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St. Paddy's Day is coming up! In no time at all, the Irish in everyone will come out and people will be ready to celebrate. Amongst the festivities, parades, and good times is the most important part of the day: the drinks. St. Paddy’s day is synonymous for some of the greatest drinks around. That is why we are going to show you some of the best St. Paddy’s approved green drinks to make the upcoming holiday the best you’ve ever had.

1. Aqua Thunder – Ingredients are: 1 oz. of Midori Melon Liqueur, ½ oz. of blue curacao, ½ oz. of banana liqueur, ½ oz. of lemon juice, and club soda. It is served in a highball glass.
2. Finish This – Ingredients are: 1-1/3 oz. of vodka, 1 oz. of lemon juice, 2/3 oz. of orange juice, 1 oz. of kiwi syrup, and lemon-lime soda. It is served in a highball glass.
3. Alligator - Ingredients are: 1 shot of tequila, 2/3 oz. of Pisang Ambon, pineapple sour mix, and lemon sour mix. It is served in an old-fashioned glass.
4. Green Elevation – Ingredients are: 2 oz. of gin, 2/3 oz. of green curacao, and apple soda. It is served in a highball glass.
5. Aloe Vera – Ingredients are: 1-1/3 oz. of citrus vodka, 1 oz. of Midor Melon Liqueur, 1-1/3 oz. of sweet and sour mix, 2/3 oz. of Roses lime, and 2-1/3 oz. of lemon-lime soda. It is served in a highball glass.
6. Green Parrot – Ingredients are: 1 oz. of vodka, 1 oz. of white rum, 1 tsp. of Malibu coconut rum, 2 tsp. dry vermouth, 2 tsp. of blue curacao, 2 tsp. of crème de cacao, and a splash of orange juice. It is served in a highball glass.
7. Angostura Passion – Ingredients are: 1 oz. of vodka, 1 oz. of Malibu coconut rum, ½ oz. of blue curacao, 3 – 4 dashes of Angostura bitters, 3 oz. of pineapple juice, and ½ oz. of lime juice. It is served in a Collins glass.
8. Jameson St. Patrick's Day – Ingredients are: 1 oz. of Irish Whiskey, ½ oz. of Peach Liqueur, ½ oz. of Blue Curacao, and orange juice. It is served in a cocktail glass.
9. Havana Green – Ingredients are: 1 oz. of light run, 2/3 oz. of Pisang Ambon Liqueur, 2/3 oz. Sourz apple, 1 oz. of lime mix, and tonic water. It is served in a highball glass.
10. Apple Martini – Ingredients are: a ½ oz. of vanilla vodka and 1/3 oz. of Sourz apple. It is served in a cocktail glass.
11. Apres Midori – Ingredients are: 1 shot of Pernod, 1 shot of Midori Melon Liqueur, and 1 shot of Roses Lime. It is served in an old-fashioned glass.
12. Absolut Equestrienne – Ingredients are: 1 oz. of citrus vodka, 1 oz. of Pisang Ambon, 2 dashes of lime juice, and apple cider. It is served in a cocktail glass.
    

This St. Paddy's Day, you are prepared no matter what your drink preference may be. Whether you want a martini or something with a little more kick, pick a drink or two and start your holiday off right.  Invite some friends over and impress them with your green drinks!

Jessica is a graphic designer who runs http://www.redtagprinting.org and is featuring a Red Tag print sale right now.  Her job is all about providing graphic and creative inspiration.  Nothing gets more inspiring than green drinks on St. Paddy’s Day!  When she isn’t knee deep in design projects, Jessica is probably behind the bar – serving up something creative and unique!

This is more of a chart than a modern infographic, but it nicely shows correspondance between wines categories, proper serving glasses and pairings with different categories of food. It's quite complete and handy to have around next time you're preparing special meals as having the right wine enhances the entire meal experience.

Click on the graphic below for a high resolution one suitable for printing.

Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with a romantic dinner for two. Whether you are dining in a high-end restaurant or staying in, there are some drinks that are quite popular on this day of love. Although champagne is great to set the mood, experimenting is always fun.

