Martini

About: “Shaken, not stirred.” Bond takes his with vodka instead of the traditional gin, but either way this is one classy drink, and one of the most recognized mixed alcohol cocktails on the planet.

What you’ll need:

• 5 parts Gin (or Vodka)
• 1 part dry vermouth
• olive (for garnish)

Directions:

1) Pour about 2 shots of gin and one half shot of vermouth into a chilled cocktail glass, and stir.

*Even though Bond likes it shaken, the traditional recipe calls for it to be stirred. Many bartenders will shake it in a cocktail shaker because of the infamous super-spy, but you can call them out on it because a cocktail shaker is thought to dull the vermouth (while simultaneously sharpening the gin by “bruising” the liquor). You can always order this shaken if you want, but be warned: that does not give you a license to kill.

Fairy Dust - All About Absinthe

The summer before my freshman year of college, one of my best friends made out with his beautiful, 30-year-old Swedish house sitter. All it took was Jamiroquai’s Traveling Without Moving and one shot each of a drink called absinthe.

Fortune might not favor all of us like it once did my friend, but this is not to say absinthe cannot play host to a good night. You probably have heard the stories from friends, or possibly even tried it yourself. Legend has it that this green, anis-flavored drink makes you hallucinate after a glass or two. This is true, but not so true.

History

Unlike other alcoholic drinks, absinthe does not just have a vibe to it, but an entire lifestyle surrounding its use. Back in his day, Vincent Van Gogh would stay up all night sipping it, using his own paint as a chaser. Today, Marilyn Manson has been known to take a few swigs between songs on stage. You may remember Kylie Minogue as the green fairy Ewan McGregor sees after trying absinthe in Moulin Rouge. In normal situations, many claim the drink just brings a normal drunk. If you tried it in the states, there are two reasons this would happen most of the time. They do sell another green drink of the same flavor in some American liquor stores under the name Absente. This drink substitutes the key ingredient of absinthe - wormwood - which provides the alleged psychoactive effects. The other common mistake is that the drink is usually not prepared correctly by someone who has never tried it before.

Preparation

One traditional way to prepare the drink involves a specially designed slotted spoon. The absinthe is poured into the glass, and the spoon, with a sugar cube on top, is held over it. Then, ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted from 3:1 to 5:1. The components of absinthe that are not soluble in water will come out and cloud the drink. This is what allows the herbs within to “blossom” and brings out many of the flavors hidden by the overpowering taste of the anis. There are many sites on the internet dedicated to the proper preparation of absinthe, and there are quite a few variations. But preparations aside, absinthe is technically illegal to bring into America, and naturally there is no commercial producer in the country. According to www.feeverte.com, there is no actual crime in the possession of absinthe, only the production, sale, and importation of it. Good luck deciding how to swing that one, but I have seen many bottles of absinthe that somehow made it into the states.

Effects

The website also warns that absinthe in no way makes you see things. This common belief is usually attributed to old poetry and paintings depicting the drink as a powerful elixir that will make you see fairies and other magical images. Still, if you have prepared the glass of absinthe correctly and are using the proper drink in the first place, you should have a very interesting drunk. One friend of mine claims he chased a green dot for five minutes. Like most substances, your expectation of the result largely influences the actual effect. The exotic feeling of drinking absinthe might be more real than any hallucinations. While experts might try to downplay the trip, I have yet to find evidence pointing to the fact that absinthe prohibits you from making out with hot, Swedish house sitters. In fact, as of yet I only see strong evidence of the contrary. Now there’s a marketing gold mine if I’ve ever come across one.

Food Pairings: What Beer to Sip Over The Holidays

The holidays are coming up and that means alot of good food. But it can also mean a lot of good beer to accompany that food. The Brewers Association put together a great list of beer pairings for the various meats you might feast upon in the coming holidays. We made a recap of the list for you, and then we added our very own College Drinker recommendations. Follow this guide to make sure that you are making the best toasts that you possibly can.

Plus you can tell everyone at the party why you choose the beer you did and sound really smart (or really annoying)…

Traditional Roast Turkey: “The roasted and caramelized skin matches well with amber ale, a strong golden ale or an amber lager in the Vienna style.”
College Drinker says: Try Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Eliot Ness.

Smoked Turkey: “If your local brewery offers a smoked beer, that can serve as a complement to smoked turkey as well. Look for a porter, Scotch ale or amber ale in the smoked style.“
College Drinker says: Try Stone Smoked Porter.

Cajun Turkey: “Celebrated beer writer and New Mexico resident Stan Hieronymus suggests a malty IPA to go with his favorite Cajun turkey recipe. For a malty alternative that will stand up to the heat, try a dark bock or strong Scotch ale.“
College Drinker says: Try Two Hearted Ale (Bell’s Brewery).

Ham: “Like the fruit and cloves often used to prepare ham, the fruity, clove notes in weizen or the stronger weizenbock compliment ham at the dinner table.”
College Drinker says: Try Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat.

