Keet's Cocktails Blog

Cachaca / Daily Mix / World Wednesday

Caipirinha

Cachaca is to Brazil’s CAIPIRINHA, as Tequila is to Mexico’s Margarita; though the Caipirinha is less Americanized as the Margarita. The Caipirinha’s basic recipe is very simple but requires that you muddle sugar onto crushed quarters of lime before adding...

Daily Mix / Grapefruit Juice / Scotch / St-Germain (elderflower) / Whiskey (blended)

Cooper

The COOPER is a combo of Irish whiskey, St-Germain elderflower liqueur and a hint of Laphroaig scotch. It’s a “tasty and tough” cocktail pour from the ingenious folks at one of Pittsburgh’s popular Strip District restaurants, Bar Marco. Recipe is...

Daily Mix / Grenadine / Orange Juice / Pineapple Juice / Rum / Seasonal Sunday

Rum Punch

The RUM PUNCH can easily be too sweet, or it can be perfectly balanced and refreshing. This particular recipe is one I consider excellent, balanced between fruity refreshment and gutsy rum strength. Learned from a Cape Cod bartender, the key...

Daily Mix / Shots on Saturday / Tequila / Mezcal

Tequilas: 10 Best Cheap Brands

A few months ago, some expert bartenders and beverage consultants from the United States Bartenders’ Guild were asked what some of their favorite cheap bottles of tequila are, for sipping and/or for cocktails. Per Jonah Flicker‘s report in Liquor.com, the...

Bourbon / Daily Mix / Gin / Rum / Scotch / Seasonal Sunday / Vodka

Father’s Day Cocktails

Recommendations for Father’s Day cocktails (pictured above) are mostly well-known, tried & true. Two or three are less known. But, they’re all delicious, depending on dad’s preferences, and deliver enough punch to make it count. Categorized by spirit, they are:...

Commentary / Vodka

Smith’s Union Bar, December 6, 1941

Saturday Evening, December 6, 1941, 9:30 PM, Honolulu: Strolling into Honolulu’s Smith’s Union Bar, just a few miles away from the military docks and ports of Pearl Harbor, one is greeted by a calmer, more open-area bar than the other...

Aperol/Campari/Cynar / Daily Mix / Grenadine / Scotch / Whiskey (blended)

Cave Creek

The CAVE CREEK cocktail has a similar theme as the Boulevardier, but balances the Campari with grenadine, and substitutes rye and Scotch whisky for bourbon. Nate Dumas, at the Shanty (NY Distilling Co., Brooklyn, NY), originally mixed it to be...

Bitters / Daily Mix / Grapefruit Juice / Grenadine / Whiskey (blended)

Blinker

The BLINKER is one of the few cocktails that uses grapefruit juice. It’s a medium-strength alternative to having a Boulevardier if you have no Campari. It’s simple to make, easy to remember, and a very nice way to use rye...

Daily Mix / Rum / Vodka

Kahlua (and its possibilities)

Kahlua has so many useful drink variations that everyone should have a bottle in their household. Its arabica coffee and rum combination can be a perfect dessert substitute, a tasty compliment to a cigar, or an anytime coffee-flavored refresher. It’s...