Serves: 5

Imagine being invited to a dinner party, and in place of a traditional mixed drink or after-dinner cocktail, your host offers you a cocktail smoothie instead. It's true-the simple addition of liqueur or spirits to some of your favorite smoothie ingredients can result in an uptown temptation that reaches a dimension in elegance and distinction never dreamed of before. Equally exciting, when a cocktail smoothie is served in a champagne flute or wine goblet, it will make your guests forget that they ever preferred a Bailey's or a martini. But the union of spirits and smoothies doesn't end here. With the addition of ice cream, a tempting cocktail can easily be transformed into an elegant dessert. When these mealtime showstoppers are garnished with a Cinnamon-Coated Tortilla Triangle (see Glorious Garnish) or a Lemon Pirouette (see Glorious Garnish), everyone at your table will agree-move over chocolate mousse.

As you glance at the recipes in this chapter created for company-quality smoothies, you'll see familiar ones named for their traditional cocktail counterparts, such as Brandy Alexander and Black Russian, while others, such as Summer Freeze or Magnolia Blossom, may not be as well known to you. What distinguishes them all, however, is that their ingredients meld well with a dash of spirits, resulting in a refreshing glassful with a pleasing bite.

So gather your swizzle sticks and miniature paper umbrellas and you'll soon agree that these smoothies have earned their place among the rich and famous.

From SUMMER SMOOTHIES: more than 130 cool and refreshing recipes. Copyright © 2002 Donna Pliner Rodnitzky. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Cook'n Summer Smoothies Cookbook:
-COCKTAIL HOUR: Perfect Party Smoothies
Banana Daiquiri
Bananarama
Black Russian
Brandy Alexander
California Dreaming
Cosmopolitan
Danish Snowball
Dejà Blueberry
Kahlúa Hummer
Magnolia Blossom
Mango Margarita
Mimosa
Mudslide Madness
Peach Bellini
Piña Colada
Sangria
Strawberry Daiquiri
Summer Freeze
The Berry Thought of You