Being the creative powerhouse I am, I offered up a theme. Yes, the same theme that dominates this blog and the first four words that come out of my mouth at any bar: brown, bitter and stirred. Basically, I’m asking you to participate in the Internet’s longest cocktail party by making me a drink.

Happy to oblige, I rounded up a handful of brown bottles, a bunch of bitters and some amaros.  “Brown, bitter and stirred” can take you on several routes, from tried-and-true classics like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned to innovative drinks using bitter liqueurs like Cynar and Averna.  My first attempt utilized an Islay Scotch rinse with some Canadian whiskey, while the second attempt was a modified Sazerac that paired rye whiskey with Bols Genever, an unaged spirit distilled partially from rye.  Both cocktails were pretty tasty, but not quite what I was looking for.

By happy accident, some Four Roses bourbon was sitting next to a bottle of Campari.  Bourbon is brown, and Campari is most certainly bitter.  Fast forward two minutes and one more ingredient, and a cocktail was born. Not by me, of course; I just recreated an existing drink – The Boulevardier.  This cocktail is like a bourbon Negroni, substituting bourbon for gin, and mixing equal measures bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth.  It’s rich, warming and packs a hell of a boozy wallop.

The Boulevardier

1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth

Stir all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a twist of orange or lemon peel.

The 1:1:1 ratio works just fine, but I preferred the drink with a bit more bourbon bite, so I upped the whiskey to 1.5 ounces.  Four Roses bourbon worked nicely, as did Bulleit (and even rye), so feel free to experiment as your tastes dictate.

The below cocktail recipes use Canadian Club, a blended whiskey that works well in cocktails and is specifically called for in several classics.  The standard six-year old bottling is smooth and mellow, and at a modest price point of about $15, it’s easy to come by.

Whiskey Sour

2 parts Canadian Club
Juice of half a lemon
½ teaspoon sugar

Strain over ice into a chilled sour glass, and garnish with a cherry and lemon wedge.

Summer Melon Thyme

1 ½ parts Canadian Club
¾ parts Triple Sec
2 parts Fresh Lemon Sour
3 cubes fresh watermelon
Sprig of Thyme

Muddle watermelon in a mixing glass. Add all remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a watermelon spear or lemon twist.

Mango Smash

1 ½ parts Canadian Club Reserve 10 year
3 chunks fresh mango
1 orange slice
2 sugar cubes
2-3 dashes of Orange Bitters
Soda water

In an Old Fashioned glass muddle sugar cube with bitters, add fruit and muddle again to release oils from the orange peel. Fill glass with ice, add whiskey and stir. Spritz with soda water, stir once more and drop in a cherry for garnish.

For a drink with some very potent flavors, namely chartreuse and Campari, the Tailspin is surprisingly well balanced, layering its flavors quite well.  Sweeter and more herbal than a Last Word or Negroni, it’s an interesting little concoction.  And composed of ingredients that any respectable bar will carry—plus many well-stocked home bars—it’s easy to make.

The Tailspin

1 oz dry gin
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes Campari

Rinse a chilled glass with Campari, and discard the excess. Stir other ingredients with ice, and strain into the glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

The Tailspin is sweet and herbal with a hint of bitterness, and the underlying gin isn’t lost in the background.  I liked it overall, but for round 2, I used more Campari to temper the sweetness. Rather than simply using it as a rinse, I dumped a full bar spoon into the drink.  The result adhered better to my personal tastes, which lean toward the bitter.

If you like the Tailspin, try the Bijou.  Simply substitute orange bitters for the Campari, and you’ve got it.

The leaders of the Secret Sherry Society selected these drinks through a specific tasting and pairing process. The society, formed by a group of individuals whose primary concern was the artful dissemination of the secrets of their favorite beverage, Sherry, is a lively bunch of Sherry experts that travel around the country sharing their passion for their favorite beverage.

Sherry Margarita

1 ½ oz Dry Sherry
1 oz Tequila
2 oz Fresh Orange Juice
¾ oz Grand Marnier

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glad with ice; shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice. Pairs perfectly with Mexican Tacos.

Delores Park Swizzle

1 oz Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Tequila
¾ oz Ginger Syrup
¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice
¼ oz Velvet Falernum

Top with 4 dashes aromatic Bitters, and garnish lavishly with mint. Serve over crushed ice. Pairs perfectly with Pad Thai.

The Smoked Palomino

2 oz Dry Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Crema De Mezcal
1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
¾ oz Fresh Lime
½ oz Simple Syrup
¾ oz Club Soda

Add kosher salt to rim of glass, garnish with lime. Pairs perfectly with Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

His winning drinks –

Tahini Surprise (pictured)

Egg white
1 lime, squeezed
1/4 inch scallion, chopped
3/4 oz demerara
1/2 oz Tahini Paste
1 chunk Pineapple
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
2 oz Gran Sierpe Pisco

Combine lime, scallion, demerara, tahini and pineapple; muddle thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients, dry shake.  Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice in old fashioned glass.  Garnish with fresh cut lime twist.

