Pull out the blender and whip up your most fabulous ice cream drink creation with or without alcohol. Recipe must include ice cream, but the rest of the creative process is up to you. No formal bartending or mixology skills are required to enter the contest, but you must be of legal drinking age within your country of origin to participate.

Two original recipes will be chosen from those entered; one from the Cocktail category and one from the Mocktail category. Winning entries will be photographed for publication on The Intoxicologist site highlighting the drink creator. All recipes become part of The Intoxicologist drink database for future reference.

Start mixing!

Cheri – The Intoxicologist

Entry Guidelines

Drink recipe must be your original creation.

Recipes must be limited to 5 ingredients or less including garnish.

Ingredients must be easily accessible rather than rare, difficult to acquire items.

Entrant must be of legal drinking age in their country of origin.

Email entries to The Intoxicologist at str8upcocktails@gmail.com. Include the following information.

Your Name

Date of Birth / Country of Origin

Email (optional)

Website / Social Media Link (optional)

Cocktail Name

Recipe (Please include exact measurements, ingredients, preparation / direction details & appropriate glass for presentation)

Your Cocktail Tasting Notes

Cocktail Inspiration (Naming, ingredients, etc.)

Special Instructions / Tips / Specific Brands Used

**********

Brand Owners: Please contact Cheri Loughlin at str8upcocktails@gmail.com for information about sponsoring future cocktail contests.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com – Copyright 2011 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved – All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

Van Bush – Grafton Street Restaurant and Bar

1-1/2 ounces Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey

1/2 ounce Vanilla Brandy

6 ounces Vanilla Coffee

Fresh Whipped Cream

Assemble Bushmills, brandy and coffee into a coffee mug. Top with fresh whipped cream.

The Irish 1608 – Eastern Standard

1 ounce Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey

1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 ounce Honey Syrup

Sparkling Wine

Lemon Twist Garnish

Place liquids in a mixing glass with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lemon twist.

Finn McCool

1-1/2 ounces Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey

1/2 ounce Bianco Vermouth

1/2 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

1 Dash Orange Bitters

Lemon Twist Garnish

Place liquids in mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Port-Na-Spania

1-1/2 ounce Black Bush

3/4 ounce Oloroso Sherry

3/8 ounce Vanilla Syrup

1 Dash Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Place liquids in mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. No garnish.

Find more Irish Whiskey and Whiskey cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day on The Intoxicologist site by following the links. Browse more St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails, Shots in tags or Shot-tails in posts by following the links. Look for a few specific Irish favorites – Irish Coffee, Baby Guinness Shot, Irish Car Bomb

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com – Copyright 2011 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved – All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

Children may saddle up to the breakfast nook with their PB&J sandwiches or Reeses Peanut Butter cup chocolate treats and be satisfied, but the real adult treat is in the cocktail.  Sure, what’s not to love about a good old fashioned handful of fresh roasted peanuts in the shell?  But with liqueurs like Castries Peanut Rum Crème from the island of St. Lucia renowned for life full of energy and sensual indulgence, it is difficult to resist liquid temptation.

Peanut Butter Cup

2 ounces Castries Peanut Rum Creme

1 ounce Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

1 ounce Super Premium Vanilla Vodka

Chocolate Syrup – Optional

Shake vigorously over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Optional:  Line the martini glass with chocolate syrup for additional effect.

While regular peanut butter from the jar flies off grocery store shelves, this liqueur is a hard sell at $30 a bottle.  The price is reasonable in the premium liqueur market while it sits among Chambord, Domaine De Canton, Pernod and various Absinthes at a very reasonable price.  The flavor is unique.  You won’t find peanut butter flavor of this sensual feel and quality within the vast run of the mill liqueur flavor varieties.  Castries is a niche liqueur because it specializes in only one thing:

Luscious blending of Madagascar vanilla, high quality cream, peanuts, spices and a specialty blend of award winning St. Lucian rum with the enticing aroma of butter-roasted peanuts, dried bananas and delicate brown spice.

Indulge the senses with the spirit of St. Lucia.

Really hooked on the temptingly rich taste of Castries…I mean peanuts?  April 2 happens to be National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day and September 13 is National Peanut Day. 

Find a few more Castries Peanut Rum cocktails and interesting daily cocktail holidays to celebrate.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com – Copyright 2011 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved – All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

When tequila finds its way outside the Margarita and shot glass and the rich flavor of coffee flows from a bottle rather than filters through a coffee pot, cocktails just might be just on the horizon.  Kahlua fuses the flavors of Mexico’s Veracruz Sugar Cane Rum and Jalisco Agave Tequila with fresh squeezed juices.  A few shakes of the wrist and a mysterious flavorful coffee liqueur twist on a classic is born…just in time for National Kahlua Day, February 27.

