#66: Angel's Tit (floater)

1 oz Dark Creme de Cacao
1 oz Milk or Cream
Float the milk or cream on top.
Garnish with a cherry on a toothpick across the top of the glass

Which would you rather have, a kiss from an Angel, or a peek at an Angel's Tit? Answer honestly.

This drink is exactly the same as the Angel Kiss, but with the cherry suspended over it. Wow, that's a lot of effort for two drinks that are basically the same.

But wait, drop the cherry into the shot glass, and down the whole thing in one gulp. This was much better than the Angel Kiss, with the cherry adding another dimension of flavor that really helped. Not that this needed added sweetness, but the cherry flavor was definitely a positive addition that really helped make a slightly boring drink much more interesting. And it was definitely better to look at.

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I noticed an ad on TV today for Campbells' Soup, part of their new campaign to promote healthier, more nutritious soups. Supposedly. One of the claims made in the ad was that the ingredients are "farm grown". Well, isn't that just so special? I personally prefer my vegetables to be grown in a vat in some industrial complex, but to each his own. How stupid do they think we are? Next thing they'll be telling us that their soups use "all real ingredients".

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#62: Angel Kiss (floater)

1 oz Dark Creme de Cacao
1 oz Milk or Cream
Float the milk or cream on top.

Was I kissed by an angel? Not really. This is a little sweet floater with little alcohol. Nothing special here.

Since it is separated as a floater, you taste the milk first, but you really need to down this in one shot to get both flavors. They go together well, but really to no special effect.

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Found this awesome photo on the net the other day. This just shouts "cool". Michael Caine is obviously telling some sort of witty anecdote, and Morgan Freeman is having the time of his life. I think that is Liam Neeson on the right, but not sure. But I love the contrast in this picture, the focus on the mates at the bar, good drinks all around. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that I was looking at it the wrong way.

The best part for me is that it really doesn't matter who is in this picture. If it was just regular folks, you and me, I think it might even be more interesting. Hopefully we've all had this moment in our lives. Happy, carefree, having some good times and tales with friends over a drink, or food, or whatever we like.

These guys just happen to be famous. Who says we can't be just like them?

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#45: Almond Joy

1 oz Coconut Rum
1/2 oz Dark Creme de Cacao
Combine in a tall glass filled with ice, fill with milk or cream, and shake.

When I was a kid, my family would troop over to the Minnesota State Fair every year. And every year they had a tradition of bringing in a tanker truck from one of the local dairies, filled with ice cold milk. They would erect a huge round tent over it, and rig up tap milk dispensers in a huge circle. For a quarter, you would get a little plastic cup, and could get it filled with the coldest, freshest milk you can imagine. The best part is that you could get back in line as many times as you wanted, all for that original 25 cents. Of course, my brother and I would see who could drink the most, practically to the point of making ourselves sick. And then the car ride home would be miserable, us in the back of the station wagon, squirming to use the bathroom, hoping we got home in time.

We went back as adults a few years ago, and the truck was still there. And I naturally had my fill of that ice cold milk. And suffered just as much on the ride home as I remembered. But it would have been nice to have been able to add a few ingredients to that milk, sort of like tonight's drink, now that I'm sort of grown up.

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This had a great coconut flavor. The milk was darkened just a touch by the Dark Creme de Cacao, which when poured, settled to the bottom pretty quickly. My advice: shake well. Otherwise you will end up with separated flavors and all the goo stuff at the bottom.

I was a little worried mixing an alcohol like rum with milk, just because in my mind it always bring up the image of curdling. But this was very goo. It was nice and light. The milk was sweetened by the different flavors, which made it quite tasty.

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#44: Almond Enjoy

1 oz Amaretto
1 oz Dark Creme de Cacao
1 oz Cream of Coconut
Combine in a serving glass filled with ice, fill with milk or cream, shake.

An alcohol-based liquid Almond Joy in a glass. Does it get any better? A tip to the wise: do not sniff nail polish before tasting this, or you really won't get the flavor of the coconut at all. That's what my wife was doing when she tried this, and she couldn't figure out why this was named an Almond Enjoy.

I couldn't remember which candy bar was which, the Mounds or the Almond Joy, so we had to sing the song from the commercial to remind ourselves.

I thought that the coconut flavor was almost too strong, in an already overly sweet drink. Tom Hanks in Castaway would have thought there was too much coconut to be honest. I don't think you would need dessert after dinner if you ordered this. In fact it is a good replacement for dessert (for those of us counting calories). Enjoy!

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#35: Alexander the Great

1 1/2 oz Greek Brandy
1/2 oz Dark Creme de Cacao
2 oz milk or cream
Shake in a mixing glass filled with ice, strain into a chilled glass

Charlie Sheen enters rehab. Why is this even a headline? It should be on the sports page, like a box score in baseball. You could wager on how long he stays in this time.

When his father, Martin Sheen, was filming Apocalypse Now, he had a scene where he is supposed to be having a mental breakdown. In reality, Sheen the Elder had gone on a multi-day drinking binge, and really was starting to have a break from reality during filming. Which answers a few questions right up front. Namely, you don't win Oscars for method acting, I guess. Second, everyone on that film set really had gone crazy, but maybe that was done just to make Marlon Brando feel at home.

