About vodka
Vodka is the national drink of Russia. It is an ancient drink and probably originated in Russia or Poland. These were more highly flavoured than today's vodkas, which are now also made in other countries. The best vodka is distilled from rye, and barley malt. Since the modern vodka is colourless, almost tasteless, and nearly odourless it can be deceptively strong when mixed.

To be sold legally it must be at least 40 percent alcohol, and can reach up to 60 percent. Vodka is also low in the constituents, which cause a hangover.

Vodka is traditionally drunk neat in Eastern European and Scandinavian countries of the "vodka belt", its popularity elsewhere owes much to its usefulness in cocktails and other mixed drinks, such as the Bloody Mary, the Screwdriver, the vodka tonic, and the vodka martini.

While most vodkas are unflavoured, many flavoured vodkas have been produced in traditional vodka-drinking areas, often as home-made recipes to improve vodka's taste or for medicinal purposes. Flavourings include red pepper, ginger, fruit flavours, vanilla, chocolate (without sweetener), and cinnamon.

Vodka consumed in sufficient amounts, as any alcoholic beverage, can cause dehydration, digestive irritation and other symptoms associated with a hangover.

Some of the cocktail recipes listed contain large quantities of alchol. Drink with caution and always take care of your liver!

Autumn
2 1/4 fluid oz vodka

1 fluid oz Southern comfort

2 teaspoons lemon juice

4 cracked ice cubes

Twist of lemon peel

Put half the ice into shaker, and add the vodka, Southern comfort, and lemon juice shake to mix. Put the rest of the ice into glass, and strain the cocktail over. Decorate with lemon peel, and serve.

Black Russian
3 fluid oz of vodka

1 1/2 fluid oz Kahlua coffee liqueur

2-3 cracked ice cubes

Put the ice into a glass pour in the vodka and Kahula. Stir to mix and serve.

Behind the Wall
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

1 fluid oz Manderine Napoleon liqueur

1 fluid oz Galliano

1 1/2 fluid oz unsweetened orange juice

Ginger ale

3 crushed ice cubes

1 slice of orange

Put ice into shaker add vodka, Napoleon liqueur, and orange juice shake to mix. Strain into glass top up with Ginger ale. Decorate with slice of orange and serve with straw .

Bloody Mary
3 fluid oz vodka

6 fluid oz of tomato juice

2 dashes of angostura bitters

Juice 1/2 lemon

2-3 ice cubes

Put ice cubes into shaker, add vodka and tomato juice shake to mix. Strain into glass and serve.

Godmother
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

1 1/2 fluid oz Amaretto di Saronno

2 ice cubes

Put ice cubes into glass add vodka, Amaretto, stir and serve.

Harvey Wallbanger
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

2 teaspoons Galliano

3 fluid oz fresh orange juice

2-3 cracked ice cubes

1 slice of cucumber

1 slice of pineapple

1 cocktail cherry

Twist of orange peel

Put ice into glass pour in fresh orange juice, vodka, and Galliano stir well. Decorate with cherry, pineapple, cucumber, and orange peel on cocktail stick and serve .

Hair Raiser

1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

1 1/2 fluid oz sweet vermouth

1 1/2 oz tonic water

2 cracked ice cubes

Twist of lemon peel

Put ice into glass, and pour in the vodka, vermouth, and tonic. Stir lightly and decorate with lemon peel. Serve with stirrer .

Highland Fling

2 1/4 fluid oz vodka

3/4 fluid oz Drambuie

Dash of angostura bitters

2-3 crushed ice cubes

1 cocktail cherry

Put ice into mixing glass add the bitters, vodka, and Drambuie stir well. Strain into glass put cherry on to cocktail stick add to drink and serve.

Le Mans
3/4 fluid oz vodka

1 1/2 fluid oz Cointreau

Soda water

2-3 cracked ice cubes

1 slice lemon

Put ice into glass add the vodka and cointreau. Stir and top up with Soda water. Float the slice of lemon on top.

Moscow Mule
2 fluid oz vodka

Juice 1 lime

Ginger beer

3-4 ice cubes crushed

Put crushed ice into glass. Squeeze in lime juice add vodka top up with ginger beer stir and serve.

Norman Conqueror
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

3/4 fluid oz Calvados

3/4 fluid oz unsweetened apple juice

Dash of angostura bitters

1 Slice orange

1 Slice lemon

Sprig of mint

4 cracked ice cubes

Put half the ice into shaker add the vodka, calvados, apple juice and bitters shake to mix. Put rest of ice into glass strain in the cocktail. Decorate with fruit and mint and serve.

Orange Mist
1 fluid oz vodka

1 1/2 fluid oz Irish mist

3 fluid oz unsweetened orange juice

Soda water

4 cracked ice cubes

1 slice orange

Put half the ice into shaker add the vodka, Irish mist, and orange juice. Shake to mix. Put the rest of the ice into glass and pour the cocktail over. Add a splash of Soda water decorate with orange and serve .

Perfect Love
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

3/4 fluid oz Parfait Amour

1 table spoon maraschino

Twist of lemon peel

3 cracked ice cubes

Put ice into glass add vodka, Parfait, and maraschino. Stir well decorate with twist of lemon and serve with short straw .

Russian Secret
3/4 fluid oz vodka

3/4 fluid oz Benedictine

3 fluid oz unsweetened grapefruit juice

4 cracked ice cubes

Put half the ice into shaker add vodka, Benedictine, grapefruit juice shake to mix. Put rest of ice into glass and strain in the cocktail serve with short straw.

