Needing some alcoholic alchemy advice

[SteeleDragon78]

A friend of mine is having her 26th birthday in august, and she has asked me to make her a special birthday cocktail. now i was a bartender for about 4 years, but all the libations i made were run of the mill drinks, eg. gin and tonics, standard ritas, the occasional martini. i did make one that was a frozen version of a white russian made with vanilla icecream instead of half and half. so my personal skills arent really refined.

i feel fairly confident that i can bring a drink together if i have a good recipe. my imagination is a bit on the limited side when it comes to new cocktails due to not having slung drinks in 9 years.

so my plea dear friends is this. i need help comming up with a righteous cocktail that will wow her and make her birthday. i know that not knowing the person will make this more difficult so i will answer any questions you have regarding her tastes and personality. i do know she is fond of lighter drinks, she doesnt like jager, ouzo, and not a fan of energy drinks. i know its not much to go on, but i will fill in any blanks you have either via pm or in this thread.

thanks in advance.

[TheSHAD0W]

Not a bartender, but I'd recommend going with something sugary if she prefers lighter drinks. Take a soda or fruit juice she likes, add a liquor that doesn't conflict with its taste, and perhaps one more ingredient to make it more unique.

[AccountingDrone]

Try basing something on St-Germain. A very Edwardian light floral cordial - the signature swill is that mixed with champagne, but they are getting all sorts of interesting drinks now. It mixes well with strawberries, so I bet it would be great with raspberries also, perhaps watermelon but not cantelope or honeydew. You wouldn't want to overwhelm it with sour mix, but a light hint of something sweet and sour could work - like asti spumanti, raspberries and a slight dash of ginger cordial might work.

[jennie]

I'd suggest something chocolate-based (for sweetness) or maybe coffee-based: that might look sophisticated, while not actually *being* coffee- you won't have your whole audience jumping...

[Kittish]

I think well of Chambord and champagne, it's a light tasting drink. Might be a good starting point?

[Jester]

Great go to in situations like this, and easy to make for someone with little experience, is a nice rum punch. I recommend using 2-5 fruit-flavored rums (both Bacardi and Cruzan makes several varieties; I prefer Cruzan. But go with what you can find) and fruit juices, such as orange juice, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. Grenadine can add some color and sweetness. Feel free to experiment with different flavored, whatever works for you.

[KhirasHY]

I make one that we call Candy Corn a lot of the time. Here's the mix:

1. Fill glass with ice.
2. Add vodka to preference (no more than about 1/3 full if you don't want to taste it)
3. Add orange juice, sweet & sour mix, and Sierra Mist/7-up/Sprite in equal ratios
4. Add a bit of grenadine
5. (Optional) Cocktail Cherry

When it settles, it tends to have a similar color to a candy corn, hence the name. Tasty drink, but if you mix in too little alcohol or too much grenadine, it can be VERY sweet. Yummy though.

[Jester]

If you don't want it to sweet, go with 7-Up or Sprite. Sierra Mist is horribly sweet, not to mention just unappealing in general. At least to me, and as someone who lived on decaffeinated sodas for years, I'm a bit of an expert. Just a thought.

[Greenday]

Bay Breeze - Everyone likes it that likes to drink. Just vodka, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice.

Could also do a Malibu Bay Breeze, which is just Malibu Coconut Rum, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice.

Both are tasty.