Black Paloma – created by Rick Stutz

1-1/2 Parts Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila

1-1/2 parts Kahlua

3/4 part Lime

1/2 part Fresh Grapefruit Juice

2 dashes Bitters

Pinch Salt

Club Soda

Combine liquid ingredients except club soda in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to chill. Strain into Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda and pinch of salt.

Interesting to note: Kahlua Liqueur’s base spirit is made from Sugarcane Rum from Veracruz.  Though this rum by itself would not be my first choice for premium sipping, it is ideal for creating coffee flavored liqueur.  The spirit is thinner than expected considering the viscosity of Kahlua, but the coffee and mocha notes definitely noticeable in the forefront of initial taste.

Find more Tequila and Coffee Liqueur cocktails in post by following the links. Keep up with more interesting daily cocktail holidays celebrations by keeping tabs on The Intoxicologist site.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com – Copyright 2011 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved – All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist

Iced Mochaccino

3 parts Kahlua Mocha

2 parts Chilled Espresso

Place liquids in tall glass over fresh ice. Stir and serve.

Mocha Bulldog

1 part Kahlua Mocha

1 part Stoli Vodka

1 part Cola

Place liquids over fresh ice in rocks glass. Stir and serve.

Mochatini

1-1/2 parts Kahlua Mocha

1-1/2 parts Stoli Vodka

Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled martini glass.

Mocha Freeze

1 part Kahlua Mocha

2 parts Coffee

2 scoops Vanilla ice cream OR 2 parts Half & Half

If using ice cream: Place ingredients in blender. Puree until thoroughly blended. Pour into goblet.

If using half & half: Place liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously to blend and chill. Strain into chilled martini glass or strain into large rocks glass over fresh ice.

More cocktails for the holiday season can be found in the Holidays & Christmas Cocktails links or by finding individual posts under the right hand sidebar heading Christmas & New Year.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist.

La Canne Creuse – created by Jeff Hollinger
Muse – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was rumored to carry around a hollow cane (or canne creuse) filled with absinthe. – quoted from 2008 media release

2 parts Calvados

1/2 part Pernod Absinthe

1/2 part Dark Italian Vermouth

2 dashes bitters

Orange twist

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the orange twist.

Charmides – created by Marcos Tello
Muse – Oscar Wilde’s epic poem about an Athenian ruler, Charmides uses natural imagery such as juniper and grapes, which Marcos Tell drew upon to create this cocktail. – quoted from 2008 media release

1 part Pernod Absinthe

Seedless Green Grapes

1 dash Bitters

1-1/2 parts Gin

3/4 part Ginger Syrup

1/2 part Fresh Lime Juice

Soda water

Candied ginger

Muddle grapes. Pernod Absinthe and bitters. Add gin, ginger syrup and lime juice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, top with soda water. Garnish with grapes and candied ginger.

La Berceuse – created by Jim Ryan
Muse – Struck by the color and surreal perspective of Vincent van Gogh’s La Berceuse, Jim Ryan created a visually stunning and delicious cocktail. – quoted from 2008 media release

1/2 part Pernod Absinthe

1-1/2 parts Tequila Blanco

1/2 part Raw Organic Blue Agave Nectar

1 Lemon, Halved

3 Strawberries, Hulled and Quartered

Muddle strawberries and agave nectar. Add the juice of one half lemon, spirits and ice. Shake and strain into a tall ice-filled glass and top with seltzer.

#26 – created by Marko Knezevic
Muse – Published in 1926, Ernest Hemingway’s iconic novel The Sun Also Rises was the inspiration behind this cocktail. The incorporation of fresh citrus recalls the tropical setting of Key West, where Hemingway spent much of his life. – quoted from 2008 media release

Red grapes

1 part Pernod Absinthe

1 dash Sweet Vermouth

Squeeze of Lime

1 dash Simple Syrup

Orange Juice

Muddle six or seven grapes. Add ice, lime, syrup and spirits. Shake and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with orange juice and garnish with fresh grapes.

More cocktails for the holiday season can be found in the Holidays & Christmas Cocktails links or by finding individual posts under the right hand sidebar heading Christmas & New Year.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist.

Christmas Cheer

1-1/2 ounce of Screech Rum

3 ounces Egg Nog

Grated Nutmeg Garnish

Place Screech Rum and nutmeg in mug or goblet over ice. Stir. Sprinkle with fresh nutmeg.

