It finally got cold in Florida.  It probably won’t last long but while it does it would be nice to have a drink that warms you from the inside.  Kentucky Cider is one of those drinks and it is easy to make.  Here is what you need:

• Warm apple cider 
• 1 1/2 oz Makers Mark Bourbon
• Allspice

Pour the Makers Mark into a mug.  Fill the rest of the mug with warm apple cider.  Add a dash of allspice.  Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick.  It doesn’t get any easier than that. 

Shopping for the person who has everything is hard.  If you search long enough you usually stumble across something they don’t have.  This year I did all the work for you.  I am pretty sure that person doesn’t have a leather beer holster.  The people at Brew Holster Cult have three styles to choose from.  The holster will fit both cans and bottles.  I suggest you buy two.  One for each leg.  You can have your own beer duels with this.  Meet your buddies at high noon and see who can draw and drink their beer the fastet. 

Anheuser-Busch has a new premium vodka on the market.  It is going by the name Purus.  Kind of sounds like a car to me.  I am sure they chose Purus because they are marketing this as a 100% organic vodka.  It is made from Alpine water and they use 100% organic Italian wheat.  There are no pesticides or fertilizers used in the growing of the wheat.  If you go to their website you can even have them plant a tree for you.  Mr. Mai Tai did his part and had a tree planted in the Purus Forrest.  I am not sure where this forrest is but if you happen to find it look for my tree.  I don’t know if Al Gore drinks vodka but if he did he would probably drink Purus. 

There are plenty of holiday drinks. Here is one I threw together a few years ago. As I am not aware of anyone else making one I am claiming it as a Mr. Mai Tai original.

6 oz. Yoo-Hoo
1 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Creme de Menthe

Pour all of the ingredients over ice in a mixer. Give it a good shake. Strain and pour. It gives you a minty chocolaty good drink. A perfect after dinner drink perfect for the holiday season.  If you need to kick it up the alcohol you can add some vodka to the list of ingredients.  You can add between an half ounce to an ounce without changing the taste of the drink.

Thanksgiving is almost here.  I have given you recipes for the turkey but how about the drinks.  What goes well with turkey?  Well if you like beer you will want to check this out. The friendly folks at this site have paired the proper beer with the different foods you would expect to find on your table. I am pretty sure the Pilgrims drank beer so it is a Thanksgiving authentic drink.

Jones Soda just announced their holiday pack for 2007.  This years Christmas feast includes Sugar Plum, Egg Nog, Christmas Tree and Christmas Ham.  For the last three years we have sampled the Jones Soda holiday pack.  Some sodas weren’t bad like Cranberry Sauce.  Others made me gag.  The Brussel Sprout soda was vile.  The smell alone made your gag reflex go into overtime. I think it was the butter flavor they had in with the Brussel Sprouts.  Brussel Sprout soda on its own isn’t good.  Add butter flavor to it and it is almost undrinkable.  I like to mix all of the flavors together.  That way I can drink the feast all at once. 

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Beer is better than water.  That is the kind of news I like to hear and that is just what Spanish researchers are saying.  They tested college students that had to perform strenuous exercises in 104 degree temperatures.  After the exercising one group was given water and another was given beer.  Turns out the hydration effect was better in the beer drinking group.  This study has met with its share of skepticism but that happens in just about every study.  Tomorrow morning after my daily exercises I will enjoy a nice cold beer.  When Mrs. Mai Tai asks me why I am drinking at 7:00 am I will tell her that Spanish researchers said I should drink more beer to rehydrate.  You can’t argue with Spanish researchers. 

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The days are getting cooler so here is a great tasting drink that will warm you from the inside out.  It is also easy to make.

Tahitian Coffee

7 ounces of hot coffee

1/4 ounces of Cointreau

4 dashes of Cognac

It doesn’t get much easier than that.

This drink is great for those upcoming Halloween parties.  I also like the name.  Ecto Cooler.  That just sounds like a good Halloween drink.  If you aren’t having a Halloween party then mix a batch up and watch Ghostbusters.  I don’t think Ghostbusters has an official drink but if it did it would be the Ecto Cooler.  It is easy to make and is a lovely green color.  Here is the ingredient list:

1 package of Lemon Lime Kool-Aid.  You read it right Kool-Aid.

1 Lemon sliced

1 Lime sliced

1 cup of sugar

20 oz Vodka- I recommend the cheap stuff.  No sense mixing Gray Goose with Kool-Aid.  A bottle of Popov will do nicely.

Pour all ingredients into a half gallon container.  If you don’t have a half gallon container double the ingredients and use a gallon.  Fill the remainder of the container with water and ice.  Stir until the sugar and Kool-Aid dissolve.  Serve over ice.  This will stain clothes, carpeting and your tongue green so be careful not to spill it. 

Sam Adams makes some of my favorite beers. I am currently drinking my way through a case of Sam Adams Brewmasters Collection. That keeps me going until the Holiday packs come out which is an annual purchase for me. Last night Mrs. Mai Tai brought home a Sam Adams product I had never seen before. I had never even heard of it before. Waiting in my refrigerator was a four pack of Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. It doesn’t look like your usual Sam Adams beer. First the packaging. There are only four beers not six. Then the bottle itself. It is the standard brown color but the bottle does not have the usual Sam Adams label on it. I haven’t tried it yet but the box explains that it is full of hoppy goodness. So hoppy that I expect my head might leap off my neck in a big hop explosion.