Between the Sheets

This cocktail is a complex but very interesting cocktail and is also called Maiden’s Prayer. This cocktail contains Cointreau, brandy, and rum. Use 1 ¼ measure of brandy, ½ Cointreau, ¾ measure of lemon juice, ½ measure sugar syrup, 1 measure white rum, and a couple of ice cubes. Start with putting the ice cubes into your shaker and then add all the ingredients. Shake the mixture until you see a frost; strain and serve, preferably in a chilled glass.

Strawberry Margaritas

Jazz up the regular margaritas with a strawberry twist for your valentine. All you need to do is make a normal margarita and add a dash of strawberry liqueur, which will give a deep red tint as well as its delicious flavor. To make this cocktail, you will need 1 part strawberry liqueur, 1 part fresh lime juice, 2 parts silver tequila, and ¼ part of agave nectar or simple syrup.

If you are on a diet, you are most likely pretty cautious of what you eat.  But are you just as mindful of what you drink?  Probably not…but you should be.

Did you know a 10oz Long Island Iced Tea has the same number of calories as a McDonald’s Big Mac?  Ew!  That is a lot of unnecessary calories!  And guess, what…the Long Island Iced Tea isn’t even the biggest weight loss saboteur.  There are lots of other villains. 

Drinks That Make You Fat

You are probably totally unaware of the fact that your favorite adult beverages are adding hundreds of calories to your night out.

• A 10oz Long Island Ice Tea has 543 calories.
• A 10oz Margarita has 550 calories.
• A 6oz Mud Slide has 556 calories.
• A 12oz PiñaColada has 586 calories.
• A 9oz Mai Tai has 620 calories.

If you want to put it in perspective, these drinks have roughly the same calorie content as a McDonald’s Big Mac, large French fry, two slices of pepperoni pizza, a Whopper from Burger King, an extra large order of onion rings, or a chicken quesadilla.  If you are on a diet, you probably avoid these foods like the plague.  So why are you drinking the same amount of calories during your night out?!

Studies have shown that alcohol consumption can slow fat metabolism by as much as 73%.  How appetizing are those drinks looking now?

New infographic for your enjoyment this weekend. 30 Shots - for those of you who just love shots and shooters - let's see if you can get through all of them. Might be a good idea to hang this on your wall.

Click on the above thumbnail to view the full resolution version.

Have a great weekend.

The weather outside may be frightful but rest assured your holiday party will be an event to remember with these unique and easy-to-make cocktails.

Moscow Mule

• 1 shot vodka (mid-range quality)
•  1/2 shot Rose's lime juice

·         Top off with real ginger beer, the trick here is to use the old fashioned kind so your drink isn't overly sweet.

Serve with a lime wedge on the side over ice.

Erin's Espresso Martini

This little gem is fantastic to serve for dessert.
In a shaker filled with ice, pour the following:

• 1 shot espresso (or coffee if that's what you have on hand)
• 1 shot Amaretto
• 1 shot Vanilla vodka
• 1 shot Kahlua
• 1 shot Frangelico 

Shake until well chilled, serve up in your favorite martini glass.

The White Russian cocktail is one of those rare cocktail recipes that everyone, from the seasoned cocktail connoisseur to the beer guzzling jock, seems to enjoy. A concoction of vodka, coffee liqueur and cream (or sometimes milk, or half & half) the White Russian cocktail was essentially a variation from the classic Black Russian cocktail, which first appeared in the late 1940s. Neither drink originated in Russia but was so named due to the Russian connection of its principal ingredient, vodka. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the White Russian was first documented in the Oakland Tribune in November 1965. This is believed to be the first published instance of the drink.

The widespread popularity of the White Russian cocktail has stemmed from the fact that it is a relatively simple cocktail to prepare, ideal for cocktail novices, plus its smooth, creamy taste has given it universal appeal, both for young and old cocktail drinkers alike (not forgetting the fact that the taste of the drink perfectly masks what is quite a potent mix). The popularity of the White Russian cocktail received a major boost in the late 90s with the arrival of the movie “The Big Lebowski” which heralded “The Dude” character, played by Jeff Bridges, who quickly achieved a cult fan-base as a new kind of cult, slacker, anti-hero. “The Dude” enjoyed bowling, marijuana and a White Russian cocktail, which he also referred to as a “Caucasian”.

