Several readers have written in asking for a few drink recipes that are a little different than the usual mixed drinks. And are impressive when serving the ladies you're entertaining. I like where your heads are at.

I have a couple you'll love. They're based on the "Vinotini", a cross between wine and a martini, and the creative result of six months of cocktail research by the team at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Vinotinis are complex drinks with many layers and textures, and are something ...More

People are anal about their water. (I figured I'd just jump right in today.) So many things they're particular about. It's gotta be distilled. And come from a "natural source". If they're extra picky it must be Artesian. Then there is the sparkling vs. still debate. ...More

You can find hundreds of places online that list drink recipes. But if you want those recipes served up with a side of snarkiness, topped off with a generous helping of lounge music, head over to thebar.com. ...More

You can't over-stress the importance of proper tools. Sure you can improvise with what you have lying around, but to quote Chris Rock: "You could drive a car with your feet if you want to. That don't make it a good f***ing idea." Well said, Chris.

If you're going to mix drinks for dates at your place, ...More

If you're a fan of whiskey (and aren't we all), get to Chicago on April 13.

Malt Advocate magazine is holding their 7th annual WhiskyFest Chicago, featuring "more than 200 of the world's finest, ...More

When's the last time you saw something that was so impressive it stopped you in your tracks? Something that made you wonder how in the world it was possible. I can only think of two things: Donald Trump's hair and Numi Organic Flowering Teas. And only one works to impress your date. ...More

As I wrap up the St. Patrick's Day drink recipes, I leave you with three that give you some good choices for everyone and anyone celebrating with you tomorrow.

One is a martini, (but looking at it I'm thinking it would make a great punch), one is perfect for the ladies, and one's a shot, for getting the party started. Quickly. ...More

The most requested recipe I've posted is Grandma Hawkins' Homemade Irish Cream. Hands down.

I originally posted it back in December of last year, and I have personally made it three times. For Thanksgiving. For Christmas. And for New Years. And I will be making it again tomorrow night. By request ...More

If you're going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day right, you gotta do it in an Irish Pub. (Otherwise it's like celebrating Christmas in a synagog.)

To find an authentic Irish pub in your city you could drive the streets listening for the drunken refrains of "Come Back Paddy Reilly", or you could go online and access Zagat Survey's 2007 Top Irish Pubs Guide.

To let you access their guide online, Zagat teamed up with Irish Spring, the people who crammed the fresh, clean scent of the Irish countryside (minus the sheep smell) into a bar of soap.

Select your city and get back a list of pubs complete with address, phone number, average cost and ratings of food, decor and service. And if you're "familiar" with Zagat's "unique and concise" restaurant "surveys" where they "enthusiastically" place an "unbelievable amount" of "quotation marks" around every other "word", you'll find those included as well.

To access the guide click here.

After the corned beef and cabbage is cleared off the table it's time to get down to a little St. Patty's Day dessert. I'm gonna go ahead and assume you've outgrown the green frosted cupcakes in the baked goods aisle at the supermarket, and suggest something a little more adult.

The first is an alternative to the traditional Irish coffee, going for more of a tea feel, from the folks at Bushmills® Irish Whiskey. Distillers of whiskey since 1608 they know how to make your St. Patty’s Day more fun than a busload of drunken leprechauns.

The drink is called the Burning Bush (I'll spare you the double entendres), and to make it you'll need:
1 1/2 oz Bushmills® Irish Whiskey
1 oz honey
3 oz hot water
Lemon wedge spiked with cloves

Place lemon wedge in a toddy glass. Pour whiskey and honey over lemon. Fill with hot water. Stir.
www.bushmills.com

The other suggestion is a unique dessert/drink recipe from LaLoo's Goat's Milk Ice Cream. Yup, goat’s milk. It’s much lower in fat than traditional ice cream - 4.5 grams vs. 17 grams, you gotta watch that gut - but is just as rich and creamy. (BONUS: LaLoo's has a $1 off coupon you can download here.)

La-Loo’s Deep Chocolate and Guinness Float
2 generous scoops La-Loo’s Chocolate Ice Cream
2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
4-5 ounces Guinness Beer

Put half of the beer in a tall, chilled mug. Add chocolate syrup and mix. Float ice cream on top of mixture and fill with remaining beer making sure to create foam on top for added drama.
www.goatmilkicecream.com

St. Patrick's Day is this Saturday and I can already hear the bagpipes in the distance.

In the interest of doing whatever I can to ensure you drink anything but green beer, I am posting several drink recipes this week. Yes, I know that green beer is fun and girls think it's cute, but drinking cheap beer dyed bright green is alcohol abuse. If you're going to drink, drink the good stuff. St. Patrick himself would be offended if you didn't.

Today I am posting classic Irish beer recipes from Guinness. They are incredibly easy to mix and perfect for toasting St. Patty. Brilliant!

Guinness Shandy
• 3/4 pint Guinness
• 1/4 pint lemon-lime soda

Add Guinness to a pint glass and top off with lemon-lime soda.

Half & Half
• 1/2 pint Harp
• 1/2 pint Guinness

Add Harp to a pint glass. Add Guinness by slowly pouring it over the back of a spoon.