So here's my proposal to all of us, including the media. Ignore him, and maybe he'll go away, or at least stay in rehab until we forget about him. Back off on the guy, let him live his own life, and we can get back to wondering how Lindsay Lohan is doing. As miserable as his life is, and I honestly don't think it's all that miserable. I mean, sure, he almost ODs just about once a month like clockwork, but what the hell. Like I said, he's rolling in cash. He could be depressed that he can't spend it fast enough on the hookers anymore. Age does bring its limits, you know, and generic Viagra is right around the corner, so there's another source of revenue spending that's drying up.

His show has such high ratings that CBS, a network so powerful they can keep giving Chuck Lorre shows to fill time slots willy-nilly, is scrambling to try and figure out what to do while he is in rehab this time. Not many companies do that for an employee like him. If I pulled a stunt like calling in sick to work with the lame excuse that I had trashed a hotel room and had gone temporarily blind from massive amounts of alcohol and cocaine, I don't think my boss would be so understanding. I would probably have to enter a facility as well, but most likely a different kind of facility than good old Charlie.

And when he does get back on the set, what the hell does he have to do? I've seen that show, and he really doesn't bring much to the table. He walks around in shorts, makes some lame "jokes" with a deadpan smirk that just reeks of dollar signs in the eyes, and heads out at 2 for drinks and doing blow off hooker's butts.

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Well this was a totally different taste, as expected. Although to be honest, sometimes I don't know what to expect when I make a drink for the first time. This had a much richer flavor from the brandy and the Dark Creme de Cacao, which combined for a deep, smooth, rich, mellow flavor. Just what I needed after a long day at work. I guess I need this every day.

I was not sure what Greek Brandy was, other then brandy from Greece. At first I thought it might be Metaxa, but that is a greek brandy mixed with wine, so I was pretty sure that wouldn't work. Surmising that a Greek Brandy would just be a more expensive brandy, like a Cognac, I decided to use regular brandy. No need to go there, as the wallet won't support that.

The "great" version had a slightly darker color, and tasted much stronger then the standard Alexander. Maybe that's what makes it "great". I decided to look ahead to the Brandy Alexander, which is one of the IBA standard drinks. Basically this has 1 oz less of the milk or cream and no nutmeg. I could definitely taste the alcohol, especially the brandy. Almost too much. I could also feel it hit my head pretty quickly, but then I got a warm feeling all over and didn't care anymore.

I'm not sure what the point of this drink is. I would just wait until I get to the standard, the Brandy Alexander. It won't hit you over the head, although if you are lactose intolerant, maybe this one is better for you, and those around you.

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#34: Alexander

1 oz Gin
1 oz White or Dark Creme de Cacao
In a serving glass filled with ice, pour ingredients, then fill with milk or cream, then shake.

I read a story a few weeks ago about a religious teacher who had his students go in to various establishments and ask for things that they didn't or wouldn't have. Like going to a bookstore and asking for frozen yogurt. Supposedly it was to teach them humility and to break down the barriers of ego that we all hold. They had to learn to let go of what they thought about how others saw them.

As I pondered this, I saw opportunities to do just that the next time I go to the supermarket. Here's a short list of some items it would be fun to put on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. Just 3 items each time, and keep telling myself "I don't care what people think".

Box of condoms, suckers, My Little Pony

Box of cheap wine, Ex-Lax, water balloons

Vodka, matches, a pair of sunglasses

Dulcolax, a mirror, turkey baster

A jar of mayonnaise, a stopwatch, and a Bible

Olive oil, honey, and zucchini

Midol, a knife, a bottle of rum

Tabasco, a bag of ice, an enema

Rubber gloves, bleach, a tarp

See what you can come up with!

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Well, we have bit of a dilemma today. After much research on the web (30 minutes, I'm not insane), it appears that the recipe in the book may in fact be wrong. The ingredients and amounts are right, but this appears to be the only instance of the drink that I can find where it is not being strained into a cocktail glass. The earliest reference for this drink dates back to 1915, and that recipe calls for it to be strained as well. So what to do? Make 2! A little background first.

Although the Alexander is not on the list of official IBA cocktails, the Brandy Alexander is, as well as another offspring, the White Russian. The Alexander predates all of them, dating from about 1915, and is said to be named after Czar Alexander II of Russia. During the 19th century, he was considered one of the most progressive leaders in Europe at the time, emancipating the Russian peasants from serfdom, reorganizing the military to include universal conscription from all wealth levels, and instituting and new penal code and simplified civil and criminal systems. All that kind of change led to the inevitable assassination, of course. So, early in the 20th century someone decided to name a drink after the Czar. Seems like it would have been nice if that had happened while he was still alive, but oh well, I can only hope to live on in posterity through having a drink named after me.

I made the drink according to The Good Book, just to see what would happen. It was a very tasty drink, a great sipping drink. It had a strong flavor from the gin and Creme de Cacao, but mellow with little bite. It slid on the tongue nicely and was a pleasure to drink. But the nagging fact that I knew this was made incorrectly seemed to detract from the experience.

So, I made it again, same ingredients, but this time everything was shaken in a mixer filled with ice cubes, then strained into a cocktail glass. Of course in all this I forgot to garnish with a touch of nutmeg. You would think I was trying to be an air traffic controller, but even just trying to keep all this straight was taxing to my addled brain.

Now that we seem to have the traditional method for this drink established, I noticed that the use of Dark Creme de Cacao had crept into the recipe from The Good Book, but that seems to have not been added to an Alexander until the Brandy Alexander came along in the 1920s. Since there will never be total consensus on any drink, I'll live with this.

The revised (for me) version was even better, with no ice cubes banging me in the nose. In the cocktail glass it was easier to sip, and it seemed creamier and richer.

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