Screech Punch

1 ounce Newfoundland Screech Rum

1 ounce Coconut Rum

1 ounce Orange Juice

1 ounce Pineapple Juice

1 ounce Cranberry Juice

For single serve: Place liquids in cocktail shaker over ice. Shake to blend. Strain into tall glass over fresh ice. Garnish with cherry and orange slice.

For punch style serve. Multiply ingredients to fit size of punch bowl or pitcher you’ll serve from. Place chilled liquid ingredients in punch bowl or pitcher.  Serve over ice in punch cups or rocks glasses. Garnish with skewered cherry and orange slice.

Newfoundland Night-Cap

1-1/4 ounce Newfoundland Screech Rum

1 – 2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar

Coffee

Whipped Cream

Place Screech Rum and brown sugar in heat proof mug. Fill with coffee. Stir. Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.

More cocktails for the holiday season can be found in the Holidays & Christmas Cocktails links or by finding individual posts under the right hand sidebar heading Christmas & New Year.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist.

If you are a college football fan, enjoy Saturday game day, leaving Sunday for those dreaded weekend chores. 

Longhorn fans might like the Burnt Orange Tang or Burnt Orange Texan, OU fans get a special Crimson & Cream shot, Husker fans go long with the Big Red highball, Michigan State can shoot the Spartan Warrior while the Michigan Wolverines get a little help from the Wingman.

NFL fans get shaking with clean-up duties and errands Saturday since Sunday is all day football watching with a line-up of daylight to dusk gridiron gridlock.  Pick a few team favorite drinks from the listing below or find some thirst quenchers for the crowd.

There are New Orleans Saintly Classics and New England Highballs, cocktails that Soar with Eagles fans and those that boast the colors of the Washington Redskin’s Burgundy & Gold.  Green Bay will tie on a Green Sneaker and the 49ers will strive to drive home that Golden Nail, perhaps with the Gold Rushing Shot. More team pairings include the a Texsun for Houston fans, Midnight Cowboy for Dallas, Panther Shot for Carolina, Battering Ram for St. Louis, a delicious milkshake style drink called Especial Brown Cow for the Cleveland Browns and a Jaguar Shot for Jacksonville.

Provide a little something for everyone with the Jack Daniel’s Pigskin Punch and Go Team! recipes. Add one more non-alcoholic Mocktail for early morning tailgating.

Torani Super Bowl Sundae Latte – The Mocktail Bar Guide, Frank Thomas & Karen L. Brown

1/2 ounce Chocolate Mocha Syrup

1/8 ounce Caramel Syrup

1/8 ounce Almond Syrup

6 ounces Milk

3 ounces Freshly Brewed Espresso

Foamed Milk

Heat syrups and milk in saucepan or microwave until hot. Pour into large coffee mug or travel cup. Add espresso. Top with foamed milk. Notation: Syrups can be found on the coffee aisle of most grocery stores.

Rise & Shine Sunshine Smoothie is another morning eye opener to get the day started alcohol-free with a few fresh and frozen fruits plus lower calorie juices.

A few plan ahead picks for Thanksgiving next week… (yes it’s already coming along THAT fast!)

Classic cocktails for those who like to keep it simple and those who reminisce about days gone by: Whiskey Sour, Maker’s Mark Manhattan and Hendrick’s Martini are all excellent choices.  Another delicious choice for classic and contemporary cocktail lovers is the Vesper Cocktail as demonstrated at Cocktails Through the Decades in New Orleans this summer during Tales of the Cocktail.

Vesper Cocktail

1-1/2 ounces Tanqueray London Dry Gin

1/2 ounce Ketel One Vodka

1/4 ounce Lillet Blanc

Lemon Twist Garnish

Place all liquid ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill completely. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

More cocktails for the holidays will be added to the following links: Christmas Cocktails and Fall & Thanksgiving Cocktails.  A few delicious favorites you may have missed already include

1. Favorite Dessert Flavors Become Spirited Holiday Sippers
2. Apple of My Eye Cocktails
3. Dessert Inspired Holiday Shot Recipes

Enjoy the weekend. Sip something spectacular. Cheers everyone!

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist.

There are many things to keep in mind when setting to work creating a cocktail. There are certain ratios of spirit to mixer and which flavors play off of others. One has to keep in mind the audience who will consume the ultimate drink and the setting in which it will be experienced. There is the responsibility factor in how the recipe is written and total alcohol content contained within the drink.  But there are also a few basic steps one should keep in mind through the spirited process of cocktail creation and excitement of entering a recipe for contests. 