Below shows you the ingredients and how to make the White Russian cocktail:

Cocktail Ingredients

Are you hosting a holiday party soon?  No matter if your party is big or small, there are certain necessities you need to have on hand. 

Drink Options

You’ll want to have a variety of drink options available to appease everyone.  First, start with basics like beer and wine.  Then, shop for liquor and the accompanying mixers.  Unless you have a bartender, you’ll want to have various spirits and mixers available so guests can make their own drinks.  At a minimum, you’ll want rum, coke, vodka and cranberry juice. 

Remember, people tend to pour too much when they serve themselves.  You have two options.  When the liquor is finished, you can switch to beer and wine.  Or, you can buy pourers with self-measuring spigots (available from any bar or restaurant supply store). 

Supplies

The supplies you need will depend on the drinks you are serving.  Assuming you’ll be offering a variety of beverages, you’ll probably need all of the following:

• White wine glasses
• Red wine glasses
• Beer steins or glasses (for those who don’t want to drink out of bottles)
• Rocks glasses
• A bottle opener (for beer bottles)
• A corkscrew
• Ice
• Stir sticks
• Cocktail napkins

Also, if you have a lot of guests coming, you may want to hire a bartender.  A bartender can take care of your party guests’ needs while you mingle and chat.  

Here's a Mixed Drink Recipe Infographic just in time for the holidays. If you click on it, you'll get the full resolution image that's suitable for printing. Infographics seem to be so hot these days and there's nothing better than graphics of your favorite drinks.

So enjoy and have a great holiday season.

The holidays are fantastic: You get time off work to spend with the people you love, exchanging presents and throwing parties. Of course, you can make this year even more fun by kick starting your holiday drinking. Here are the seven best ways to make the most of your holidays this year:

1. Throw a party. There's no better way to entice people into drinking than throwing a party. Let your hair down and have a few drinks with your nearest and dearest. Make your party even more fun by playing drinking games or holding some kind of gift swap. Yankee swaps, or white elephants, are always great fun.
2. Buy in bulk. The holidays are the one time of year when you really do need to buy alcohol in bulk quantities. You'll want to have a case of wine on hand for all kinds of occasions. Last-minute parties, extra guests and holiday-related baking are all excellent reasons for keeping a spare bit of alcohol on hand.
3. Give alcohol as a present. Wine and alcohol make great presents for adults. You can spice up a bottle of wine by giving it with a beautiful wine stopper or bottle opener. You can even get custom labels for your wine bottles made to make your gift even more special. 
4. Learn how to make some specialty holiday drinks. Minty or green drinks are always popular around Christmas. Learn how to make a few holiday specialty drinks to surprise your friends and family at your next get-together. 
5. Holiday booze is the best kind of booze. Many beer and liquor companies put out special holiday brews and blends. Pick up a few to have on hand the next time guests come over. These holidays specialties are tasty and delightful!
6. Organize a company holiday party. If your company doesn't have an annual holiday party, why not organize one yourself? You'll get the chance to drink with your coworkers and see what they're like when they're not busy working. Plus, it gives you a chance to try out those new holiday drinks you've been perfecting.
7. Indulge in some champagne. What better time to celebrate than the holidays? This year, treat yourself and your loved ones to a little something special. Buy a nice bottle of champagne to toast to good friends and company!

Christmas and New Year's Eve are a fantastic time to kick back with a few drinks. Try these tips this year and you'll be sure to have a great time.

About the Author

Aileen Lopez is a writer and the Director of Content for the Morgan Law Firm, an Austin, Texas divorce firm.  Please visit the Morgan Law Firm Blog for additional content.