Duck: “The darker meat of duck offers a richer flavor than turkey and can stand up to a richer beer as well. Here a Belgian-inspired dubbel or a hearty Oktoberfest lager would go well.“
College Drinker says: Try Allagash Dubbel.

Goose: “Here too a richer beer than you would choose for turkey is in order. A Belgian-style triple or biere de garde would work well or maybe a bock or Scotch ale.”
College Drinker says: Try Shiner Bock (Spoetzl Brewery).

Salmon: “A dunkel lager or Scottish ale can offer a clean toasted malt note to offset the firm flavors of salmon without a lot of bitterness that would overwhelm the fish. Other options would include a mild ale or steam beer.“
College Drinker says: Try Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark.

Leg of Lamb: “Pale ales provide a pleasant foil to lamb with spicy or herbal character to compliment the character of the meat along with some toasted malt notes. Or for more harmony with the roasted flavors of the meat, try a hoppy brown ale or porter.“
College Drinker says: Try Dogfish Head’s India Brown Ale.

Beef Tenderloin: “This rich hearty cut of meat deserves a robust beer as a counterpoint but also calls for some contrast to clear the palate between bites. The ideal companion would seem to be an IPA or Imperial IPA. Other options might include a tripel or old ale.“
College Drinker says: Try Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

11 Easy to Make Whiskey Drinks

Got a bottle of whiskey and not much else? Don’t know what you can possibly mix it with?

Many whiskey cocktails are complicated or call for a special type of whiskey. But we’re in college and we don’t usually have all that shit! So we collected 11 super easy whiskey recipes that you can make with pretty much any whiskey and don’t require strange and hard to find ingredients. So if you’re not much for shooting that whiskey straight, hopefully you’ve got the right stuff to make at least one of the drinks below:

1) Whiskey Sour

Other Ingredients: Lemon juice, simple syrup

A classic - Pour about 2 shots of whiskey, about the same amount of lemon juice, and one ounce of simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Shake all the ingredients with ice. Then strain into a glass filled with ice.

2) Manhattan

Other Ingredients: Vermouth, Bitters

Pour a shot of whiskey, 1/2 oz of vermouth, and 2 dashes of bitters into a glass with ice and stir it up really well.

3) New York Cocktail

Other Ingredients: Lemon juice, sugar, Grenadine

Pour about 2 shots of whiskey, half as much lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake it all up. Strain into a chilled glass.

4) Fancy Whiskey

Other Ingredients: Sugar, Triple Sec, Bitters

Pour about 2 shots of whiskey, a 1/2 oz of sugar, a 1/2 oz of Triple Sec, and a dash of bitters into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it all up and strain into a chilled glass.

5) Boilermaker

Other Ingredients: Beer

Pour a shot of whiskey into a shot glass. Fill a cup full of beer (lighter is best). Drop the shot glass into the beer and down everything in one drink.

6) Highball

Other Ingredients: Ginger ale

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in about 2 shots of whiskey. Fill the rest with ginger ale.

7) Imperial Fizz

Other Ingredients: Lemon juice, sugar, club soda

Pour about 2 shots of whiskey, half as much lemon juice, and a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it up and strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Top it off with club soda.

8) Irish Coffee

Other Ingredients: Coffee, brown sugar

Pour the coffee, a shot of whiskey (Irish is best), and a teaspoon of brown sugar into a mug. Top with whipped cream if you have it.

9) Whiskey & Coke

Other Ingredients: Coke

Fill a glass with ice and then pour in as much whiskey as you would like. Fill the rest up with coke. Pretty simple!

10) Old Fashioned

Other Ingredients: Sugar cube, bitters, water

Combine the sugar cube, Bitters, and 1 tsp. water in a glass. Muddle it, and add about 2 shots of whiskey, and stir.

11) Ward Eight

Other Ingredients: Lemon juice, powdered sugar, Grenadine

Put about 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it up and strain into a red wine glass filled with cracked ice.

Go Ahead and Argue!

People will argue that you are supposed to make each one of these with a certain type of whiskey, put them in a certain type of glass, or garnish them with different things like fruit, or even a twist. …Whatever!

Sometimes you don’t care about all that. These are really basic drinks that you can make with whiskey. Make these drinks to make your whiskey taste better, impress your friends, and still get drunk in the process. See the image from a T-shirt (below) for further clarification:

Have Tequila and not Whiskey? We got you covered: 11 Super-Easy to Make Tequila Drinks.

Cheers!

Tequila Sunrise

About: Originally served at the Arizona Biltmore, the cocktail is named for the way it looks after it has been poured into a glass. The name was popularized by the 1973 Eagles single “Tequila Sunrise.”

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Tequila
• 5 oz Orange juice
• 1 oz Grenadine
• ice

Directions:

1. Place the orange juice and about two shots of tequila in a cocktail mixer with crushed ice.
2. Shake thoroughly, and pour into a glass with ice cubes already in it.
3. Add the grenadine slowly, allowing for it to rise.
4. Stir it all up really well for the best taste.

We have more great tequila drinks.

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