The first Friday of every month, I blog INA FRIDAYS (all Ina Garten recipes) with a great group of cooks.  Scroll down nearly to the bottom to check out the list of blogs participating, then read up and cook some Ina this weekend!  ♥♥♥

To say that I’m not a cocktail drinker would be almost totally true.  Sweet drinks and I are not fond nor permanent partners.  That said, I’m sitting here drinking the above cocktail while I type.  (Was I supposed to throw it away?)

It wouldn’t be exactly a lie.  I’m not a big drinker of spirits, though I lived through enough Minnesota summers to fall in love with very icy vodka tonics with extra lime, please.  If there’s a twofer on a cruise, Dave and I will each have a vodka tonic and since we’re on the subject, we once watched an old geezer down four in a row right in front of us as we sailed away from Quebec City.  (Walked into the dining room for dinner straight up sober an hour later, too, though he got sent home for no tie.  Returned in five with a bolo.)  Then there’s the once-a-summer margarita when someone fixes them before a Mexican feast. You can’t say no, right?  Face it, if you read this blog, you’ll know I’m a wino born and bred to the 750 ml bottle.  I’m a progressive Christian who believes that if it was good enough for Jesus — and it was — it’s good enough for me.   I’ll have a beer if the bar has wine I wouldn’t serve my dog or if my son’s been brewing.  Now that you know my drinking habits, I’ll look forward to an invitation.

Anyway– when the recipe indicates Jack Daniels, I know this is some sort of brown stuff in a bottle, but I’m not exactly sure what it’s supposed to taste like.  Scotch I know from.  It turns out that this is something we keep in the spirits cabinet on a regular basis as a few family members drink “Jack” and coke. In fact, we were clean out of it and I had to go buy a pint.  The more I think about it, I remember my mother and father visiting the distillery–and adoring the trip.  I have a few squeeze one eye shut, tilt the head memories of female southern relatives mentioning “she looked like she had her a little ‘Jack’ in her coffee that morning.”  Now we know Ina is almost the furthest thing from a southern girl we can imagine, but Jack she called for and Jack I bought because Fresh Whiskey Sours are her favorite cocktail.

While many alcoholic beverages have no redeeming nutritional value, this little beauty is full of citrus.  I squeezed four limes and three lemons for a half-recipe.  And while they won’t give you energy either –the opposite, perhaps — maybe this one is different as it’s got a sweet dose of white sugar syrup. Ha. The alcohol itself seems to have nothing at all but calories, but we knew that, right? Ahhhh….  Get the recipe right here:

Ina Garten’s Favorite Cocktail– post from The Kitchn

I’m guessing you’d like to know how I liked this cocktail?  I liked it fine.  Did I like it better than a margarita?  Maybe. Maybeeee.  Did I like it better than a very icy vodka tonic with extra lime, please?  Definitely not.  Or at least not for warm weather.  Today, friends and readers, it is not warm.

Today, Colorado Springs is cold with uncharacteristically gray skies, snow, sleet, and very unhappy robins.

 Did I like it better than wine?  Come on.  But I did like it.

What would I change?  Since this is the first Fresh Whiskey Sour in my memory, I’d say that I’d like them a tad more sour (so add more juice or use less simple syrup) and might like mine over ice.  While it was really cold at first, it soon was not and cold it definitely should be.  I’ll note that a friend and long-time restaurant-bar owner told me real whiskey sours call for a beaten/shaken egg white to make them foamy and creamy.  While I wouldn’t put raw egg whites on my blog, you might consider it if you make a batch any time soon and aren’t serving to anyone with a compromised immune system.

♥♥♥ ALL ABOUT INA FRIDAYS:

•   Alyce @ More Time at the Table
•   Anna @ Cheese with Noodles
•   Ansh @  Spice Roots 
•   Barbara @ Moveable Feasts  
•   Bhavna @ Just a Girl From AAmchi Mumbai..
•   Linda,  @ Tumbleweed Contessa
•   Mary @ The Egg Farm
•   Minnie @ The Lady 8 Home
•   Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
•   Patti @ Comfy Cuisine
•   Peggy@ Pantry Revisited
•   Rocky Mountain Woman @ Rocky Mountain Woman
•   Veronica@ My Catholic Kitchen

THE YEAR’S MONTHLY FOCUSES by type of dish:

APPETIZERS (includes drinks):  April, August, December
SALADS/SOUPS/SIDES:  May, September, January
MAIN COURSES:  June, October, February
DESSERTS/OTHER:  July, November, March

BY THE MONTH:

April:  Appetizer    May:  SSS  June:  Main Course  July:  Dessert/Other
August: Appetizer  Sept: SSS  Oct:    Main Course  Nov: Dessert/Other
Dec:    Appetizer    Jan:    SSS  Feb:  Main Course  March:  Dessert/Other

Sing a new song,

Alyce