Sips and Guzzles

We've all been there- Tough day. Brain cells fried. Interested in soothing the remaining ones... And yet every cocktail recipe in your head seems like a complicated chemistry experiment. Merely take a trip to your refrigerator, stopping by the liquor cabinet on the way, of course, and muddle up one of these simple cocktails with ingredients you have on hand.

1. Blueberry jam, or blackberry jam, or peach jam or any other jam you have in your refrigerator.

Make what we call a BGB- (Blueberry, Gin and Basil)-
   Single Serving:
   2 T Blueberry jam (or any other jam or jelly you have on hand)
2 oz Gin (base your alcohol of choice on the jam you have- peach and bourbon is delicious)
   Juice of 1/2 a lemon (sometimes we substitute lime if the jam and alcohol agree)
Healthy sprig of basil (we've been known to make this rosemary or pineapple sage, too)
Muddle the basil and jam for a bit in a shaker. Add some ice. Shake the hell out of it. Strain
   into a glass. Garnish with fruit or more basil. (Often we double this and pour it over ice in a
   mason jar, because the path from the patio to the kitchen seems endless some days.)

2. Maple Syrup

Shake up our CANADIAN MATEY!
   Single Serving:
   2 oz spiced rum (we enjoy both the pirate and the sailor)
   1/2 oz good maple syrup
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
   Combine everything in a shaker with ice. Shake it up! And pour into a simple glass with a bit
   of ice. A strip of lemon rind on the side, or floated on top adds to the relaxation this sweet and
   sour sip offers.

3. Orange juice

A FUZZY NAVEL is a classic. I think this was my very first cocktail ever....-
   Single serving:
   2 oz peach schnapps
   4 oz orange juice
   Pour the schnapps into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Add the orange juice. Stir it
     nicely.
TWO VARIATIONS:
   HAIRY NAVEL- Add a shot of vodka to the above, cause schnapps isn't packing....
   FROZEN NAVEL-Add 2 cups of very frozen peaches to a blender. Pulse until well macerated.
     Add 4 oz of peach schnapps and 1 cup of orange juice and blend until smooth.
     Pour it into a fancy glass with one single frozen peach slice you've hidden away.

Enjoy, and let the stress of your busy day melt away!