As Familiar as a Tetnus Shot, or Cosmopolitan vs. Rusty Nail

Hello from Michigan!  Where roads are rough, winters are rougher, and where you need a GPS and a note from mommy to turn left on a main street.  What in the world is with the roads here?  Locals tell me that once you get used to the potholes, the road construction, the tailgating, the no-fault insurance, and the Michigan Lefts, you'll be fine.  Michigan Lefts?  What in the world are Michigan Lefts?  I had to look it up, so click on the link to find out Wikipedia's explanation: Michigan Lefts.

Basically, you have to drive past the road you want to left on, then do a U-turn and drive back to the road you wanted to turn left on and turn right on to it.  They're.all.over.the.state.  What genius thought of these?  Proponents say that the collisions aren't as bad as they would be if left turns were allowed.  What they fail to recognize is that people are spending longer times on the road, which makes them more susceptible to collisions.  Plus it takes you twice as long to get anywhere.  Who can I call to point this out to?  Anyone have the Governor's number?

Anyway - back to the cocktails!  This challenge has two fantastic drinks!  By the way - if you ever have any questions about the title, don't be afraid to ask - my wife did about this one, so I told her what it meant.  Speaking of my wife, Cosmopolitans are one of her favorite drinks (these segues are getting smoother, no?).  I've actually witnessed her send one back because it wasn't mixed right - they redid it, and everything was fine.  I've also seen her call a restaurant a couple of days after having a Cosmo and asking for the specific brands that restaurant used because she enjoyed their version so much - yup, my girl knows her some Cosmos!

Cosmo without the shake

I was actually nervous when she tried this - I wasn't sure why, but I was.  She really enjoyed this version - I've already contacted the IBA, so they can announce to the masses, her pleasure with their recipe through print in their next newsletter.  I'm waiting for a thank you letter from them - I can only assume that it has been lost in the mail.

The Two Condenders

Here `tis:

Cosmopolitan

1.4 oz. Citron Vodka

0.5 oz. Cointreau

0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

1 oz. Cranberry Juice

Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake.  Strain into a chilled glass garnish with a lime slice.

Now onto the Rusty Nail - a completely different drink from the Cosmo - but how good!

About to be one of my favorite cocktails

I remember thinking that it tasted like my childhood doctor's office smelled...perhaps my childhood doctor had a problem that my parents and I weren't aware of.  I have read that Scotch can sometimes be described as "mediciny", so I guess I know what is meant by that now.

The Rusty Nail is a fantastic drink that if you haven't tried yet, you should...here's the recipe:

Rusty Nail with a Spherical Ice Ball

Rusty Nail

1.5 oz. Scotch Whisky

0.8 oz. Drambuie

Pour liquors over ice.  Gently stir and enjoy.

So here I am again, as I was when I left California with two phenomenal drinks.  There was a tie when I left CA, and here I am with our first entry in MI - I'm thinking this should be a tie too.  So....the winners are....Cosmopolitan AND Rusty Nail!!!

The Winners!

The Ingredients
For the Cosmopolitan:
Citron Vodka - Svedka
Cointreau - Cointreau
Fresh Lime Juice
Cranberry Juice - Ocean Spray

For the Rusty Nail
Scotch Whisky - Buchanan's 12 Year
Drambuie - Drambuie

Up Next...Azov.  Or, Sea Breeze vs. Russian Spring Punch

Brazil for Spring Break, or Caipirinha vs. Sex on the Beach

Hello and welcome to this rendition!

 I'm reminded of waiting on a gift for a birthday for a long time, and then getting it, and wished I hadn't.  The Caipirinha is a unique tasting drink that I had looked forward to - it's the national cocktail of Brazil. No offense to my Brazilian friends, but...really?   I'd rather drink something non-alcoholic than the Caipirinha (did I really just type that?). To me, it's obviously the Leblon I dislike, so perhaps a different type of cachaça would change my mind on at the Caipirinha...a very acquired taste. Wow...any suspense on which drink won this round?

The two contenders

Caipirinha

1.7 oz. Cachaça

half fresh lime cut into 4 wedges 

2 teaspoon sugar

Place lime and sugar in old fashion glass and muddle.
Fill glass with ice and Cachaça

Ingredients for Sex on the Beach

And now onto Sex on the Beach.  <Insert your own joke here.>  One of my favorite drinks when I was younger was the Fuzzy Navel - this has some of the ingredients in it, and some people put vodka in their Fuzzy Navels (maybe to try and cure the fuzziness..haha...ha. Ha.  Sorry.)

Sex on the Beach

1.4 oz. Vodka

0.7 oz. Peach Schnapps

1.4 oz. Cranberry Juice

1.4 oz. Orange Juice

Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange slice.

Sex on the Beach <viewer discretion advised>

From its name, you'd think it was a shot, but it's not.  I enjoyed Sex on the Beach <Insert your own joke here.>, so the clear winner this round is Sex on the Beach!

The Ingredients
For the Caipirinha:
Cachaça - Leblon
Fresh Lime juice

For Sex on the Beach:
Vodka - Prairie Organic 
Peach Schnapps - DeKuyper Peachtree
Cranberry Juice - Store Brand
Fresh Orange Juice

Up Next -  Two Differently the Same, or Champagne Cocktail vs. Mimosa