart (a few years back)
Happy Holidays Cocktail

Ingredients:
½ oz vodka
½ oz cointreau
2 oz cranberry juice
3 oz Champagne

Directions:
1) Pour vodka and cointreau into glass with ice. Add Cranberry juice and Champagne. Top with cranberries.

For summer
Passionate White Sangria

Ingredients:
3 cups pineapple juice
1 cup white grape juice
1 cup passion fruit juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 (750-milliliter) bottle Riesling or other slightly sweet white wine
1 (12-ounce) can ginger ale

Instructions:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large pitcher; chill. Add ginger ale, just before serving, stirring gently.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 135(1% from fat); FAT 0.1g(sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.5g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 23mg; SODIUM 11mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22.7g

Cold Nights...
Rum-Spiced Cider
From Michael McLaughlin
1994

Ingredients

2 qts. apple cider, preferably fresh and unfiltered
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
2 pieces (2 inches each) cinnamon stick
12 whole cloves
12 allspice berries
2 c. dark rum
1/2 stick (4 tbsps.) unsalted butter, sliced into 8 pats (optional)
8 long cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Directions

In a nonreactive pan combine the cider, brown sugar, short cinnamon sticks, cloves, and all-spice. Set over medium-low heat, partially cover, and slowly bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally and skimming any scum that forms on the surface.

Meanwhile, divide the rum among 8 large mugs. Drop a pat of butter and a cinnamon stick into each mug if desired. Strain the cider into the mugs and serve immediately.

Serve 8.

[BigHog]

Yum! Those sound delicious!

[looch]

French Martini

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour it halfway full of pineapple juice. Top off with plain vodka. Add a splash of chambord and shake. Strain into chilled martini glass.

Love these, had them at Pastis!

[Lauren]

This is my own recipe -- it's a hybrid of a few others to try and re-create my favorite drink from Trudy's in Austin, TX. I think it's as good, if not better! ;)

Mexican Martinis

1 part good tequila (Sauza Commemerativo or Herradura)
1/2 part Cointreau
2 parts sweet & sour mix
dash lime juice
dash olive juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Serve in salt-rimmed martini glasses and garnish with jalepeno-stuffed olives.