Well, this is simultaneously depressing and awe-inspiring. Lester Hutt of BevShots had the brilliant idea of creating photographic prints of booze droplets as they appear when magnified 10,000x. The resulting abstract masterpieces are enough to make any creative type want to curl up in the fetal position, lick the booze right off the slides and cry, because honestly — how can we possibly compete with nature?

(Via Telegraph.co.uk)

We had friends over this past weekend and whipped up a brand new recipe. This creation comes via my wife who is terrible at taking notes on what she makes or measuring things. She’s like a mad scientist with a cocktail shaker. Any way, she made these perfectly refreshing martinis for a crowd of 6 and here’s approximately how.

15 basil leaves, muddled
1 cup strawberries, sliced and muddled
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 liter club soda
vodka

Combine first 5 ingredients in a pitcher and chill until you’re ready to serve. Before serving add 1 ounce vodka to each martini glass and then fill the rest of the glass with the strawberry basil mix. Garnish with a basil spring and/or a fresh strawberry.

I’m feeling a bit saucy today so I thought I’d tell you a little about some naughty cocktails. Here are 5 drinks that’ll make you do your best Michael Scott impression. “That’s what she said.”

Sex on the Beach
The ultimate chick drink with a naughty name, made with vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice. How it got it’s name is not entirely clear although it’s a relatively new drink. One story claims it was named after the William Kennedy Smith trial (ew).

Dirty Martini
An otherwise traditional, olive-garnished Martini that includes a certain amount of olive brine. I guess the brine is what makes it “dirty”. I was once at a bar with a guy who asked the bartender to make him something “dirty”. He got a dirty martini of course. This one had a cocktail onion in it. Mid-conversation the guy absent-mindedly plucked the onion from his glass and ate it. He thought it was a grape. If only I’d had a camera to capture the look on his face.

Redheaded Slut
Made of peach schnapps, Jagermeister and cranberry juice, this shooter is sweet.  The redheaded slut was purportedly invented by a bartender at Captain Tony’s Saloon (formerly Sloppy Joe’s) in Key West, Florida, which keeps a wall plaque to commemorate the event.

Orgasm
This naughty sounding drink has a few different variations. One of those forms is remembered by “being made on your B.A.C.K.”, or made with Bailey’s, Amaretto, cream, and Kahlúa, with each ingredient having a one part measure.

Skip and Go Naked
This is a party punch with a party of a name. To make it combine combine 6 12-oz. cans of cold beer, 1 pint Canadian whiskey and a 12-oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate in a punch bowl. Stir and serve.

What’s your favorite naughty cocktail? Can you order it with a straight face?

To many of you out their in adult-beverage-land a lemondrop is a shot. An ounce of icy vodka followed by a bite of sugar dipped lemon wedge. All fun and games until someone loses their lunch. For more refined sweet/tart goodness, consider a lemondrop martini.  The icy booze with the pucker of lemon and sugary sweet finish makes for a delightful little drink. You’ll find me throwing a few back on my patio as soon as the temperatures make their way past 75 F.

Make yourself a Lemondrop:
1. Cut a lemon into 4 equal wedges and moisten two martini glasses around the rim with juice from the wedges.

2. Rim the moistened martini glasses with superfine sugar and set aside

3. Combine the following in your cocktail shaker:

• 3 oz chilled vodka
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons superfine sugar (plus extra for rimming your glasses)
• ice

4. Shake to combine ingredients in shaker and then evenly divide the martini into two glasses.

5. Top off with a splash of seltzer for a little added sparkle and serve immediately.