Last Minute Fourth of July Party Tips

We have original cocktail recipes and advice for planning a great, last minute Independence Day celebration.

It’s the last minute. All your plans have fallen through because your friends couldn’t decide between Fair St. Louis at the Arch or the Heritage and Freedom Festival in O’Fallon. Now it’s up to you to save the holiday. You don’t need a lot of time or money to throw together a great Fourth of July party in Maryland Heights. In fact, you can feed and host six to 10 people for less than $100 while still looking like a great host. It’s a lot cheaper than taking them all out to dinner. If your house or apartment is tidy enough for guests, you can pick up a small Weber Grill for as little as $30 at Ace Hardware or across the street at the Schucks on Dorsett Road. You can find charcoal at either store, but Ace Hardware has a larger, more diverse …

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Patch Potions

Feel Surpisingly Clean After a Bloody Wreck

This week Brandy the Bartender shows us how to make one of the Trainwreck Saloon's signature drinks: The Bloody Wreck.

Some weeks, in the name of science, you have to drink some A-1. It turns out both A-1 and hot wing seasoning make for a tasty addition to a modified Bloody Mary. Brandy the Bartender takes the mystery out of the Bloody Wreck by mixing up this week's Patch Potion.  For this drink, you'll need: Rim your glass with the seasoning salt. If you have a shaker at home, fill it with the vodka, bloody mary mix, olive juice, lime juice, A-1 and tabasco then shake away. Fill your rimmed glass with ice and pour the mix over it. Top with black pepper. Brandy encourages people to get creative with this. Some people add a splash of Guiness. Others use Clamato instead of the plain Bloody Mary mix. You can also substitute Worcestershire sauce for the A-1. …

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Patch Potions

Summon the Tall, Dark and Handsome with a Cuba Libre

This week, Brandy the Bartender shows us how to mix up a sultry Cuba Libre.

This week, our intrepid reporter asked Brandy the Bartender for something dark and exotic, so she made a Cuba Libre. Cuba Libre is essentially just a Rum and Coke with lime, but doesn't it sound better when you say it in Spanish? The great thing about this drink is the sugar in the Coke mixes with the sugar in the rum and successfully covers the taste of alcohol. To make one at home, all you need is: Fill a glass with ice, add your rum, top with soda, then squeeze a little lime on top, and use the rest of the fruit as a garnish. Ladies, drink two and hope that maybe the Old Spice Man will buy you a third.

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Patch Potions

Sugar Lips Can't Sweeten a Dirty Martini

This week on Patch Potions Brandy the Bartender demonstrates how to make a classic Dirty Martini.

"Do you want it dirty?" asked Brandy. "Brandy, you're awesome, but we've only known one another for a couple of months, and -" She cut me off with an eyeroll. "I'm talking about your martini." Oh. Since I'm a living ray of pure sunshine, I had to admit I'd never enjoyed a dirty martini before. You'll have to watch the video to get the full impact of my first impression. If you'd like to know what transforms a pure dry martini into a dirty drink, the answer is olive juice. Classic recipes use a shot and a half each of both gin and olive juice alongside a shot of vermouth. Since my sneaky spy skills are more akin to Marvin the Martian than 007 my martini was stirred, not shaken. Watch this week's video to see how it's made. Special thanks to…

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Patch Potions: Long Island Iced Tea

Brandy the Bartender mixes five kinds of alcohol into a single tasty beverage.

The Long Island Iced Tea is like the cosy leftover casarole of cocktails. Sure, yesterday you might have made a martini or the day before that a rum-and-coke, but when you're staring at a row of mostly empty bottles and you can't justify buying a new one until the old is empty, a Long Island Iced Tea is the answer. Most people don't mix them up at home because they're not really sure what's inside. Brandy the Bartender walks us through the creation of both a Long Island Iced Tea and it's girlier redheaded sister, the Long Beach Iced Tea. The long list of ingredients includes: To make the Long Beach Iced Tea, just substitute cranberry juice for soda. Special thanks to the Trainwreck Saloon for showing us how to mix this drink.

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Patch Potions: Orange Dreamsickle

This week on Patch Potions we visit Brandy, a Maryland Heights bartender, for a lesson on how to make an alcoholic version of that childhood treat, the Orange Dreamsickle.

Orange Dreamsickles aren't just for kids anymore. This week on Patch Potions, Brandy the Bartender shows us how to mix up some creamy, citrussy goodness. Fill a 12 to 16 oz glass about halfway with ice. Add your vodka, sprite orange juice, and top it off with half and half. If you have a martini shaker at home, feel free to show off. If you don't, Brandy says you can cheat by pouring your drink back and forth between two glasses. It's the same effect, just a little less Don Draper. Brandy says you can use heavy cream instead of half and half if you want to make the drink even richer. If you want to modernize this classic, you can also experiment with mango flavored vodka and mango juice, both available at your local liquor store.

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Patch Potions: Royal Punch

This week Brandy the Bartender shows us how to make the Trainwreck Saloon's signature drink - Royal Punch.

Brandy the Bartender shows us the secret behind the Trainwreck Saloon's signature drink, the Royal Punch. If you have a martini shaker, go ahead and fill that halfway with ice. If not, fill a regular 16 oz beverage glass. Add your Crown Royal, Apple Pucker, Cranberry Juice, Sweet and Sour Mix and Red Bull. Brandy says erring on the side of more cranberry juice is a good thing. If you're using a shaker — shake away! If not, pour the mix back and forth between two glasses in order to blend it.  When you're done, you'll have a tasty mellow buzz in a glass.

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Patch Potions: Manhattan

This week on Patch Potions we visit Brandy the Bartender for another lesson in how to make the grandfather of all classic cocktails - the Manhattan.

A Manhattan conjures images of Don Draper in a stylish suit, offering to light your wife's cigarette. This week, Brandy the Bartender shows us how to mix this classic cocktail, and she's not even wearing an apron. ¼ shot maraschino cherry juice with a cherry inside 1 ½ shots bourbon 1 shot sweet vermouth 12 oz rocks glass with ice First, add your cherry and juice to the rocks glass. Use a spoon or, if you have a well stocked bar, a muddle — a wooden staff that looks a bit like a club used to mash up drink ingredients. Muddle or crush the cherry, then fill the glass with ice. Now add your bourbon and top it off with the sweet vermouth. Stir gently and enjoy. If you missed our last episode, Brandy taught us how to make a White Russian. Stay …

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Patch Potions: White Russian

This week on Patch Potions we visit Brandy, a Maryland Heights bartender, for a lesson on how to make a White Russian.

Anyone can buy a White Russian mix, but it's well worth mixing one yourself if you want quality taste at home. Our friend Brandy the Bartender shows us how to mix up this classic holiday drink. 1 Shot Vanilla Vodka 1 Shot Kahlua 2 Shots Half-and-Half Ice Fill a brandy snifter or rocks glass with ice. Add your vanilla vodka and Kahlua, then top it off with as much Half-and-Half that fits in the glass. Stir, top with a maraschino cherry and enjoy the creamy smoothness. Brandy says you can use regular vodka if you're out of vanilla, but the drink won't have as much kick. If you don't have half and half at home you can substitute milk, but it won't be as creamy. Next week, Brandy the Bartender shows us how to make another Patch Potion here in…

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