PH factor:  8.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Illegal mezcal o ½ ounce yellow Chartreuse o 1 ounce fresh lime juice o ½ ounce orgeat syrup Garnish o 2 dashes Louisiana hot sauce. Method: 1. Shake cocktail ingredients over ice. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 3. Top with hot sauce. Remarks: Strangely it's the hot sauce that brings balance to this cocktail. It will tend to settle so, it may be your last sip that turns you into the fire breather. . . .

PH factor:  8.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 2 ounces Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey o 1 ounce Lillet Rouge o ½ ounce yellow Chartreuse o 1 dash Angostura bitters or to taste Garnish o lemon twist Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass until very cold and some dilution has occurred. 2. Strain into a cocktail glass. 3. Express lemon rind over the glass. 4. Rub the rind around the rim of the glass skin side down and drop it in for garnish. Remarks: This cocktail has an interesting combination of ingredients that, as you might expect, come with a wee kick. . . .

PH factor:  9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ½ ounces Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey o ¾ ounce Lillet Blanc o ¾ ounce Lillet Rouge o 1 dash Angostura bitters or to taste o 1 bar spoon Pernod Absinthe Supérieure Garnish         o lemon twist Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients except absinthe over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 3. Float absinthe on top. 4. Stab drink one time with a bar spoon. 5. Garnish with lemon twist. Remarks: Why the "Blackthorn" Irish Cocktail? Well, it does have Irish whiskey in it and sloe gin comes from sloe berries the fruit of the blackthorn (or Prunus Spinosa) tree. You wouldn't want to call it The Prunus Spinosa Whiskey cocktail, now would you? . . .

PH factor:  9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 1 ¾ ounces Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey o ½ ounce Amontillado sherry o ½ ounce Lillet Blanc o ½ ounce Lillet Rouge o 1 dash Angostura bitters o pinch of sea salt Garnish o 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 cocktail is an enigma, not unlike the neighborhood it is named for. However, it is also a light and tasty way to drink whiskey on a hot summer day. See? An enigma. . . .

PH factor:  9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o ¼ ounce Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey o 2 ounces Finlandia vodka o ½ ounce Lillet Blanc Garnish o lemon twist Method: 1. Swirl whiskey in a cocktail glass and discard the excess. 2. Stir vodka and Lillet over ice in a mixing glass. 3. Serve up in the prepared glass. 4. Garnish with lemon twist. Remarks: Okay, it's not a "martini" but it is an excellent cocktail none the less. A wee bit of the Irish does make a big difference. Sláinte . . .

PH factor:  9.0 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 2 ounces Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey o ¾ ounce Pierre Farrand Dry Curaçao o ¼ ounce Manzanilla sherry o 1 dash Hella Orange bitters or to taste Garnish o orange peel flamed Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 3. Garnish with flamed orange peel. Remarks: Another interesting pairing. We are beginning to see how Irish whiskey can lead to interesting pairings. We didn’t feel flaming the orange peel added much to the experience. Your call. . . .

PH factor:  9.5 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 2 ounces Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey o ¾ ounce Southern Comfort o ½ ounce fresh lemon juice o 1 ounce Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino cherry juice Method: 1. Shake over ice. 2. Serve up in a cocktail glass. Remarks: Think this might be too sweet? Not to worry. It isn't. It's a very pleasant and different tasting cocktail. . . .

PH factor:  8.5 Recipe Ingredients:       Cocktail o 2 ounces Bombay gin o 1 ounce Triple Sec o 1 ounce lemon juice o egg white Garnish o lemon twist Method: 1. Shake the cocktail ingredients without ice. 2. Add ice and shake again to chill. 3. Serve up in a cocktail glass. 4. Garnish with lemon twist. Remarks: This cocktail may have been created in 1919 at Ciro’s of London. The “original” recipe called for Cointreau. We felt the strong orange flavor of Cointreau and gin did not go well together. We substituted Triple Sec and preferred the result. . . .

PH factor:  8.5 Recipe Ingredients:       Cocktail o 1 ounce Bombay gin o ¼ ounce Chambord o ½ ounce St. Germain o champagne Garnish o raspberry Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients except champagne over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass. 3. Top with champagne and let it settle. 4. Garnish with raspberry if you must. Remarks: This is an interesting cocktail. The flavors mix well together and the champagne in a collins glass makes it seem more like a highball than a champagne cocktail. . . .

PH factor:  8.5 Recipe Ingredients:       Cocktail o 1 ounce Bombay gin o 1 ounce Schladerer Edel-Kirsch liqueur o ½ ounce grenadine o ½ ounce fresh lemon juice Garnish o rose petals Method: 1. Shake cocktail ingredients over ice. 2. Serve up in a chilled champagne flute. 3. Garnish with rose petals. Remarks: As we’re sure you’ve noticed if a recipe calls for a cherry brandy or Cherry Herring we will substitute Edel-Kirsch. We do this for it's authentic cherry flavor. . . .

PH factor:  10 Recipe Ingredients: Cocktail o 3 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin o 2 ounces Finlandia vodka o 1 ounce Lillet Blanc Garnish o lemon twist Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Serve up in a martini glass. 3. Garnish with lemon twist. Remarks: Ian Fleming, in his 1953 novel Casino Royale, has James Bond create this drink and name it after the romantic lead of the novel, Vesper Lynd. We rated the Vesper a 10 purely because our scale went no higher. . . .

PH factor:  9.5 Recipe Ingredients:       Cocktail o 2 ½ ounces Bombay gin o ¾ ounce Lillet Blanc o ½ ounce Crème de Cassis o 1 dash The Cocktail Experiment Lavender Bitters* or to taste Garnish o lemon twist Method: 1. Stir cocktail ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. 2. Serve up in a chilled cocktail glass. 3. Garnish with a twist of lemon. Remarks: Essentially a 3 to 1 martini with a lot on its mind. If you are not sure buying lavender bitters is worth it. Let this be your answer. *Available on-line . . .