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As some of you know, we have rather nice bar in the basement and I try to keep it stocked with the essentials. Now that the basement is getting cleaned up and I can get to the bar, I’ve been trying a couple of new drinks. Three, actually.

These three drinks hit the big three alcohols: gin, whiskey and vodka.

Bombay Sapphire Sun Kissed

• 1 orange wedge
• 1 1/2 oz. Bombay sapphire gin
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth

Squeeze orange wedge into shaker and drop in. Fill shaker with ice and add wet ingredients. Shake like mad. Strain into tumbler (rocks glass) half filled with ice. (I believe this came from Cargo magazine.)

I was skeptical at first, but the drink turns out fabulously — and that was without the orange wedge. Sapphire gin is pretty smooth to begin with and the Cointreau really dampens the remaining juniper flavor. The drink was much sweeter than I anticipated. Even if you aren’t a gin drinker I suggest you give this one a try.

Poor Tim

• 1 1/2 oz. whiskey
• 1/2 dry vermouth
• 2 teaspoons Chambord

Combine all ingredients to mixing glass half filled with ice. Stir well. Strain into cocktail (martini) glass. (From The Bartender’s Bible.)

Another winner. Like the Sun Kissed, the Chambord sweetens and tempers the alcohol of the whiskey (I use Jack Daniels) and vermouth.

Blue Shark /HypnoShark

The original recipe calls for 1/2 measure of blue curaçao. In the HypnoShark version, I’ve substituted Hpnotiq. (Warning: flash site with swirly hypnotic intro page and music.)

• 1 measure vodka
• 1 measure tequila
• 1/2 measure Hpnotiq

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into rocks glass. (From The Ultimate Book of Cocktails by Stuart Walton.)

This was my least favorite drink. I used Absolut vodka and Jose Cuervo. While it tasted OK, I think the tequila was too overpowering. I would try it again with perhaps slightly less tequila. The other option would be to use a different, less intrusive tequila, such as Agavero. I’m leery about trying a flavored vodka — even though Hpnotiq and flavored vodkas (such as Stoli Raspberry) work well together — simply because that may be too much sweet berry flavor to the tequila. Although, there are a couple of recipes that use Hpnotiq and tequila. Some experimentation is probably in order.

Have a favorite drink or recommendation? Please let us know.