Abinsthe is back! And among the crowd of pretenders Nouvelle-Orléans rises like cream to the top. It’s the handiwork of chemist and absinthe genius Ted Breaux and lovingly made in a historic French distillery. Crisply aromatic, it makes an antique flavor taste new again.

Use it to make: Absinthe Drip
Cut the absinthe with water before drinking (Nouvelle-Orléans is 136 proof) by adding a drop at a time until the louche — the milky strata formed when water mixes with absinthe — just reaches the surface of the glass. Then sip.

Recipe:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 drops red food coloring
3/4 cup water
2 drops blue food coloring
2 apricot dried halves
1/2 tsp glycerine
1 tbsp almond extract
1/2 cup grain alcohol
1/2 cup water
1 cup brandy
3 drops yellow food coloring

Combine sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. In an aging container, combine apricot halves, almond extract, grain alcohol with 1/2 cup water, and brandy. Stir in cooled sugar syrup mixture.

All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. While premium tequila is made from blue agave, mezcal can be made from other varieties of the plant. Second: Tequila distillers generally steam the agave before fermentation, while for mezcal the agave is usually slow-roasted in oven-like pits lined with hot rocks. This process gives the spirit its signature earthy and smoky dimension.
There is a vast range of flavors and aromas found among the different mezcals. Some should be sipped like whiskies, while others can be mixed in cocktails.

Recipe:
4 cans Coco Lopez® cream of coconut
3 cans evaporated milk
3 cans condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 gallon vanilla ice cream
powdered cinnamon to taste
1 liter white rum

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend well. Store in glass bottles, and place in refrigerator and then that’s it Coquito Bueno .

Recipe:

2 cups distilled water
1 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2 - 3 drops yellow food coloring
1 1/2 cups 188 proof grain alcohol
6 drops anise extract
2 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe:

1 part vodka
1 part 1800® Tequila
1 part rum
1 part gin
1 part triple sec
1 1/2 parts sweet and sour mix
1 splash Coca-Cola®

Mix ingredients together over ice in a glass. Pour into a shaker and give one brisk shake. Pour back into the glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top. Garnish with lemon.

There is only 36 bottles that Royal Blue Tea has committed to making and delivering in the early part of 2010. Estimated dates are between February and March. The leaves are picked in the prefecture of Shizuoka, infused for 3 days, and poured into 750 bottle. The result is a lavish $2,500 bottle of green tea. Are you lavish enough? If so you better contact Royal Blue and reserve yours.

GTO Cocktail

Recipe:

1 oz Southern Comfort
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Amaretto
1 oz Gin
1 oz Rum
4 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Grenadine

Mix all ingredients in tin over ice. Strain into shot glasses and serve.

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Sloe Gin
1/2 tsp Grenadine

Shake the ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and you’re ready to drink. Enjoy

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 tsp Sweet Vermouth
1 twist Lemon Peel

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add the twist of lemon peel and enjoy.