1 to 3 lime wedges
2 ounces vodka
3 to 5 ounces chilled tonic water
Rim a chilled highball glass with a lime wedge, and drop it in. Fill the glass with ice, pour in the vodka, and top with tonic water. Squeeze the remaining lime wedges over the drink, and drop them in.
Ben's Notes:
This drink is super great every time. To be honest, I prefer gin & tonic, but if I'm low on gin then this is a more than sufficient substitute.
The Rya Review:
LOG
1 ounce gold tequila
3 ounces cranberry juice
½ ounce fresh orange juice
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
Orange slice
Shake the liquid ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with the orange slice.
Ben's Notes:
This was truly just, "eh." Not good, not bad, not sweet, not sour. I'm also noticing that I forgot to fill the glass with ice, but I doubt that would affect the drink enough for me to change my feelings about it.
The Rya Review:
Ball
1 ounce Malibu (or other coconut liqueor)
1 ounce amaretto
4 to 6 ounces Coca-Cola
Lime wedge
Rub the rim of a chilled highball glass with the lime wedge. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the Malibu and amaretto. Top with Coca-Cola and stir. Garnish with the lime wedge.
Ben's Notes:
My first original drink! Several months ago I was unable to decide what to add to my Coke: Malibu or amaretto? I decided to do equal parts of both and ended up with this deliciously sweet concoction! It became an instant house favorite with my guests. I'm pretty sure this could actually be a thing people ask for at bars. Let's make that happen! Also, props to my wife for naming it something appropriately girly.
The Rya Review:
LOG
2 ounces vodka
½ ounce fresh lime juice
4 ounces ginger beer (or ginger ale)
Lime wedge
Pour the vodka and lime juice into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with ginger beer and stir. Squeeze the lime wedge over the drink, and drop it in.
Ben's Notes:
Apparently this drink is why Smirnoff is popular in America today. Taste one and you'll see why. I dare you to try to find the 2 ounces of vodka in it. It's like they're not even there. One day I'll need to get some ginger beer and actually use that instead of the ale.
The Rya Review:
FRISBEE
½ lime
1 ounce tequila
¾ ounce Kahlúa
Squeeze the lime half over a chilled highball glass, and drop it in. Fill with ice and pour in the tequila and Kahlúa. Stir.
Ben's Notes:
I believe my exact word(s) when I tried this were, "Wow!" Followed by, "Cool!" I guess I really just didn't know what I expected this drink to taste like, but it was very sweet and refreshing. It was kind of like drinking chocolate Coca-Cola, if such a thing existed.
The Rya Review:
FRISBEE
8 to 10 fresh mint leaves
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ounces gin
Fresh mint sprig
Muddle the mint leaves, lime juice, lemon juice, and sugar in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass. Add ice and the gin, stirring briefly. Garnish with the mint sprig.
Ben's Notes:
This drink is for gin lovers only. I think I might have liked it better coming in from the garden on a hot summer day, but I say that about a lot of drinks. Overall, it was just so-so.
The Rya Review:
BALL
4 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1½ ounces tequila
12 ounces Mexican lager
Pour the lemon juice into an ice-filled beer mug. Add the salt and tequila, stirring to combine. Slowly pour in the beer.
Ben's Notes:
So the first drink I made out of this book was a michelada (before I started the blog). There are three different recipes for them, and the first one really didn't catch my attention. This one, however, is another story. The drink had layers of flavor and just never got old. I even royally screwed it up (too small of a glass meant my proportions were off) but it really didn't matter. I'll be enjoying these frequently from now on.
The Rya Review:
LOG
Second Thoughts:
I recently tried this drink again with some family and we decided that there is too much salt in the recipe. Unless your lemons are extremely tart, just put in 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
