New one at work:

Seaside Martini

Muddle two basil leaves and rind from one orange wedge in 3/4 oz of simple syrup. Add juice from half of a lemon, a pinch of allspice, and 1.5 ounces of decent vodka. Shake, serve up in in a martini shell and top with a bit of soda water.

Yum.

Chris

"Sunset Gun"

1.5 ounces "White" Tequila
.75 ounce Blood Orange Syrup
Juice of 1 key lime
1 ounce Orange Juice

Stir, serve "Up", the color of a dramatic sunset, the moment of the firing of the traditional "Sunset Gun".

Sounds great. I'll give it a whirl. Stay away from the rind though. It's bitter and nasty. Orange skin only.

A regular favorite, and a variant on a typical Rob Roy:


Johnny Black
Sweet and dry vermouth, mixed perfect
Dash of bitters
Splash of Cointreau

Garnished with a lemon peel, served on the rocks. I've also used Lillet in place or with the Cointreau and its consistently a tasty and versatile drink.

You actually want some of the bitter. Counteracts the sweet and sour. Feel free to just use zest if you like though.

Chris

I was at one of my favorite bars last night and noticed they had Bitter Lemon in the fridge. I asked what they could make with it and they made me a Negroni with Tanqueray, Vermouth, Campari and the Bitter Lemon on top. Absolutely excellent ^

Harvey Wallbanger
 

1&1/2 or 2 oz vodka, Orange juice, & 1/2 oz Galliano liqeur with 2 maraschino cherries. Very tasty before dinner drink!

No one has mentioned the Aviation and, considering this is Flyertalk, it should be added:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_(cocktail)

Hard to find a bar that can make one though because Creme de Violette is not commonly stocked. Delicious.

I love the Stinger - Christmas in a glass.

Manhattans are also a favorite.

Ohhh, I think I'd like to try an Aviation... it does sound delicious.

CMK10 - I see we are local to one another. Which bar are you talking about?

Hey Andy! That would be Whiskey in Downtown Durham...347 W. Main Street. http://whiskeydurham.com

What's your favorite around here?

Aviations are fantastic, but one of the easier drinks to get wrong in the hands of a novice bartender.

Too much lemon juice and it's terribly sharp. Too much creme de violette (or a substitute) and it tastes sickly.

For something in a vaguely similar vein, but which is a bit more idiot proof, check out the Corpse Reviver number 2:
3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce Cointreau (triple sec)
3/4 ounce Lillet
1 dash absinthe

Shake ingredients together in a mixer with ice. Strain into chilled glass.

Don't forget the cherry at the bottom.

One of my favorite drinks right now is the Hotel Georgia, I had it while I was dining at Hawksworth in Vancouver.

1 Fresh Egg White
1 3/4 ounce Plymouth Gin
1/2 ounce orgeat
3/4 ounce lemon juice
6 drops of orange blossom water
whole nutmeg

Combine egg whites, gin, orgeat, lemon juice and blossom water in a shaker and shake for 15 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and top with grated nutmeg.

It's pretty easy: Wine, which is 10-14% alcohol, will freeze.

Vodka and other 'hard' liquors are usually 80 proof = 40% alcohol and they don't freeze.

Liqueurs, which are usually 40-proof = 20% alcohol, usually don't freeze. Sugar does make it more difficult to freeze, so that may be part of the reason liqueurs don't freeze. I'm not sure if 20% alcohol (think equal parts vodka and water) would freeze - that would be a good experiment. ;)

In any case, I assume you will have sugar in your popsicles, so better to get them down into the 'wine' range. So to get 40% alcohol like vodka or tequila to freeze, estimate you need to get it down below 15% alcohol.
.
I would guess any dilution more than 2 ounces of water/juice per 1 ounce of hard liquor (=13% ABV) would be a decent place to start experimenting.

If I were planning for a party and didn't have time to experiment, I think you would be safe at 3:1 (= 10% ABV), even if your mixture is relatively sweet.

That would be a 'Ramos Fizz'. Made famous in New Orleans a million years ago and a brunch staple everywhere.