Alcohol.... I've got plenty of it!

[Sackville]

I admit to knowing very little about cocktails, yet I find myself with a rather stunning and space-sapping collection (much of it vodka). Can you suggest cocktails that I could make from the following, without buying any more alcohol?

Cointreau

Smirnoff Vodka

Bacardi Lemon Vodka

Finlandia Cranberry Vodka

Wyborowa Orange Vodka

Polish Currant Vodka

Baileys

Creme de Cacao

Creme de Menthe

Grappa (sample size)

Famous Grous (sample size)

Scotch Whiskey (sample size)

Sake

Plus:

Rose Champagne

Lots of wine and beer of all varieties

[plattetude]

It's a veritable fruit-basket, if not cornucopia, of vodka!

The only real standards that come to mind from that list are the tres-70's shagadelic Stinger (vodka or scotch both viable as a base spirit) and various Grasshopper recipies. And the inevitable Cosmopolitan.

With the able help of cocktaildb.com, here's a few choices of varying degrees of interest (including those mentioned above):

Flying Grasshopper

Stir in mixing glass with ice & strain

3/4 oz green creme de menthe (2 cl, 3/16 gills)

3/4 oz light creme de cacao (2 cl, 3/16 gills)

1 oz vodka (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Vodka Grasshopper (variation)

Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain

3/4 oz vodka (2 cl, 3/16 gills)

3/4 oz green creme de menthe (2 cl, 3/16 gills)

3/4 oz light creme de cacao (2 cl, 3/16 gills)

1 oz cream (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Green Dragon (Variation)

Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain

1 oz green creme de menthe (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

1 oz vodka (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Vodka Stinger (if your creme de menthe is white)

Build or Stir in mixing glass with ice & strain

1 3/4 oz vodka (5 cl, 7/16 gills)

3/4 oz white creme de menthe (2 cl, 3/16 gills)

ice, if building

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Balalaika

Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain

1 oz vodka (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

1 oz fresh lemon juice (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Fans

Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain

1 1/2 oz Scotch (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills)

1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

1/2 oz grapefruit juice (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Comforter Cocktail

Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain

1 1/2 oz Scotch (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills)

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

1/4 tsp sugar (1 dash)

1/4 oz Cointreau (6 dashes, 1/16 gills)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Caribbean Joy Cocktail

Shake in iced cocktail shaker & strain

1 1/2 oz Scotch (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills)

1 oz fresh lime juice (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

1/2 oz Cointreau (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

1/2 tsp sugar (2 dashes)

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

Cosmopolitan

1 1/2 oz citrus vodka (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills)

1 oz triple sec (3 cl, 1/4 gills)

1/2 oz fresh lime juice (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

1 or 2 dashes cranberry juice, for color

1 lime wedge, for garnish (1/2 oz, 1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish.

Serve in a cocktail glass (4.5 oz)

To name a few....

Christopher

[gethin]

Can you suggest cocktails that I could make from the following, without buying any more alcohol?

Cointreau

Smirnoff Vodka

Bacardi Lemon Vodka

Finlandia Cranberry Vodka

Wyborowa Orange Vodka

Polish Currant Vodka

Baileys

Creme de Cacao

Creme de Menthe

Grappa (sample size)

Famous Grous (sample size)

Scotch Whiskey (sample size)

Sake

Plus:

Rose Champagne

Lots of wine and beer of all varieties

←

My suggestions :

The smirnoff vodka and creme do cacao (4/5 parts vodka to 2 parts creme de cacao with 1 part lemon juice) makes a quite drinkable Ninitchka - add a few drops of grenadine to turn it into a Kretchma.

with some limes and ginger beer you can use the smirnoff and probably the orange vodka to make moscow mules,

substitute either the unnamed scotch or the Grouse for the vodka in the mules to make a Mamie Taylor and perhaps use the other one with the cointreau (2 parts whisky, three quarter parts cointreau, half a part lime juice) to make a (pale) variation on a Leatherneck

I'm guessing the Bacardi lemon you refer to is a white rum rather than a vodka but even so you could use it with the Cointreau (plus lime juice and a tiny spash of cranberry juice) to make a sort of variation on a Cosmopolitan. The orange vodka would also probably work in this.

Try mixing various flavoured vodka with dry white wine and apple juice.

Drink the grappa by itself, cold , after a nice meal.

Put the creme de menthe down the sink.

Have fun, report back.

gethin

[ludja]

Vodka and Cointreau plus cranberry juice sets you you up to make Cosmopolitan's...

Personally though, I'd rather 'use up' the vodka in other ways and then instead use the Cointreau for Margaritas...

edited to add: I just saw that plattetude included cosmos within his/her list... but my rec re: Margaritas vs Cosmos still stands.

Edited June 20, 2005 by ludja (log)

[Sackville]

Thank you for the suggestions. I forgot to mention that I also have Captain Morgan dark rum.

We are away for a few days but I will return later next week with pics of any cocktails we make from your suggestions :)

[LindyCat]

I second the Ninotchka/Kretchma. The unexpected combination of lemon and chocolate is always a hit with my guests, especially if you color the drink pink. They can't figure out what the heck is in there. It's a nice "beginners" cocktail.

But I use different proportions to make mine.

My Kretchma is 2:1:1 with a dash of grenadine, Ninnotchka is 4:1:1 (from the Bartender's Bible) I personally think 2 parts creme de cacao would make the drink far too sweet, but I'm also not above putting a maraschino cherry in mine, so do what tastes best to you.

I would think creme de cacao and orange-flavored vodka would like each other, also.

Edited June 21, 2005 by LindyCat (log)

[gethin]

I personally think 2 parts creme de cacao would make the drink far too sweet, but I'm also not above putting a maraschino cherry in mine, so do what tastes best to you.

I agree about doing what tastes best to you.  My proportions are more or less taken from David Embury. It is a sweetish/chocolatey drink , but in my view vodka based drinks have so little going for them that this is probably a good thing.

making a similar  (if slightly more complex because it also has Lillet Blanc) gin based mixture ( a 20th century cocktail), I'd really cut back on the creme de cacao and end up with a drink thats extraordinarily good, not just drinkable.

I would think creme de cacao and orange-flavored vodka would like each other, also.

absolutely !

←

gethin

[michaeldauphinais]

Check it out:

http://www.idrink.com

You go through a huge checklist of what you have in your stash. iDrink chews on it, and then regurgitates a list of the drinks you can make with what you have.

Way cool.