Trinidad Sour

Created by one of my favorite bartenders, Guiseppe Gonzalez, the Trinidad Sour belongs to the notorious clan of drinks made with an inordinate amount of bitters. Weirdly, it tastes of cherries, even though there's nothing with cherry in it.

1 oz Angostura
1 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lemon
1/2 oz Rye

Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled glass, shake for 15-20 seconds, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Mai Tai

I refer to these as "Might Dies" because that's how you feel after a few. Trader Vic, the grandfather of all things tiki, created this drink sometime in the 1940s. Since then, there have been hundreds of variations, most of which suck. The only thing constant between the original and the crap you get served in a tacky Polynesian restaurant is rum. This recipe comes from Robert Hess, and it is a very close approximation of the original.

1 oz White Rum
1 oz Gold Rum
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat syrup
1/2 oz Lime juice
1 oz Dark Rum (float)

The technique here is a little strange. Instead of shaking vigorously and straining, add all the ingredients (except the dark rum) to a rocks glass, fill almost completely with ice. Pour the entire contents of the glass into a shaker and shake for no more than 10 seconds, just enough to mix all the ingredients and give them a good chill. Pour the entire contents of the shaker back into the rocks glass. Float the dark rum on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint, a speared piece of pineapple and maraschino cherry (use the crappy ones here), and whatever else you have lying around.

Enjoy.