cooking Lesson #451: Lizzy’s Lounge Lizard Cocktail

…from the California Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? You’ve worked hard all day and it's time to unwind and leave the job behind. That's right, it’s happy hour… that hour or two you allow yourself time to relax, decompress, sit down and indulge with great drink.
 
Happy hour doesn’t have to be reserved for drink specials at your local saloon. Though that is where those few hours in the afternoon and late evening get their name, there is no reason you can't enjoy a happy hour cocktail at home with a few friends.
 
While the saloon specials are designed to lure (and hopefully stay after they end) you in with cheap prices, you'll often find that you can save more money by making drinks at home. Beyond the cash you'll save, many drinkers prefer to keep the drinks simple during happy hour at home. For many, this isn't the time for fancy cocktails with hard-to-find ingredients who are often too tired and worn out from the day to put any effort into much of anything.
 
Most of our favorite happy hour drinks are the simplest, easily to mix drinks that come together in seconds, not minutes—just a simple pour of liquor, a mixer and maybe a garnish.
 
The Lounge Lizard is nothing more than a full shot of dark rum (or two), a short pour of amaretto and cola. It's the rum and amaretto addition that makes it even more compelling. It goes down easily and is very refreshing.
 
Prep time:  3 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1-1/2 ounces dark rum
1/2 ounce amaretto liqueur
4 to 6 ounces chilled cola, to taste
Maraschino cherry, or lime wedge for garnish

Directions

1. In a Collins glass filled with ice, pour the dark rum and amaretto.
2. Top the drink off with chilled cola.
3. Stir well.
4. Garnish the drink with a cherry or lime wedge.
5. Serve and enjoy.

ChefSecret: The amount of cola you pour will depend on how tall your glass is, how much ice you use and if you want a stronger or lighter drink. Most people use Coke or Pepsi for convenience, but some of the lesser-known colas work just as well. RC Cola is my favorite, though a wonderful brand is Q Kola (the bartender’s cola), which is unlike any "cola" most of us have seen. Some recipes suggest just 1 ounce of rum if you want a lighter drink. 

Quip of the Day: “There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirits calm as rum and true religion.” ~ Lord Byron
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#Cocktail #HappyHour #LoungeLizardCocktail #Rum&Cola #Rum #Amaretto #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

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