Ponzu Pisco

Egg yolk
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz demerara
1/2 oz Ponzu Sauce
3/4 oz Domaine De Canton
2 oz Gran Sierpe Pisco
3 oz Japanese Beer

Combine all ingredients except beer.  Dry shake.  Shake with ice and strain into champagne flute. Top with beer.  Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg and angostura orange bitters.

New York mixologist Brian Miller created the Seersucker cocktail by starting with Flor de Cana rum.  He added cinnamon bark syrup, muddled strawberry and lemon juice to complete the drink.  Served over crushed ice, it’s a nice way to stay cool during the summer months, especially if pin stripes aren’t your thing.

The Seersucker

2 oz. Flor de Caña white rum
1/2 oz. cinnamon bark syrup
1 oz. lemon juice
1 1/2 strawberries

Muddle one strawberry, then shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a pilsner glass with crushed ice. Garnish with ½ strawberry.

If healthy cocktails are your thing, try these guilt-free options this summer before hitting the beach. I can’t vouch for their taste, but they’re guaranteed to have more flavor than Michelob Ultra, and to make you the prettiest gal (or guy) around.

Perfect Pink Lemonade

1 ½ oz Rosangel Tequila
1 oz Raspberry-Lime HINT
½ oz fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz Grenadine Syrup
Lemon Wedge for Garnish

Hibiscus Honeydew Heaven

1 ½ oz Rosangel Tequila
1 oz Honeydew-Hibiscus HINT
½ cup of Honeydew juice
Handful of fresh raspberries.

Pink Pomegranate Tangy Margarita

1 ½ Rosangel Tequila
1 oz Pomegranate-Tangerine HINT
1 tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp Cranberry juice
Splash of Ginger Ale
1 ½ cups of Ice

USA – Manhattan

Rye whiskey is bold and brash, a fitting component of this American classic.

2 ounces rye whiskey
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Cherry or orange peel

Stir ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry or a strip of orange peel.

Brazil – Caipirinha

This classic cocktail uses Brazil’s national spirit, Cachaça, which is distilled from fermented sugar cane juice.

2 ounces cachaça
1 medium lime, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons fine sugar

Add lime and sugar to an old fashioned glass and muddle.  Add crushed ice, then cachaça, and stir.

France – French 75

One of the best things to come out of World War I.

2 ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Champagne

Shake gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice, and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne, and garnish with a long, thin lemon spiral.

Italy – Negroni

An aperitif that packs a serious punch.

1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari

Stir with ice in a mixing glass.  Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange peel.

Mexico – Margarita

Mix up a margarita, but not the cheap, sugary swill made with sweet and sour.  A real margarita simply uses tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice.

1.5 ounces tequila
.75 ounces triple sec
.75 ounces fresh lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass or an ice-filled rocks glass.

The Rusty Nail
1 1/2 oz. Scotch whisky
1/2 oz. Drambuie
1 twist lemon peel

Pour the Scotch and Drambuie over ice in an old-fashioned glass. Stir well, and garnish with a lemon twist.

The Rusty Nail is a classic, and it’s a fairly benign start for the first-timer’s foray into Scotch cocktails. The sweet Drambuie tempers some of the bite of its counterpart.

The Forty-Five
½ part Drambuie
½ part sweet vermouth
½ part bourbon
dash of vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and stir until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with dried cherry macerated in Maraschino liqueur.

This cocktail was actually quite good, though I preferred mine with a dash of aromatic bitters and no vanilla. Bourbon gives a hint of vanilla on its own, so I thought the concentrated vanilla extract was as bit too much for this drink.

The Highland Fizz
¾ part Drambuie
¾ part Bacardi Gold Rum
dash of fresh lime juice
dash of Angostura bitters
1½ parts ginger beer

Combine all ingredients in a tall glass and stir. Garnish with a wedge of fresh lime.

I used Don Q Gold Rum in place of Bacardi. Not bad. I’ll probably make this cocktail again with a more flavorful rum, like Barbancourt or Appleton V/X.

The Chevalier
½ part Drambuie
¾ part Grey Goose Le Citron Vodka
¼ part dry vermouth
dash of fresh lemon juice
¼ part of simple syrup
dash of lemon bitters (optional)

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

There’s too much going on in this drink, and I’m not sure Drambuie and flavored vodka should ever go together. Not terrible, but not for me.

The below cocktail recipes were provided by Tequila Cazadores and Maestro Dobel Diamond Tequila:

Cazadores Paloma

2 ounces Cazadores Blanco Tequila
1 ounce grapefruit soda
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Splash of club soda, optional

Pour all ingredients over ice in a salt-rimmed Collins glass.

Cazadores Margarita

1 1/2 ounces Cazadores Reposado Tequila
1/2 ounce triple sec
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce simple syrup.

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a cocktail glass over fresh cracked ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.  For a healthier alternative, cut the simple syrup to 1/2 ounce.

Ginger Dobel

1 1/2 ounces Maestro DOBEL Diamond Tequila
1/2 ounce ginger beer
1/2 ounce lime juice
Splash of soda

Build over ice in a rocks glass.

Dobel and Germain

1 1/2 oz Maestro DOBEL Diamond Tequila
1 1/2 oz St-Germain
1/2 oz Champagne
1/2 oz Lemon juice

Shake tequila, St-Germain and lemon juice with ice, and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.