Redface Classics - Slickheel Lemonade

"Slickheel Lemonade - The Bringer of Life"

Anyone who has hosted a number of parties will know that there is a familiar flow to an evening.  It is the host's job, among other things, to manage and at times direct that flow.  One of the most potent weapons in my arsenal, if not the most potent weapon besides music or a full fridge, is the Slickheel Lemonade.  Many stories are bandied about on the topic of the Slickheel, and they should be - it is a booze-packed beverage that tastes like a frothy fresh lemonade.

Few can withstand its pull, and even seasoned drinkers have been known to be felled by two or three of these.  As the man behind the bar, I have often had occasion to mix these up by the dozen at the beginning of the night, knowing full well that by midnight, time will start its familiar whirlwind, leaving behind a room that could easily have housed a herd of wild animals and not a party.

I must confess that I went nearly a year without a Slickheel Lemonade until last weekend.  Upon inhaling its familiar and unique scent, and then watching as my vision warped somewhere in the middle of my second drink, I remembered the Slickheel's power.


So wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I ask you to raise your glass or nod your head, in silent respect for the Slickheel Lemonade.

Bitter Beware

It is too often hard to find a good cocktail in the average bar.  I must instead settle for a whiskey on the rocks, or a beer from the tap.  While those who know me know quite well that I have no aversion to either, I certainly size up a place in those opening moments as I attempt to order a cocktail and get turned down on ingredient after ingredient.

Most common of late, has been my transition from ordering a drink by name to asking simply if there are any bitters behind the bar.  Bitters for me has become a simpler way of finding out what kind of bar I'm in. It seems to me, though I am new to the use of bitters, that they replace almost all of what I dislike about modern cocktails with something I always missed.  Gone are the days of sugary mixers, soda fillers, juices just for flavor - I can add a dash or two of bitters, and an ounce or less of the desirable liqueur, a few ounces of the good stuff, and poof bam bang, a complex, cold, small-but-powerful cocktail is born.

I think it will be quite some time before I reach the familiarity with bitters that I have long had with the mixers I am now replacing, as I could whip up a slew of unique (and mediocre) mixed drinks from cola, and lemon-lime sodas.  I guess it all started with that good old book Imbibe!.