• 1 part Lillet Vermouth
• 7 parts imported English gin
• twist a lemon peel
• serve with an olive (or an onion for a gibson)

Ideally, you should have the English gin flown in on a corporate jet. That recipe comes from David Embury who, in 1948, wrote the book on cocktails, titled The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.  Proportions vary.  A few are higher.  Most are lower, usually 2 to 1, sometimes going as far as equal parts gin and vermouth.  I would liken this to saying that food should have an equal portion of salt.  The vermouth is an accent, to taste, and to mask the flavor of inferior gin.  A more extreme view (one that I hold) could be that good quality liquor should take no garnish whatsoever.  This radicalism wins no friends. 

Vodka

David Embury doesn’t address the recent phenomenon known first as a vodka martini that then took on such prominence that a true martini is sometimes called by the retronym of gin martini.  Vodka's presence in an aromatic cocktail is questionable bordering on reprehensible.  It is nearly a neutral grain spirit and hardly appropriate as a base liquor.  The addition of olive brine to make a martini “dirty” is another modern fashion that is contrary to the vodka trend.  Replacing gin with vodka makes the drink blander and the addition of brine returns a sharp vegetable flavor.  A dirty vodka martini must have been invented by a schizophrenic.

Vermouth

Lillet is a French tonic wine not strictly vermouth in modern parlance.  French vermouth (bianco) is less sweet than Italian red vermouth (rosso) and is the ingredient in a dry martini.  A sweet martini featuring rosso is appropriate to a quirky, slightly fey character.  Some split the difference with a “perfect martini” consisting of half French and half Italian vermouth.  It’s a wishy-washy solution that satisfies neither taste.  A dry martini is the classic version.  H.L. Mencken considers a martini to be the American rival to the sonnet as a creation of clarity and elegance.  He was surely thinking of a dry martini in relation to the Shakespearean sonnet.  A sweet martini would be the slightly exotic Petracrhan sonnet.

When it comes to enjoying an alcoholic drink we naturally mix the alcohol with a non-alcoholic mixer to brighten up the taste and add flavor. Drinking neat whisky or vodka without its subsequent mixers does not bear thinking about. Tequila without lime juice or vodka without its orange juice or cola just reads unpalatable all over.

So which mixers are essential to add to your alcohol? Mixed drinks must always include fresh orange juice as this is a key addition to many cocktails. The screwdriver allows the consumer to add a little Vitamin C to your devilish cocktail. Screwdrivers are easy to make and are a very popular mixed drink favorite particularly when served with ice. Many prefer a dash of cranberry juice poured over the ice to give this highball drink a fruitier tone.

Another popular recipe for a highball favorite is the Bronx. Mainly consumed in the US market, a Bronx mixes fresh orange juice with your gin and Vermouth. A slice of orange is often added to this New England favourite cocktail. The ice is naturally the essential mixer to any cocktail, highball or mixed drink. Orange juice once more becomes an essential ingredient as a mixer to the popular cocktail, the Mimosa. A champagne-based drink with a little added sec and topped off with some orange juice and sometimes an orange slice for good measure and you have the simple and delightful lunch time favorite cocktail.

Grapefruit juice can be found in several cocktail drinks which make some of our mixed drinks taste sourer. The idea is take the sweetness off drinks like a Greyhound or a Blue Bayou. However one of our favorite cocktails using the grapefruit mixer is the Blushing Lady. Mix some Pomegranate juice (alcoholic liqueur variety) with your vodka and then add on grapefruit juice and top off with a slice of lemon. Next take a sip and you will see why they call it a Blushing Lady!

Grenadine is another essential mixer for mixed drinks as it goes so well as a sour mix for your cocktail or mixed drink. Fresh pomegranate juice is recommended rather than bought and used from the carton you purchased from the local supermarket. Add pomegranate juice to lemonade and a Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey and you will have your perfect Belmont Stakes.

If you’re about to throw a party where alcohol is involved, you may be considering what type of glassware you should be using to serve your mixed drinks. Try and realize that the type of glass you use is a lot like the fashion of your clothing. You wouldn’t wear sneakers to a nightclub, and you wouldn’t serve cocktails in the wrong type of glass. How you serve your drinks actually has a psychological appeal as to whether or not people want to drink them. To help you identify the right glasses for your next party, here’s a quick breakdown of three of the most popular serving glasses.

