cocktail review no. 65 - Bullfrog

I really need to do these more often. Apparently they're my most popular posts. I pulled off that nifty trick where you make your blog more vulnerable to search engines by labeling your posts with searchable keywords. Worked like a charm. I've had thousands (literally thousands) of hits on some of my travel posts, and hundreds more on the cocktails.

But I've been going out on a limb lately with the latter. I've reviewed lots of weird drinks that ordinary people at home would never be able to make, 'cause they don't have a fully-stocked liquor cabinet like mine. No Drambuie, no Blue Curaçao, no Lillet, no Rose's lime juice, no crème de cacao, nor any of that fancy stuff.

So tonight's recipe is nice and simple.

Behold the bullfrog:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 teaspoon Cointreau or triple sec
• 4 ounces lemonade
• 1 lemon wedge

In a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes, combine the vodka, Cointreau and lemonade. Stir well and garnish with the lemon wedge.

Easy, right? (You don't even need a shaker!) And it's not a hideous clash of sensations like so many other drinks I've reviewed. Vodka, the "necklace of negatives," soaks up flavors rather than challenging them, and the mixture of Cointreau (orange liqueur with a hint of pear) and lemonade makes for citrus-based synergy. Thereby the libation winds up flavorful, just a tiny bit sweet, not too sour, and delicious all around. An adult's glass of lemonade, that's what this drink is. It's seen me through many a summer evening, and satisfied many a skeptical girl who thought strawberry daiquiris were the bee's knees.

Try it yourself. If you liked the Moscow Mule, you'll like this.