PH factor: 9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 5 mint leaves o 1 lime wedge o 1 ounce Simple Syrup, see: Syrups etc. o 1 ½ ounces Flor de Caña Extra Seco rum o Fever-Tree Premium Club Soda Garnish o mint sprig Method: 1. Lightly muddle mint leaves, lime wedge, and syrup in a highball glass. 2. Add ice and rum and stir. 3. Top with soda. 4. Garnish with mint sprig. Remarks: Knowledge of the ingredients for the mojito dates back to the unsuccessful 1586 attack on the island of Cuba by Sir Francis Drake. They were first used to treat scurvy and evolved into a drink called the Draque or Drake as legend has it. Not until the mid 1800s with the formation of the Bacardi Company and the substitution of rum into the Draque was the cocktail we know as the Mojito created. . . .

PH factor: 9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 2 ounces Mount Gay Eclipse rum o ½ ounce Bénédictine D.O.M. o 1 dash Hella Orange bitters Garnish o 1 Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino cherry Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 3. Garnish with a cherry. Remarks: This is an easy to make and tasty cocktail. It's definitely worth a try. Worth several, actually. . . .

PH factor: 8.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Flor de Caña Extra Seco rum o 1 ½ ounces sake o ¼ ounce Amontillado sherry o ¼ ounce Lillet Blanc o 1 dash of agave nectar Garnish o 1 blue cheese stuffed olive Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Serve up in a cocktail or martini glass. 3. Garnish with a blue cheese stuffed olive. Remarks: Damn it, Jimmy, we expected so much more of you. It is a great garnish though. . . .

PH factor: 8.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Mount Gay Eclipse rum o ½ ounce yellow Chartreuse o 1 ounce fresh lime juice o ½ ounce Demerara Simple Syrup, see: Syrups etc. o 1 ounce Fever-Tree Premium Club Soda Garnish o mint leaves Method: 1. Shake cocktail ingredients except soda over ice. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 3. Top with soda. 4. Garnish with mint leaves. Remarks: An interesting cocktail. The mint garnish is essential as the scent of mint compliments the herbal nature of the Chartreuse. . . .

PH factor: 8.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 2 ounces Flor de Caña Extra Seco rum o ¾ ounce plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice o ¾ ounce Simple Syrup, see: Syrups etc. Garnish o lime wheel (optional) Method: 1. Shake cocktail ingredients over ice. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 3. Garnish with lime wheel if using. Remarks: Originally created in Cuba the daiquiri is a cocktail made with more lime than syrup. The above recipe is close to the original. . . .

PH factor: 9.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o chocolate syrup o cocoa powder o 1 ½ ounces Finlandia vodka o 1 ½ ounces Godiva Chocolate liqueur o ½ ounce Licor 43, Cuarenta y Tres o ½ ounce Goslings Black Seal 151proof rum o 1 ounce cream Garnish o whipped cream o cocoa powder Method: 1. Invert a martini glass into a shallow dish of chocolate syrup to moisten the rim of the glass. 2. Invert that into a dish of cocoa powder to coat the rim of the glass. 3. Shake remaining cocktail ingredients over ice. 4. Serve up in the prepared glass. 5. Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Remarks: This is a fun cocktail to make. One that tastes more like its namesake with each one you have. . . .

PH factor: 9.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o ½ fresh lime quartered o 3 basil leaves o 3 blackberries o 1 teaspoon sugar o 2 ounces Flor de Caña Extra Seco rum o 1 ounce Crème de Mûre o 3 ounces Fever-Tree Premium Club Soda Garnish o basil sprig o blackberries Method: 1. Muddle lime, basil leaves, blackberries, and sugar in a mixing glass. 2. Add ice and remaining cocktail ingredients except the soda and stir to dissolve the sugar. 3. Fine strain into an ice-filled collins glass. 4. Top with club soda. 5. Garnish with basil and blackberries. Remarks: It is customary, when making a Mojito, to muddle in the glass. However, since this has both leaves and berries, we prefer to use a mixing glass and strain the ingredients into a cocktail glass to avoid the debris. Just us being us. You be you. Enjoy. . . .

PH factor: 9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Mount Gay XO rum o ½ ounce dark Crème de Cacao o ½ ounce fresh lime juice o 3 dashes Hella Ginger bitters o 1 bar spoon agave syrup Method: 1. Shake cocktail ingredients over ice. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. Remarks: Maybe we’re spoiled by all the well-balanced cocktails we've tested but we felt the original recipe for this cocktail lacked subtlety. We added bitters and syrup, increased the cacao and decreased the rum and think we uncovered a better cocktail. Enjoy. . . .

PH factor: 8.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Johnnie Walker Black Label scotch o ½ ounce Monte Alban mezcal o 1 tablespoon Fernet~Branca o ½ ounce Brown Sugar Syrup, see: Syrups etc. o 1 dash Hella Smoked Chili bitters or to taste Garnish o orange peel Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Strain into a cocktail glass. 3. Garnish with orange peel. Remarks: The combination of scotch and mezcal provides the flavor for this cocktail. The Fernet~Branca and chili bitters do their thing and the Brown Sugar Syrup adds some welcome sweetness. . . .

PH factor: 9.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 3 sage leaves o 1 teaspoon Demerara sugar o 1 ounce 1800 Silver tequila o ½ ounce Ilegal mezcal o ½ ounce green Chartreuse o 1 ounce pineapple juice Garnish o 1 sage leaf o freshly ground black pepper Method: 1. Muddle sage and sugar in a cocktail shaker. 2. Add ice and remaining cocktail ingredients and shake to chill. 3. Strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass. 4. Garnish with sage leaf and three turns of fresh ground black pepper. Remarks: Summers at the beach are not something most people tire of. However the sweet, fruity, and overly decorated cocktails can become a tad tiresome. If you are at that point, let us suggest you kick off your flip-flops and lean back in your beach chair, and have a Smoke on the Beach. . . .

PH factor: 9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Johnnie Walker Red Label scotch o ½ ounce Campari o ½ ounce Lillet Blanc o ½ ounce Kahlúa o 2-3 drops Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters Garnish o orange twist o 5 drops Ilegal mezcal Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over one large ice cube. 3. Top with mezcal. 4. Garnish with orange twist. Remarks: This cocktail is all about how opposites attract; the sweet Kahlúa and the mole bitters, the sweet Lillet and the bitter Campari. The pairing of scotch and mezcal is becoming a real favorite of ours. . . .

PH factor: 8.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ounce Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey o 1 ounce Drambuie o ½ ounce light Crème de Cacao Garnish o thinly sliced lime wedge Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a brandy snifter. 2. Squeeze lime wedge over the glass and drop it in for a garnish. Remarks: You might say this tastes like a Caribbean Rusty Nail made with Irish whiskey and then dipped in chocolate. You might say that. Honestly, you might. And if you did say that, you wouldn’t be far wrong. . . .