Highball Glasses

The biggest mistake people make is that they serve the usual mixed drink in a generic kitchenware glass. Your mixed drink glasses should always be tall and skinny. Consider a highball glass, or Collins glass when serving things like Screwdrivers, Jack and Cokes, or a Vodka Cranberry drink. The tall thin shape is highly distinctive from that of a kitchen glass, and is much more comfortable to grip for a longer amount of time.

Martini Glasses

Now that we’ve got the basic mixed drinks out of the way, keep in mind that you should never serve them in a martini glass. While they may be called cocktail glasses as well, martini glasses were made just for martinis. The strength of a martini is often stronger than that of the usual mixed drink, which gives the martini glass a naturally smaller shape, usually holding only 6 to 8 ounces per glass. These glasses were built for sipping a variety of martini recipes that can often contain twice as much alcohol as a mixed drink.

Shot Glass

Obviously, you’re not going to fit much in a shot glass, but the hard liquor itself. You can premix your liquor with a mixer if you want, but remember that each shot is only an ounce. Make a shot recipe taste like your mixed drink and you’ll have guests flying out the door. If you plan on serving shots on ice, consider a low tumbler glass which can usually hold a shot or two while keeping the liquor well chilled.

This has been the third in a series of blog articles for the basics of mixed drinks. We've already covered the absolute basic, important considerations of some of the basic liquors and proper serving glasses. In articles to come, I'll be writing about more advanced topics.

People have many reasons for learning how to mix drinks. For of all, many people find straight forms of any alcohol to be either too strong or not come in enough varieties. Also, mixing drinks allows you to control the strength of the drink, the sweetness or bitterness and a lot of other factors (including the look of the drink itself - presentation is very important).

Learning how to mix your own drinks is very simple if you follow simple steps and have the correct equipment. Of course, you'll need a good drink recipe and there are many mixed drink recipes available on DrinkedIn (9000 drink recipes). It's easy to impress your guests with fantastic mixed drinks.

A important factor of any mixed drink is to use the better brands of alcohol and avoid the cheaper varieties. There are many reasons for this as the core ingredients strongly effect the taste of the final drink. Also, the name brands often cost more for a good reason. But don't worry if you can't stock a complete bar and serve dozens of different drinks - just start with a few of your favorites and you'll be able to expand in time.

Terminology - mixing drinks has its own terminology and it's essential to learn a few terms:

1. Blend - add the ingredients to a blender and mix thoroughly.
2. Cocktail Shaker - It is usually made from stainless steel and has a top.  Add the ice and the mixed drink ingredients to the shaker and then shake. When complete, tip the shaker to fill the glass and serve. You'll find your cocktail shaker to be an essential tool in allowing drinks to be shaken properly without making a mess.
3. Dash - A dash of something means to add a small amount of your ingredient. In real measure, it is about a quarter of a teaspoon.
4. To Strain - You will need a small strainer. The strainer will allow the liquid through, but hold the ice back in an easy way.
5. Glassful - Obviously, that is means a full glass. In a future article, we'll talk about the correct glasses to serve in and their sizes.
6. Stir - you can use a long spoon or an drink stirrer to get this effect. Some drink recipes will ask you to stir the ice in the drink and then remove the ice before serving.
7. To Shake - This term means the ingredients of the drink are added to the shaker listed above and then shake the contents about five to seven times to mix properly.

Now find your favorite drink recipes from the thousands available on DrinkedIn. You can search by name or even by major ingredients (such as beer, coffee, liquors, etc). Once you find a good drink recipe to start, you'll be creating your fabulous drinks for your guests. Some of the better recipes are available for printing right from the actual DrinkedIn listings (including nutritional information).

Caipirinha (Portuguese pronunciation: is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugar cane rum),  sugar (preferably white powdered sugar, or any other sugar, even honey) and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common  distilled alcoholic beverage (also known as Pinga or Caninha). Both rum and cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products. Specifically with cachaça, the alcohol results from the fermentation of sugarcane juice that is afterwards distilled. (from Wikipedia)

Tell me if you ever tried a Caipinha before!!

To make a nice and truly Brazilian caipirinha you first need to learn how to cut the lime properly[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNjYzMm8kWQ 100x100]!!!