Screwdriver
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

Orange juice

2 ice cubes

Put ice into glass add vodka top up with fresh orange juice stir and serve.

Salty Dog
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

Unsweetened grapefruit juice

Pinch of salt

2-3 ice cubes

Put ice into glass add vodka top up with grapefruit juice stir. Add salt and serve

Twister
2 fluid oz vodka

Ginger ale

1 slice lemon

2 ice cubes

Put ice into glass add vodka top up with Ginger ale. Decorate with lemon and serve.

Vodka Collins
2 fluid oz vodka

1 fluid oz lemon juice

Soda water

1-1/2 teaspoons icing sugar

2 crushed ice cubes

1 slice of lemon

1 cocktail cherry

Put ice into shaker add vodka, lemon juice and sugar shake to mix pour into glass top up with Soda water decorate with lemon and cherry on cocktail stick serve.

Vodka Fizz

2 fluid oz vodka

1 teaspoon icing sugar

3 fluid oz pineapple juice

Soda water

4 crushed ice cubes

Put ice into shaker add vodka, sugar, and pineapple juice shake well to mix. Pour into glass and top up with Soda water.

Vodka Kir
2 1/4 fluid oz vodka

3/4 fluid oz crème de cassis

Soda water

3 cracked ice cubes

1/2 lemon slice

Put ice into glass and pour vodka over add crème de cassis stir and top up with dash of Soda water. Decorate with lemon and serve.

Vodka Martini
3 fluid oz vodka

3/4 fluid oz dry vermouth

3 crushed ice cubes

Twist of lemon peel

Put the ice into a mixing glass add vodka and vermouth stir. Strain into glass decorate with peel and serve .

White Russian
1 1/2 fluid oz vodka

1 1/2 fluid oz Tia Maria

1 1/2 fluid oz milk

3 chocolate dragees

5 cracked ice cubes

Put half of the ice into shaker add the vodka, Tia Maria, and milk. Shake to mix. Put the rest of ice into glass and strain the cocktail over add the chocolate and serve with straw.

Health Warning

In some countries, black-market vodka or "bathtub" vodka is widespread, as it can be produced easily to avoid taxation. However, severe poisoning, blindness, or death can occur as a result of impurities, notably methanol presence. In March 2007, BBC News UK made a documentary to find the cause of severe jaundice among imbibers of the "bathtub" vodka. The cause was found to be an industrial disinfectant (Extrasept) added to the vodka by the illegal distillers because of its high alcohol content and low price of acquisition. Death toll estimates list at least 120 dead and more than 1,000 poisoned. The death toll is expected to rise due to the chronic nature of the cirrhosis that was causing the jaundice. [source: wikipedia.com]

How To Throw A Great Cocktail Party

NAPSI)- From dinner parties and daylong barbecues to evening cocktail parties under the stars, more and more Americans are opting to stay at home for social gatherings. In fact, according to Kelton Research, three out of four Americans (77 percent) aged 21 to 39 would rather spend the evening with friends at someone's home than go to a bar or club.

"Throwing a cocktail party is actually a much better way to spend quality time with friends and family and it doesn't have to be a chore," said leading entertaining expert and party-planning guru to the stars David Tutera. "By preparing everything you need to set the mood and whet your guests' palates before they arrive, you'll have more time to socialize and won't have to spend all night behind the bar."

Set the stage for easy and elegant serving. Print out your cocktail recipes and place them in household frames on your bar. Then put all ingredients and appropriate glassware by the recipes, allowing your guests to play bartender and make their own cocktails. You can also pre-mix the cocktails and place them in pitchers alongside the recipes so guests can pour their own and simply add ice and garnish.

Add color. For a vibrant cocktail addition, add a hint of color to ice cubes with just a few drops of food coloring and/or sliced fruit to your ice trays before freezing-you can also make flavored ice by freezing your favorite juice or lemonade.

Create a fabulous focal point. For a fun and easy cocktail centerpiece, place colored ice in a pretty glass bowl (about three- quarters full) and decorate with a gardenia on top. Not only will this potent flower add a wonderful fragrance to the room, but once the ice melts you will have a floating gardenia.

Personalize the experience. Make your own personalized cocktail napkins by handstamping them in a colorful ink. If you have extra time, you can have them printed online with a favorite saying or the party occasion.

Save time with signature drinks. Create two or three specialty cocktails for your next party instead of serving a full bar. Even mojitos, one of the most popular yet difficult drinks to make, can be easily made in advance. Using Rose's Mojito Cocktail Mix, simply combine one part rum to three parts mix in a pitcher before guests arrive. This mix is also available in traditional, mango and passion fruit flavors, providing partygoers a flavorful and colorful variety of cocktails to choose from.

David's signature drink suggestion:

THE MOJITO MARTINI

2 oz. Vodka

2 oz. Rose's Mojito Cocktail Mix

Chilled Champagne

Sugarcane stick

Shake the first two ingredients with ice. Pour into a martini glass, top with splash of chilled champagne and garnish with long piece of sugarcane.

David Tutera is a contributing entertaining expert on ABC's hit morning show "The View" and has a one-hour prime-time television series "Party Planner with David Tutera" airing on the Discovery Home Channel. He is also the author of four books focused on entertaining: "Big Birthdays," "The Party Planner," "America Entertains: A Year of Imaginative Parties" and "A Passion for Parties: Your Guide to Elegant Entertaining." For more party-planning ideas and cocktail recipes, visit www.MixUptheParty.com or DavidTutera.com.