After taking a look through an assortment of recipe submissions in a recent contest, several notable points of interest struck me as rather important for anyone to keep in mind when entering brand sponsored cocktail contests. 

• Several entrants misspelled the name of the primary ingredient; the very brand sponsoring the contest. Other ingredients within the recipe were also misspelled. While spelling might not be a deal breaker when it comes down to cocktail taste, it does say something about the amount of time the creator took to polish every step of the way in putting an idea to paper and cocktail shaker.
• Some ingredients within recipe listings were duplicated such as orange liqueur paired with triple sec within the same cocktail. While some spirits within the same families do contain variations in flavor profiles, make certain there is definite reason for duplication of like ingredients.
• Recipes called for an ounce of the same ingredient twice. Possibly this was just an oversight in typing up the recipe, but when $5,000 to $10,000 prize money is at issue the order of the day is checking the list twice. In a closed judging event participants recipes are recreated by a working bartender who mixes the cocktails according to the recipe submitted. Oversights in amounts by participants in submitting recipes could end up in a totally different tasting cocktail at the judging table.
• When a spirit company sponsors a cocktail contest it should be good practice for a participant to check what other spirits that company owns before cocktail creation begins. One should endeavor to create cocktails using brands from that spirit company’s line of products first if they fit the profile of the drink before choosing brands from other companies. While this is not necessarily a requirement set out in rules, spoken or unspoken, it is just good form. Companies use contests to help promote their brands, not the brands of other companies.
• If a company asks for a photo representation of the cocktail that is being submitted for the contest, choose a photo of the cocktail rather than a photo of a pet, yourself mixing the cocktail in such a way that the cocktail is barely visible or a photo of a cocktail that is a complete misrepresentation of the drink.
• Some entrants create cocktail recipes that could never fit within the vessel called for in the final serve. An example: 18 ounces does not fit within a coffee cup.  Likewise, 2-1/2 ounces is great for a straight up martini containing high proof spirits or a small drink served on the rocks, but this is too small for a full sized cocktail containing half juice and low proof alcohol unless of course its intended purpose is a shooter rather than martini style cocktail.
• Though a brand allows multiple entry submissions, try not to enter the same cocktail recipe with merely slight changes in hopes one of the variations will be chosen. The key here is create at least one recipe that will knock the socks off the judges rather than a hit and miss fire at will blather of submissions with a cross your fingers attitude that maybe one of them will be good enough. If you aren’t sure which one is best, work on the recipe until it’s a no brainer winner that wows all your bartender buddies.

These are just a few basic, common sense ideas to keep in mind while putting together a cocktail recipe for contest submission. These are not rules of the road brands have set out along the way. They are tips through the eyes of someone who sat down with pen, paper and camera in hand while jotting down notes over an abundance of cocktail submissions one afternoon.  Of course, always read the rules and guidelines of every contest thoroughly as each will differ. 

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist.

The first time I sampled the Cinnabar Negroni there was a wee bit of mischievous cheating afoot.  My heart sways to the tune of Cynar, artichoke aperitif, and Carpano Antica Formula most occasions for deeply rich and luxurious Negroni cocktails, so the Cinnabar Negroni never had a fair chance as it was meant to be sampled.   Cynar and Carpano Antica Formula indeed round out the Cinnabar Negroni with lush, sweet satisfaction, but perhaps a tad too much sweetness for some palates.  However, Campari adds an excellent balance of bitterly sweet drying effect while keeping in tune with the touch of sweet vermouth laced in with the gin.  Angostura Orange Bitters complete the cocktail with a fine dash of spice without going over the top.  My usual love for Negroni cocktails served martini style is thrown to the wind with this version as the slow melt of ice mellows the drink bit by bit for leisurely sipping.

Cinnabar Negroni – created by Jason MacDonald

2 parts Campari

1 part London Dry Gin

1 part Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes Orange Bitters

Orange Twist Garnish

Build in an old fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir. Garnish with orange twist zested over cocktail so essential oils spray into drink. Notation: Original recipe calls for orange slice rather than orange twist.

Try a few variations on the classic Negroni with Hendrick’s Gin’s Unusual Negroni which uses Aperol and Lillet Blanc, a Naughty Negroni topped with Moscato d’Asti Sparkling Wine via The Bubbly Bar and my version of the bubbly topped celebration style cocktail; Negroni Virtuoso.

Find The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon or Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage contained within are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist.