If you like egg nog and want to try something kind of similar, try Coquito. It's spiced coconut cream and rum. It's got a similar texture without any eggs and a lot of those holiday spices. Here's a recipe. It can be batched up and stored for a week or two in the fridge.

The other one I like is Amaro Caldo. It's just hot water and your favorite amaro. I prefer to use tea instead of plain water. A black tea plus an ounce or two of Montenegro is really tasty.

Do you want to taste it or just use it up?

If you just want to use it, I'd turn it into modified Paloma's. Mix up grapefruit juice, grapefruit vodka, rosemary infused vodka, and some Angostura bitters in a pitcher and refrigerate. Then to serve, pour the mix into a highball with ice and top with a little grapefruit soda (I strongly prefer San Pellegrino), garnish with a small sprig of rosemary. You might add some sweetener or something to tone it down. You can also make it a little showy by smashing the rosemary sprig with a big flourish and handclap.

I left off portions since I really don't know what the vodka tastes like. I'd sample it first with mostly vodka and then up the other measures as needed to get something palatable.

At a bar I don't know, I'll usually order off their menu or go for beer. I'll try whatever they are saying is their specialty, or I'll just pass on the whole mixed drinks affair. If I'm at some new bar I'm probably not trying it out as my new favorite spot, I'm probably visiting someplace and will never be back. I just want something tasty and easy.

Over the course of this summer I went against my better judgement and I tried to order boulvardiers at two different bars. Both times it was at a nice bar that appeared to have a modern cocktail program and both times led to lengthy discussions about what I was asking for.

That looks pretty good. I've always seen it made with some variety or combination of aged rum, usually demerara. My personal favorite for this (and most tiki drinks) is Hamilton Jamaican Black Rum. Using white rum might be the right call for serving it with dinner.

I think you could turn just about any Jungle Bird recipe into a decent batch cocktail. Most of the ingredients are pretty stable. The juices would go off first, but not likely over the course of a few days. If you need them to sit for more than a week, then you probably want to look at something with spirits only.

The Jungle Bird could fit that bill pretty well. It's one of my absolute favorite drinks, and the only tiki drink my wife likes. It's fruity, sweet, and sour and most of all it's a lot. My fear would be that it might be too much to pair with dinner.

I had a clarified jungle bird once, and that was a kind of muted version. That may have been a function of their recipe or the process. It wasn't a bar I go to regularly, so I can't really say why it was mellowed out.

Dead Man' Handle

1.5 oz White Tequila

.5 oz Aperol

.5 oz Lime Juice

.5 oz Orgeat

Shake vigoursly over ice and serve in a tall glass over crushed ice. Sprinkle some Tajin on top.

I tried coming up with my own take on this and none of the changes I tried made it better. There's a bar near me that makes their own sesame orgeat and I bet that would be good.

My first thought is to look for something kind of mild to not overpower the food, but still has some earthy/roasted flavors. Maybe a Montenegro spritz?

What time of year will the event be? If it's fall/winter I'd not do a spritz and maybe try something coffee flavored.

Do you also have a link to a good recipe for making syrups from peels? I've had mixed results and it's been awhile since I tried.

I made a couple Ford's for myself over the weekend.

1.5 Ounces Gin 1 Ounce Dry Vermouth 0.5 Ounce Benedictine Few dashes orange bitters Measurements are loose estimates. Garnish with a bit of lemon peel.

I really like these. They're a little more herbaceous and slightly sweeter compared to a classic martini.

I totally agree. This sounds really good, but it barely resembles a Paloma.

Too late to make the July cut off, but my favorite pineapple juice cocktail is the Jungle Bird.

Tropical and bitter. It's the only tiki drink my wife likes. The classic recipe wants a little bit of banana liquor, I never have that at home and it's just fine without it.

Nothing to submit this time. I tried a couple of things with Ancho Reyes, but nothing came together. I've had that bottle for almost two years and haven't ever found any recipe with it that really works.