Recipes courtesy of thebar.com

Here's a new trend for 2007 that I like the sound of: drinkable desserts.

Last week I talked about after dinner drinks. (You can read the post here.) This goes one better... after dinner drinks that rival decadent desserts.

They're especially good for those dates that really want to have dessert, but for vanity reasons refuse to order one. ("Oh the Chocolate Mousse Tartlet Supreme looks sooooo wonderful, but my cousin's wedding is coming up...") With these drinks she can enjoy "dessert", but not feel so guilty after. I'm guessing the alcohol helps the "who cares?" attitude.

Recently Baileys® held a Drinkable Dessert Challenge to find the best new drinkable dessert recipes featuring their Irish Cream liqueur. After choosing five finalists in the professional division and five in the amateur division, a winner was selected from each. Dennis Frisk from New Castle, PA was chosen as the amateur winner for his “Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake in Mint Condition”, (top picture), and Jessica Taylor from Indianapolis, IN was chosen as the professional winner for “Mocha Mint Bavarian”. (I'm sensing that the judges had a thing for mint.)

Dennis says his inspiration came from the popularity and appeal of cheesecakes, and the varieties that appear on restaurant menus these days. Jessica says her inspiration came from the idea of adding mint to mousse. (There's a joke in there somewhere.)

Because I've always got your back, I am posting both recipes here.

www.baileys.com

Wine enthusiasts and winos alike mourned the passing of a wine-making legend yesterday. Ernest Gallo, founder with brother Julio of E.&J. Gallo Winery, died surrounded by his family at age 97.

After over seven decades in the business, the Gallo brothers, (Julio died in a car accident in 1993), are widely credited with helping convert Americans into wine drinkers, making California wine famous and respected in the process.

Producing some 80 million cases of wine each year, Gallo's winery is said to sell one of every four bottles of wines Americans drink. They are also the creators of some interesting and legendary brands as well. Brands like the super low-end and super high-alcohol content Thunderbird, and the fruit-flavored Ripple. (A favorite of Fred Sanford, if I'm not mistaken.)

They were also one of the pioneers, under their Bartles & Jaymes brand, of the wine cooler - consumed in mass quantities by drunken, Spring Breaking college girls everywhere.

Thank you Ernest.

What's more perfect than a martini glass? It has classic design, clean, simple lines, and performs its function flawlessly. (Except in a crowded bar when you get banged around and spill precious liquid.)

Bombay Sapphire Gin felt the classic glass could use a little updating and recently held their 4th Annual U.S. Designer Glass Competition. Up-and-coming industrial designer, Michael Kritzer of Georgia, beat out hundreds of entrants and 10 finalists with his "Palletini" design. (Top pic.)

The Palletini is made in blue and silver mother-of-pearl colored glass, and has no stem. A thumbhole on the long side enables the drinker to hold it like a painter's palate. Which I'm sure is perfectly stable after 2 or 3 martinis.



Kritzer is off to Milan, where the Palletini will face off against the winners from 27 other countries.

The People's Choice Award went to my favorite, the "Bloom" by Nicholas Blair. (Bottom pic.) Its deep reservoir holds an integrated olive skewer made with strands of emeralds and sapphire colored glass, a functional reinterpretation of classic design.

No word on whether any of these will be available to buy. I'll keep you posted if I hear.

You can check out the other design entries at www.designerglasscompetition.com

There's something about following a great dinner with an after-dinner drink. And depending on what your after-dinner plans are, the drink can set the tone.

When the plans require energy late into the night (whether you're going out or staying in) many opt for the old reliable: An energy drink and vodka. That's fine. But there are better, classier, options.

An espresso martini is one of my favorite ways to end a dinner and start a night out. If you don't have access to an espresso maker, you can use espresso flavored vodka. Van Gogh Vodka makes some of the best flavored vodkas I've tasted, and their Double Espresso makes an incredible martini.

Launched last November, Double Espresso has vaulted into first place as Van Gogh’s bestseller, and is a favorite among many bartenders. Each liter is packed with 10 mg. of caffeine, and is low in carbs, unlike energy drinks which have a ton of sugar.

You can shake Double Espresso with ice and serve up as a great, fast and easy espresso martini, or try one of the recipes below. I chose these specifically for their "dessert" appeal after a dinner for two. (Just trying to help set the tone.)

If you want more, Van Gogh has a library of over 8,000 free martini recipes on their website, www.vangoghvodka.com.

Double Espresso Chocolate Martini
1/2 oz. Creme de Cacao Liqueur
2 oz. Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka

Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker. Add crushed ice and let stand for five seconds. Shake vigorously for five seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with Hershey`s Chocolate Kiss.

Espresso Chocolate Rhapsody
1/2 oz. Van Gogh Chocolate Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz. Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
1 oz. Van Gogh Espresso or Double Espresso Vodka

Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker and add crushed ice. Let stand for five seconds. Shake vigorously for five seconds. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with Hershey's Chocolate Kiss.

Texas Hold ’Em
1 oz. Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
1 oz. Van Gogh Espresso or Double Espresso Vodka
1 oz. Van Gogh Coconut Vodka
A splash of light half & half cream

Shake all ingredients with crushed ice, then strain into a martini glass.

www.vangoghvodka.com