Cocktail Shakers!

Have you tried Sex on the Beach lately? Maybe you've felt like an Absolut Wreck or examined a Fuzzy Navel. No? Well, then, fasten your seat belt and get set for an adventure in tastemanship, because all the foregoing are mixed drinks, and there's a lot more where they come from--new-era clubs, cafés, pubs, discos, sports bars and similar temples of gusto. Many are the handiwork of talented young bartenders, counterparts of the innovative chefs who are revolutionizing our restaurants from Manhattan to Venice, California.

Clubhoppers in Manhattan, of course, are always "playing" the what's-hot-and-what's-not game. Recently, the Palladium (continued on page 148) Cocktail Shakers (continued from page 82) and Limelight clubs were reported to be slipping, while Live Bait, World, Cadillac Bar, Mars and MK were sizzling. Smart operators keep up by concocting a distinctive style to separate themselves from the field. Live Bait, for instance, projects a Fifties feel with tacky vinyl booths, Formica tables, plastic glassware and blues. Tacky is manager Charles Milite's word, and he glories in it. His showbiz connections lure such personalities as Charlie Sheen, Tom Cruise and Angie Dickinson into Live Bait. The U.S. volleyball team partied there after copping the Olympic gold.

The latest phenomenon in Manhattan clubdom is Mars, a futuristic multitiered former meat warehouse. The concept was developed by club impresario Rudolf (one name only, please). Each level (there are six, including the basement) offers its own music, dance floor and theme. The basement, for example, is "Afrotech," decorated with primitive war masks and leopardskins. Each tier has its own full bar. According to manager Peter Toale, vodka-and liqueur-based drinks are the most popular. His personal favorite is the B-52 (Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlúa and Grand Marnier).

What about sours, manhattans or old fashioneds? On Mars? Hey, man, you kidding?

[recipe_title]Absolut Wreck[/recipe_title]

From the West Beach Café in Venice, California--a meeting place for the sleek young art crowd.

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. Absolut Citron[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Grapefruit juice, chilled, preferably fresh[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Grand Marnier[/drinkRecipe]

Over ice in highball glass, pour Absolut Citron, then add grapefruit juice to within 3/4 in. of rim. Stir. Float a little Grand Marnier on top.

[recipe_title]Bermuda Triangle[/recipe_title]

From Houlihan's in Weehawken, New Jersey, a bright new bar/restaurant in a gentrified neighborhood.

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Bacardi gold rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Bacardi white rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. sour mix[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. grenadine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]151-proof rum[/drinkRecipe]

Shake all ingredients but 151-proof rum with cracked ice. Strain over fresh ice in highball glass. Float a little 151-proof rum on top.

[recipe_title]Rosa's Pomegranate Margarita[/recipe_title]

From Rosa Mexicano in New York, the connoisseur's margarita. It combines the piquancy of pomegranate and the snap of Herradura tequila. The distiller of Herradura attributes its distinctive taste to the fact that it's made 100 percent from the blue-agave plant.

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. Herradura tequila[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. pomegranate juice, fresh or bottled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. fresh lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

Combine all ingredients with ice in blender and blend just until slushy. Don't overblend. Serve in salt-rimmed wineglass or margarita glass.

[recipe_title]Sex on the Beach[/recipe_title]

From Slim's in San Francisco, an R&B club that offers live music seven days a week.

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. Stolichnaya vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash Chambord liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash peach schnapps[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash cranberry-juice cocktail[/drinkRecipe]

Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into chilled stemmed glass.

[recipe_title]Snowshoe[/recipe_title]

From Chicago's Thunderbird Bar & Grill (better known as T-bird's), where there's classic rock and roll played during the week and dancing on weekends.

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. Jim Beam bourbon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. DeKuyper peppermint schnapps[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon twist or orange twist, for garnish[/drinkRecipe]

Pour ingredients except garnish over ice cubes in rocks glass. Stir to chill. Garnish with lemon twist or orange twist, if desired.

[recipe_title]Blue Mart[/recipe_title]

From the Washington Square Bar and Grill in San Francisco, a martini with a lift.

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 oz. dry vermouth[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 drops blue curaçao[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon peel[/drinkRecipe]

Place first three ingredients in pitcher filled with cracked ice. Stir well. Strain into stemmed martini glass or wineglass. Twist lemon peel over glass and discard.

[recipe_title]Crocodile Blendee[/recipe_title]

From Live Bait, a popular Manhattan boite with a busy bar.

[drinkRecipe]2-1/2 ozs. white rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. Coco López[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]5 ozs. pineapple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Ice, about a cup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. Kahlúa[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Fruit garnish[/drinkRecipe]

Blend first five ingredients. Pour into 16-oz. glass. Trickle Kahlúa over. Decorate with cherry and pineapple chunk.

[recipe_title]Cuervo Crandaddy[/recipe_title]

From Daisy Buchanan's on Newbury Street in Boston. Daisy's attracts collegians from nearby Boston University and other local colleges, as well as an occasional Celtic.

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. Cuervo tequila, white or gold[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. cranberry-juice cocktail, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 slice orange, for garnish[/drinkRecipe]

Pour first three ingredients over ice in highball glass. Stir to chill. Garnish with orange slice.

[recipe_title]Grand Slam[/recipe_title]

From Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and Sports Bar in New York, where the decor consists of Mantle memorabilia.

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. tequila[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. white rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. peach schnapps[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Cola, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

Pour all but cola over ice in tall glass. Stir to chill. Add cola to fill--2 to 3 ozs. Stir once.

[recipe_title]Hairy Navel[/recipe_title]

From Dick's Last Resort in Chicago, a popular variation on the Fuzzy Navel. Adding vodka makes it a Hairy Navel.

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. Peachtree Schnapps[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]5 ozs. orange juice, chilled[/drinkRecipe]

Pour all ingredients over cracked ice in tall glass. Stir to chill.

[recipe_title]Kamikaze Royale[/recipe_title]

From Mars, the hottest club in the Big Apple, an out-of-this-world drink, courtesy of the manager, Peter Toale.

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. Stolichnaya Cristall vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. Cointreau[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons Rose's lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Splash dry sparkling wine[/drinkRecipe]

Pour first three ingredients over ice in champagne flute. Stir to chill. Add splash sparkling wine. Stir once.

[recipe_title]Prickly-Pear-Cactus Margarita[/recipe_title]

From the Depot Cantina in Tempe, Arizona, a former 19th Century railroad station. The walls are hung with robotic portraits whose eyes follow you around the room.

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. Sauza Conmemorativo tequila[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 oz. triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. fresh lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3/4 oz. prickly-pear pulp (see below)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Prickly-pear slice, for garnish[/drinkRecipe]

Frost rim of large margarita glass with sugar and reserve. Place all ingredients except garnish in chilled blender container. Add scoop of crushed ice and blend 5 to 10 seconds. Pour contents into prepared glass. Garnish with slice of prickly pear. Serve with short straws.

Prickly-pear pulp: Peel ripe prickly pear, remove seeds and blend in blender until smooth.

Cocktails are coming back; no, they are back, and the nice thing about today's creations is that they taste good. Sample them at your local watering hole or at home, and taste what the excitement's all about.