This one's another of my very own inventions. I make no claims as to its originality. The odds are that there's a drink out there exactly like it, which someone else invented, and called by a different name. Who cares? This is my version. And it was a hit, let me tell you. There was this cute little blond at my cocktail party the other Friday who absolutely loved it...
1 ounce cherry brandy
1 ounce Bailey's
½ ounce crème de cacao
In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the cherry brandy and Bailey's. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Pour the crème de cacao into the center of the drink and swirl the glass around a little before serving.
I didn't get a chance to taste it myself. (I couldn't drink that night, not even a drop; I had work in the morning. That's also the reason I haven't yet had a nip of the fancy absinthe John and I bought. I might cry.) However, the drink received rave reviews—particularly from that blond.
What's not to like? It's cherry brandy, Irish cream and chocolate liqueur, the best combination of cherry, chocolate and coffee-cream overtones. It'd be like a cherry Fudgsicle, only in liquid form. And with booze. Give it a shot, ladies. It's worth your while.
Yeah, okay, I know. This is a cold drink. You're not supposed to be having cold drinks in wintertime, right?
Ah, phooey. Have what you want. My folks are still having martinis every night, and it's tough to get much more summery than that (unless we're talking mojitos or zombies or scorpions).
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce Bailey's Irish Cream
1 ounce Kahlúa
1 ounce half-and-half
In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine all the ingredients. Shake well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass almost filled with ice cubes.
As a matter of fact, ladies and gentlemen, the mudslide is the first alcoholic drink I ever tasted. I was over at the house of one of my grandparents' friends: a jolly, round fellow named Jim, who asked me if I liked to drink...and forthwith made me this cocktail. I was 19 years old. I whipped this drink up a few nights ago and man, it's even better than I remember. I'm not much on vodka, but this here libation is a four-way made in heaven. (And I'm always up for a four-way.) The vodka, after its wont, takes on the flavor of the Bailey's and Kahlúa. The Kahlúa lends a chocolate-coffee sting, while the Bailey's backs it up with whiskey and more cream. (It's a crime that I've gone 23 years of my life without tasting Bailey's...that stuff is incredible.) The half-and-half creates the perfect binding agent, easy on the draw.
There's nothing better than a mudslide if you're in the mood for something decadently sweet and smooth. (Just make sure you've got a warm fire going, or are cuddling with somebody special...or both.)
