rum

If you saw the word daiquiri and pictured a florescent blended drink, you better think again. A traditional daiquiri consists of nothing more than simple syrup, lime juice, and rum, and it's served straight up. This delightful recipe expands on the idea by adding fresh raspberries to the mix. The resulting cocktail has a pretty color and refreshing taste. It's neither overly sweet nor too strong; it's perfectly balanced. The thing I love the most about this libation, though, is its name. Isn't it fun to say, la bomba daiquiri?! Just writing the words puts a smile on my face. To shake this up for your friends, get the recipe after the jump.

After an invigorating bike ride, everyone will be craving a refreshing and cool drink. Instead of just serving white wine, I'll have a pitcher of mojitos ready and waiting. Normally mojitos have to be made individually and there's lots of muddling involved, but this recipe serves a crowd and can be made ahead. Perfect! Fresh-squeezed lime juice is a must for mojitos, so be sure to purchase plenty of limes. I'll also have lots of cold beer on ice. For the mojito recipe, keep reading.

A preserving party is an event where you and your guests will acquire new skills. You'll learn how to make pickles and jam, and the proper technique for sealing the jars, so why not take it one step further and have everyone make their own cocktail? Designate a special space to be the bar and set out all of the ingredients for this beautifully hued drink, a hibiscus punch. Write out the recipe on cardstock, place the necessary measuring tools and mixers on the table, and stack glasses nearby. Fill buckets with other drinks — water, soda, wine, beer — and ice, and slide under the drink table. Then, invite everyone to make their own concoction. To get the recipe I recommend, keep reading.

When planning an outdoor party, like a picnic at the park, a barbecue at the lake, or a bonfire at the beach, it's important to get as much prep work done in advance as possible. For the drinks, start by filling several coolers with ice, beer, sodas, water, and white wine. Pack a basket with a versatile plastic glass, a bag for recyclables, and a couple of bottle openers. Then, take the time to make one special drink, preferably a punch or cocktail recipe that serves a crowd.

One I highly recommend is this peach rum punch. It's a potent but delicious mixture of simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, amber rum, cognac, and peach brandy. Since it's Summer and peaches are in season, I would slice a bunch of fresh peaches and float them in the punch. Place the liquid and fruit mixture in a sealable container and pack, standing upright, in one of the coolers. Learn how the party-ready punch is made now.

Get excited: tomorrow is National Piña Colada day! Since the piña colada is the only blended drink I enjoy, I wanted to share my favorite recipe. I first made these coladas back in 2005 when I lived in Spain. After a long day at the pool, I craved the tropical combination of pineapple, coconut, and rum. Since I couldn't order it in a bar, I found a recipe that calls for fresh pineapple. It's a simple concoction that results in a sublime cocktail. It's thick, frothy, fruity, and potent. Leave out the rum and you've got a special treat for the kiddies. While you make the drink, I highly recommend listening to "Escape/The Piña Colada Song" — it will get you in the mood! (I may have listened to it while writing this story . . .)

This way for the recipe! Happy weekend.

When the weather is warm and the days are long, there is no drink I crave more than sangria. The combination of wine, booze, and fruit is refreshing, comforting, and delicious. While I enjoy making pitchers of new and different sangria variations, sometimes it's nice to go back to basics. After all, there is a reason the classic red wine sangria is so popular: it really is wonderful! My recipe is from a small tapas bar in Cordoba of which I no longer remember the name. I've been enjoying this sangria for eight years and simply think there is no better traditional sangria recipe. A combination of red wine, Pellegrino Limonata, rum, Cointreau, and apple schnapps, to me, it's the ultimate Spanish sangria. Here's how I make it.

When the mercury rises, one of the drinks I crave is an Orange Julius; the nostalgic concoction reminds me of Summers past as a mallrat, wandering the food court of the King of Prussia Mall with my schoolmates.

So I couldn't resist trying a dessert drink described as a "grown-up Orange Julius." This version, named after Latin band leader Tito Puente, is spiked with amber rum and made sweeter with condensed milk. Flecked with bits of ice, it's rich yet refreshing — and almost makes me wish I were back in school again. To make the cocktail, read on.

Although I love to sip more than one beverage at a time, I didn't want too many drinks crowding the table at Easter brunch, so I settled on a holiday tipple that did double duty as part morning joe, part festive cocktail. This quick and simple libation makes use of cachaça, a sugarcane liquor that's similar to rum and wildly popular in Brazil. When combined with chilled espresso and sweetened, condensed milk, it tastes like an espresso martini, only less lethal. A sprinkle of cinnamon adds layer of nutty flavor. Jive with a twist on java when you read more.

• An inside look at how rum is made in Guatemala. — Alcademics
• Ten cocktails inspired by this year's best picture nominees. — Chow
• Have you sipped the flavored fermented tea known as Kombucha? — Serious Eats
• Gross! A woman has found a finger in her food at IHOP. — Eater
• Would you carry your produce in reusable cotton totes? — The Epi-Log
• Q&A with Spanish chef José Andrés. — Feast
• While much of the bottled wine was damaged by the earthquake, Chile's 2010 crop of grapes remains intact. — Grub Street SF

Ever since two Fridays ago, I've been chained to my television watching the Vancouver Olympics. I'm not much of a sports spectator, but I have a soft spot for stories of sacrifice and redemption, and the Winter games have plenty of those.

Last night, I watched the USA face off against Canada in the hockey rink. The match had plenty of excitement and energy — plus those Canadian hotties in their maple leaf uniforms weren't too hard on the eyes, either.

I took it all in with a tipple that couldn't have been more fitting: a play on the hot toddy that's laced with cinnamon, pineapple, and the country's oh-so-emblematic maple syrup. To be the best Olympics couch cheerleader you can be, get the recipe.