Blended drinks: not just for lightweights

You don't have to be a girl to want to drink something that tastes good. Granted, it is cheaper and easier to stock your fridge with Beast or PBR, but sometimes it's just more enjoyable to have a margarita or a daiquiri. It can also be fun to challenge your local bartender to see how far their drink knowledge goes.

However, you don't have to be a bartender to know how to make good mixed drinks - the recipes are so simple that merely having the right ingredients and combining them proportionately is enough.

To tell the truth, I usually don't use a specific recipe. One or two shots of liquor in a glass and about eight ounces of mixer is a good estimate. There are home bartenders' guides that are relatively cheap and could fit in your pocket - just in case you want to ensure your drink gets made correctly.

The best drinks to make are those that use rum or vodka, because there are plenty of mixers you can choose. Something like tequila is more appropriate for shots or for frozen drinks. However, tequila can be added to some types of juices, such as O.J. or grapefruit to make what's called a Tequila Sunrise/Sunset. Drinks such as a Screwdriver or rum and Coke are probably the most basic. The components of a rum and Coke or gin and tonic are pretty obvious. A Screwdriver is about 1-1/2 shots of vodka and the rest orange juice. It's pretty hard to go wrong with that. A more interesting twist on this drink is called "a slow comfortable screw against a wall." I'm not kidding, that's what I read in my bartender's guide. The ingredients are 1-1/2 oz. of vodka, 1/2 oz. of Southern Comfort, 1/2 oz. of gin and the rest O.J. Peach Schnapps and Malibu coconut rum are both very popular liquors for two reasons: one, they taste really good and two, they are lower in alcohol content.

A Fuzzy Navel is a combination of Schnapps and orange juice. I've found that it's also rather tasty to add different juices to this combination, or to use Schnapps in a Screwdriver to take away some of the strong vodka flavor. Malibu coconut rum goes with Coke, O.J., or pretty much any other juice you can find. It can also be added to daiquiris for a little more tropical twist. If you want to go for the ultimate taste-bud thriller, pick up some Kahlua or Bailey's Irish cream liquor. These are also lower in alcohol content, higher in flavor, and can be mixed with coffee as well.

Frozen drinks are in a category all their own. Typically, there are more ingredients involved as well. A blender, some ice, fruit, juice, flavor syrup and liquor are all necessary. I've found that margaritas are probably the best way to use tequila, since otherwise it ranks with beer in terms of enjoyable consumption. A margarita calls for one ounce of tequila (Jose Cuervo works well), 1/2 oz. of triple sec, margarita mix (a lemon flavored juice) and ice. These can be heavenly if made correctly, and can be modified a little bit in terms of flavor.

Some find that adding fruit like strawberries or peaches makes margaritas even better. Daiquiris are usually simpler because pre-made mixes are available at most stores and all you have to do is add the rum and some ice. However, I've found that they can be really sweet, or if you buy a cheap brand, kind of disgusting. If you want to make a Pi--a Colada without using a mix, combine 1-1/2 oz. of rum, three ounces of pineapple juice and one ounce of Coco Lopez (coconut flavor syrup.)

Stronger, more "sophisticated" drinks like martinis and whiskey sours are just as easy to make, but a lot higher in alcohol content. A martini is basically vodka and vermouth, and a whiskey sour is any type of whiskey combined with sour mix. Personally, I find straight, unflavored martinis to be way too strong and not as much fun to drink.

There are some variations where you can add flavor syrup such as apple or chocolate to make it taste less like a straight shot of alcohol. Adding amaretto liquor to a whiskey sour also makes that particular drink taste better. There is not a whole lot of science involved; it is simply a matter of tastes and ingredients, and combining them in the right ways. So next time you plan a party, go to the Schnapps shop, walk past the forties and the Boones, and pick up the ingredients for some good mixed drinks.