Restaurant Recipe Reviews

I was very pleasantly surprised when I went on the net recently to find some good warm weather drinks to serve at an upcoming event. In just 45 minutes I found hundreds of great sounding drinks, many I’d never heard of before.

Then, I did some research. I mixed about 15 drinks myself for taste tests at home, and tried a few more at a friendly area bar. I discovered that prime time TV isn’t quite as bad after a few drinks, and I found some great tasting drinks. Here are my five favorites.

At liclubs.com I found the Rasmopolitan. To make it, pour into a glass one ounce of Stoli, half as much Triple Sec, 1/2 an ounce of lime juice (preferably fresh squeezed), and as much cranberry juice as it takes to fill the glass. Stir, garnish with a lime slice, and enjoy.

It turned out that liclubs.com also provided another of my favorites, a drink named Sex on the Beach (your guess is as good as mine). This great warm weather drink is made with pineapple juice (1 ounce), cranberry juice (1 ounce), vodka (1/2 ounce), and peach schnapps (1/2 ounce). I put everything into a shaker with a few cubes of ice and liked it enough to immediately make another.

Thanks to dreamsmixer.com for the Creamy Root Beer. Simply pour 2 ounces of Dr. Mcgillicuddy’s Vanilla Schnapps into a frozen mug filled with ice, fill nearly to the top with root beer, and top off with a spoonful of cream.

Have you figured out yet that I not exactly a two fisted drinker? If so, you won’t be shocked that my next choice, courtesy of frontgate.com, is a Strawberry Colada. To make one, just put together 1-1/4 ounce of (light) rum, 1/4 ounce of pineapple juice, and an ounce each of pina colada mix and strawberry daiquiri mix. Blend it and garnish with a cherry and an orange slice. It will taste as good as it looks.

I wanted an alcohol free drink for the party, and boy did I find a good one. On recipelink.com I chanced upon a drink called the Butterfinger, named after the candy bar which is part of the recipe. To make this sure crowd pleasing treat, freeze a bowl, a Butterfinger, and a sixteen once glass for at least a half hour. Longer is better. When you are ready to serve it, crush the Butterfinger…it’s easier if you do so while it’s wrapped, and put it to the side while you mix 2 cups of vanilla ice cream and a quarter cup of milk in the frozen bowl. When the ice cream and milk mixture is soft and smooth, stir in 2/3 of the crushed Butterfinger pieces…that’s what the recipe says…I used the whole candy bar and had no regrets. Pour into the frozen glass, and serve with a spoon.

Try these five wonderful drinks…you won’t be disappointed. And, if you’ve got a few minutes, you can find many more terrific drink recipes on the net.

Daniel Z. Kane is a veteran college Dean who normally writes about online education , financial aid, and online colleges .