I gave the original Bacardi cocktail a belt on the weekend - I don't know how Louise Brooks managed to down them in the 20s! Ugh - grenadine. No wonder she turned to straight gin.
I like any combination of gin and lemon (or with lime), Monica - White Ladies are great, but the Tom Collins variations are refreshing as well! I'm not a great fan of vermouth (unless it's one of the very rare days when a Martini or Vodkatini is the only drink that will do), but mango is always a great combination with white spirits.
I found out the hard way recently that bartenders no longer know how to make a straight daiquiri. I was lulled into a false sense of security by his knowledge of vodka, so when I instructed him to make it with rum, lime juice and Cointreau, I thought I'd be safe. I should have twigged when he asked me if I wanted anything other than lime as a mixer. Nope, I said, and happily toddled off while the drink was being fixed.
Arriving at the table after it, the next warning sign was that it was served in a hurricane glass, like a frozen daiquiri. I took a tentative sip. Can you imagine what two shots rum, one shot Cointreau, and the remainder filled to the brim with lime juice tastes like? It was a unique experience. I couldn't look limes in the face for at least a week.
