Cocktail

Master Mixologist Brendan Dorr over at B&O American Brasserie has created a Ravens-inspired cocktail, just in time for the divisional round. The Hail Mary 1 1/4 ounce Hangar One Mandarin Blossom Vodka 1/2 ounce cassis syrup 3/4 ounce Lemon Juice 3/4 ounce Pomegranate Juice   Shake with ice. Stain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a spiral twist of lemon. Enjoy! "Penalty," you're saying. "It's not purple!" No, it's not. That's why playoffs mixololgy is best left to a master mixologist.

On Thursday night, Mr. Rain's Fun House kicks off its 2012 Meet the Artist series with Washington, DC-based painter Dana Ellyn. At the cocktail gathering, Ellyn will talk about her work, which will go be on exhibit at the restaurant through the end of February. For the gathering, Mr Rain's Fun House   will extend its regular Starving Artist Happy Hour with discounts on beer, wine and Perez Klebahn's "Elixir" cocktails. "Our Meet the Artist series is a natural extension of what we strive to do every day at Mr. Rain's, and what they do at the American Visionary Art Museum,” says proprietor Maria Buszinski.

London. -- Yugoslavia should make us fear not the Molotov variety, but the Stalin cocktail. It was Josef Stalin, more than any other Soviet leader, who engineered the mixing of ethnic, religious and social groups into one compressed society. Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito, who later broke with Stalin, merely emulated him on this point.Now we watch Tito's creation undo, as Stalin's legacy in the ex-Soviet Union has led to violence in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan, with the threat of worse to come, even inside Russia itself.

Picture a curvy-but-cute, sassy-yet-sweet lass with a passion for beer. She is buxom, bawdy, smooth-bodied and straight up. Is she every man's fantasy? Pretty close. She's the image that developed in my mind when when I tried Alewife's signature beer cocktail, the Hop Betty. A beer … cocktail? Talk about a dream come true. Don't question it; just trust general manager and co-owner Bryan Palombo and his team on this one. After all, this is revolutionary stuff here. Palombo takes pride in claiming that his cocktail is the first hops-infused drink in the city.

I've never been one for flowers. I don't want to smell like them, don't want to receive them, don't even want to take care of them. But leave it to Pazo in Harbor East to make me want to drink them. The Blue Velvet is the stylish restaurant's standout violet-infused cocktail. Crème de violette, a brandy liqueur made from the actual flower, is the sweet star of the show. "It's unlike anything you've ever had," said bartender Carmen Motto. She's right. Though the Blue Velvet consists of only three ingredients, its creamy blue tint and intoxicating, floral aroma is entirely unique.

Power Plant Live newcomer Kettle Hill, a "Theodore Roosevelt-themed" establishment replete with lively, wood-and-iron-and-brass layouts, is a solid rustic-yet-fun place to hang out after work. It's a spot for working professionals with a bit of grown-up taste. Like the atmosphere, the cocktail menu, as bartender Daniel Clemmer puts it aptly, "is sophisticated, but approachable without being pretentious. " One of the freshest examples is the Church and State, a Herradura Tequila-based cocktail with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, fresh pineapple juice, cinnamon simple syrup and honkin' 2-by-2 inch ice cubes.

There's something about sipping a classic cocktail in a storied bar that can make a lifelong memory. For much of the 20th century and into this new one, bars in the Ritz Paris have offered that kind of experience. Now Colin Peter Field, head bartender of the hotel's Bar Hemingway, has produced a cocktail book every bit as elegant as the Ritz itself, filled with lore, legends and instructions on making your own Ritz-style cocktails. Whether you're headed to Paris or simply want to put your feet up at home and learn how the world's great bartenders approach their craft, you'll enjoy perusing The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris (Simon & Schuster, 2003, $19.95)

You've downloaded enough bossa nova tracks to last until the wee hours. All you need to get your guests' inner samba dancers moving is some off-the-beaten-path summer cocktails packed with fresh fruit and herbs. Aguardiente (fire water) to the rescue. Variations on classic South American cocktails such as pisco sours (a frothy citrus cocktail) and caipirinhas (a potent Brazilian specialty) are appearing on cocktail menus, and they're a cinch to make at home for a crowd. Pisco, the base for the pisco sour, is a grape brandy similar to grappa.

The beauty of a good neighborhood bar usually lies in its simplicity. Serve some interesting drinks in a low-key, approachable atmosphere, and patrons will have a hard time finding reasons to complain. Frederick's on Fleet — which opened in late August on the corner of South Duncan and, appropriately, Fleet streets in Canton — followed this formula on a recent Friday night. It's a solid addition to an area that cherishes comfort — Kisling's and Johnny Rad's are within walking distance — over stuffiness.

Lady Maryland: a cocktail with a cause, a buzz with a benefit. How could you possibly say no to drinking for charity? That alone sold me. But for those of the more skeptical palate, the refreshing Lady Maryland at Waterfront Kitchen stands alone as an easy warmer-weather sip. Waterfront Kitchen, on the water's edge of Thames Street in Fells Point, is a big believer in sustainability - from using fresh, local ingredients to helping out...