On Monday I went over to Kevin Brauch's house for some summer drinks. As the host of Thirsty Traveler and floor reporter for Iron Chef America, Kevin's on the road almost 300 days of the year, but he was nice enough to invite me over during his rare downtime at home.

He prepared three fantastic summer cocktails - Big Mango, Stag's Head and a non-alcoholic drink which we christened Kitchen Sink Backyard Cocktail. We'll be putting up videos of these by the end of the week so be sure to look out for them. Despite suffering from seasonal allergies (we filmed in his backyard), he was gracious, relaxed and very funny. Did I mention that he does a wicked Don Cherry impression?
 
In case you missed it, watch Kevin doling out some great drink tips from the last time we met. (I'm a fan of his straw taste test.)

Watch the video below:

Continue watching Mixing Drinks with Kevin Part 2: Canadian Oyster Shooter.

It's amazing how far cocktails have evolved. It's no wonder the best bartenders prefer the term mixologist because they really go beyond simply pouring spirits into a glass. As you can see from Kevin's scribbled notes, there's a lot of thought that goes into each and every cocktail.

I loved the Stag's Head which happens to be Kevin's favourite cocktails (when you watch the video you'll see just how much he loooves Jägermeister). I was a bit skeptical at first. I mean Jägermeister and Dark Rum are not spirits I normally enjoy, but with one sip I was totally won over. The Cointreau and the orange juice add a nice citrus depth to the drink.

The Kitchen Sink Backyard cocktail is a great versatile drink that works for adults and kids (minus the coffee and the coffee liquor of course). Kevin told me his two boys love it.  (They are adorable!) He blended frozen bananas, ice and chocolate syrup for a thick and  delicious milkshake-like drink/dessert.

Kevin pureed fresh mangos and made his own vanilla simple syrup for the Big Mango which was yummy. There something about mangos that just say summer, isn't there?

I had a blast spending the afternoon with Kevin. Now if I can only get him to invite me to a BBQ in his lovely backyard, I'd be set!

Do you have a favourite summer cocktail? Maybe you'll be mixing some up this Victoria Day long weekend? I'd love to hear about them.