February 4 is National Create a Vacuum Day.  So, in cocktalian fashion, you need to create a vacuum today!  Ever wonder why your cocktail shaker is so hard to open after you’ve shaken your drink?  As you shake your drink with ice, the liquid and air in the shaker cool and contract – causing a vacuum to form.  This is what holds the shaker together and makes it hard to open.

Thus, you can make your very own vacuum.  Now try out a daiquiri, margarita, sour or something new, and SHAKE IT UP, BABY!!!  Here are a few suggestions:

The Z

The Z

This is one of our favorite daiquiris.  Simple, fresh ingredients and you can feel the warmth of the sun and the sounds of the surf!  Hemingway, here we come.

Get the recipe here

Ten Four

Ten Four

Combine fresh cinlantro and jalapeno with the magic of Chartreuse and Cinco Vodka.  Need a little Grover Washington to go with that?

Get the recipe here

The Mayahuel

The Mayahuel

Mayahuel was the Aztec Goddess of the maguey of which the agave is a type.  She was the mother of the “400 rabbit” gods of drunkenness.  This margarita plays on the agave with tequila, agave orange liqueur, and agave nectar.

Get the recipe here

Whiskey Sour

Belle Meade Sour

Smooth, vanilla, caramel, smoke and all of the other wonders of bourbon combined with sweet/tart lemon.  Now we’re talking!

Get the recipe here

So, honor the day and create a few vacuums!

Cheers!

This features Cruzan Spiced Rum, which of course, comes from St Croix.  Sailor Jerry’s works too.

• 1 ½ oz. Spiced Cruzan Rum
• ½ oz. lime juice
• ½ oz. simple syrup
• 2 drops grapefruit bitters

1. Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

My riff on a classic island favorite: aged rum, Cointreau, lemon juice and lemon bitters shaken and served straight up!

• 2 oz. good aged rum such as Zaya
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• ½ oz. lemon juice
• ¼ tsp. lemon bitters

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water.
2. While the glass chills, combine all of the ingredients in a shaker.
3. Shake with ice until shaker is fully frosted: 10 – 15 seconds
4. Strain into the chilled glass.

For the original,  jettison the bitters.

This daiquiri was inspired by my friend Marcus Zuazua.  At his instigation, (I swear it was all his fault), I purchased a bottle of premium aged rum.  Then I went looking for a way to enjoy it.  My search brought me to Hemingway’s favorite daiquiri.  With some alterations and a nod to Hemingway, here is my concoction.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. good aged rum
• ¼ oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 2 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup

Directions

1. Chill a martini glass with ice and water.
2. While the glass chills, combine all of the ingredients in a shaker.
3. Shake with ice until shaker is fully frosted: 10 – 15 seconds
4. Strain into the chilled martini glass.
5. Enjoy (and toast my friend Dr. Z)