One person's nirvana cocktail recipe is another person's cough syrup. An ounce of this, a half-ounce of that... The smallest change to a recipe can affect it's taste and drinkability. And not everyone likes the same things. Given that... this is what I like. You may like it as well. Or not. I really don't care. Drink what you like. These are my recipes and those of my friends that I have enjoyed at some point in time over the past 25 years. I hope they are ok with me sharing them.
	TEQUILA RECIPES
	This first margarita is my old standard for the past 25 years. Will tequila affecionados like it? No because it uses margarita mix rather than simple lime juice. Do I care? No. Not even a little. Fuck them. This is easy & quick to fix and, if you have 20 people in the pool (as it happens here at the house sometimes), you don't have any time to waste behind the bar. One word of caution about this, though... You must use Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix and not some nasty tasting substitute. Cuervo makes some pretty crappy tequila but they make very good mix. Don't try to be a hero and substitute. It's bravery that will not be rewarded. Trust me. I've tried EVERY mix out there. Even the boutique mixes. None compare for bulk margarita-makin'! Jack's Traditional Margarita 2 parts Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix (the kind without the alcohol already added) 1 part tequila (Don't waste your good tequila on this. The sweetness of the mix overwhelms any good tequila. Cheap tequila here is fine) A slop of triple sec (orange liqueur) Over ice. Don't make things difficult. This is a great margarita that is simple to make and tastes delicious! It has a slightly more tart taste than my traditional one (above) so, if you are not into sweeter, this one's for you! Peggy's Margarita 12oz can of frozen limeade 12oz of tequila 6oz of triple sec 24-30oz of water Whip this up in a 64oz plastic container and you're rockin'! Ok, so I lifted this next one from a bar/restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming when Karen & I lived there. It was called "Ignight". Great place. We asked the bartender for the recipe & she wouldn't give it up so we ordered margarita after margarita after margarita and watched her make it. $300 worth of margaritas later, here it is. (Ok, I may have exaggerated a little. It could have been $400 worth of margaritas...) It's a bit complex and time-consuming to make but it's a good break from the plain, old margarita. And worth the time and trouble... Jack & Karen's Pura Vida Margarita Have at the ready a cinnamon/salt/sugar rimmed glass 1/2 lime juice, fresh squeezed 3/4oz lemon juice, fresh squeezed 2oz orange juice, fresh squeezed A shake of cinnamon 3/4oz agave nectar (for sweetness) 3/4oz Patron Citronge Orange 2oz of your favorite tequila Pop all that into a shaker with ice Splash of Grand Marnier on top Garnish w/orange slice or just say "fuck it" and drink it I found this next one in a food magazine somewhere (I forget which one). It's a simple recipe... tasty but a bit sweet. You can drink a couple of these but you can't drink them all night... Raspberry Lemonade Margaritas 3oz frozen lemonade concentrate 3oz your choice of repasado or anejo tequila 3oz triple sec A large handful of raspberries (fresh or frozen) Throw all this in a blender with some ice until it gets to the consistencey that you want. Raspberry lemonade margarita slushie! YUM! The Paloma is a great change of pace from a margarita but very close to a margarita. It has become a household favorite. (Karen loves these!) Paloma (spanish for "dove") 2oz repasado tequila 1/2oz fresh lime juice (we use Key Lime juice) A pinch of margarita salt inside the shaker Shake with ice Add 6oz (half a can) of Squirt (grapefruit soda) Can you substitute another grapefruit soda? Of course but it may not taste as sweet. You may have to add some agave nectar. There are also a lot of variables on the Paloma. There's the Vodka Paloma (sub vodka for the tequila), the Pineapple Paloma (sub 3oz of pineapple juice for 3oz of the grapefruit soda) as well as others.
	VODKA RECIPES
	My good friend, Megan, turned me on to this one in the pool one day. Delicious! Not sure what the offcial name is so I named it appropriately for it's taste. You can't even tell that there's alcohol in this. VERY dangerous! Megan's Orange Creamsicle 1 part Pinnacle "Whipped" vodka (tastes like whipped cream!) 3 parts Sunkist Orange soda Over ice. Again, don't make things difficult. You actually could drink this all night. One afternoon while I was visiting my friend, Jason, in Lexington, Kentucky, he whipped up a batch of these. OMG. They are SO good! Not the kind of thing that you can drink all night but definitely a good hot tub/listening to Jimmy Buffett cocktail. Banana Monkey 3oz of Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut 6oz pineapple juice 3oz Kaluha 3oz vodka 1/3 of a fresh banana Throw all this in a blender with some ice
	RUM RECIPES
	Have no idea what this is supposed to be called. Our good friend, Linnea, made this one day at the pool and it's REALLY good! How can it be anything else? It has coconut rum in it! It's a larger recipe suitable for a big, plastic container. Linnea's Pool Cocktail 1 - 64oz can of pineapple juice 1 cup of Countrytime Lemonade mix (the dry, powdered lemonade mix) 2 cups of water (I probably wouldn't use this much water considering that the ice will dilute it some but, hey! It's Linnea's recipe and it's yummy!) 2 cans of Sprite (I'm guessing that 7-Up would work, too.) 1 entire bottle of Malibu Rum (don't be a pussy... use the entire bottle!) Over ice A great summer drink... Summer Breeze 3oz of rum 2oz of cranberry juice 2oz of grapefruit juice Pour over ice & garnish with a lime wheel
	WHISKEY/BOURBON/SCOTCH RECIPES
	For those of you that really like whiskey, bourbon, and/or scotch, I know that grouping them together may seem wrong to you. They are, of course, different types of alcohols. Sort of... but not to me. I am not a huge fan of any of the three. I did try a B&H bourbon at my brother, Bob's, house last year or so and it was tolerable. And I do stock several whiskeys & bourbons in my bar at home. But they'll sit forever until YOU come over & drink them. Having said that, here is a tolerable whiskey recipe that I sort of like: Raspberry Lemonade Whiskey Sour 1-1/2oz whiskey 1/2oz raspberry liqueur 1oz lemopnade Over ice Pretty tasty, really...