Strong Enough for a Man

Story time - right after finishing the original Foggy’s Pub, my roommates and I threw a party which was attended by a certain friend of mine I’ll refer to as “Joe.” While hanging out upstairs before said party, someone delivered a nice box of various beverages for the house-mates to enjoy before our guests started to arrive. One of the bottles in this box was none other than a sampling of the often controversial drink Mike’s Hard Lemonade. I don’t know when it happens exactly, but at some point in a young man’s life it typically becomes unmanly to enjoy a bottle of this very sugary, but also tasty beverage. However, as I suspect is the case for a heck of a lot more guys than would ever admit it, Mike’s was the first bit of alcohol I had ever tasted, and as such it will always hold a never-mentioned-in-public special place in my heart. So needless to say I grabbed the bottle and agreed to be the one to drink it BEFORE the party started so that it wouldn’t go to waste.

I’m not ashamed of this. It was delicious.

Unfortunately, Joe thought otherwise. My friend ridiculed me to no end, questioning my manhood (even though I’m pretty sure it was him who brought the stuff in the first place). Needless to say I had to defend myself. I swore to Joe and all present that I would create a Foggy’s version of a hard lemonade that was strong enough for a man to drink while still being delicious. I promised to name this drink after Joe, not in tribute, but in mockery of his cruel chastising. The drink has remained a favorite of Joe and many others since its creation, as it is indeed a tasty concoction and a “one is all you need” sort of libation. This past weekend, my hard lemonade claimed another hapless victim, and so I think it time to share the recipe.

Joe’s Hard Lemonade




Ingredients:

1.5 oz Grain Alcohol (Everclear is the classic where I come from)

1.5 oz Citrus/Lemon Vodka

.5 oz Triple Sec

1 oz Sour Mix

Lemonade/Club Soda (best if you make your own)

Instructions:

Fill a highball or collins glass half-way to the top with cubed ice. Pour in liquors starting with the grain alcohol, then add the sour mix. Fill the remaining half of the glass with ice cold lemonade. Add a shot of club soda if you prefer a few bubbles in your drink. This simple recipe never fails to produce a strong smelling, but good tasting lemonade that will bring down just about any doubters as the extra sugar will cause the alcohol to react in the system very quickly.

- Foggy