In this second part of our 2 part cocktail culture piece, we give you some of the finest drinks our author and SF Bartender Logan Brouse could mix up for you.

One of the most popular drinks in recent memory is the Mojito. Give it an updated twist with the following recipe:

Pomegranate Mojito
1.5 oz Bacardi Rum
1 oz Pama Pommegranite Liqeour
10-15 mint leaves
1 lime half
.5 oz simple syrup
.5 oz soda water
10 pomegranite seeds
Ice

In a collins glass place the mint leaves, squeezed lime juice and half of the pamagranite seeds as well as the symple syrup. Muddle them vigorously (if you don't have a muddler pick one up at bev mo) in a downward push twisting action till the simple syrup turns a nice green color. Then add the Bacardi, Pama and the rest of the seeds. Finish with the soda water. Add a lime wheel and a sprig of mint for a garnish and prepare to be a star.

Or if you wanted to try the margarita that Clint Eastwood would've drunk when he was shooting up bad guys in Sergio Leone flicks then give this one a shake:

The Devil Inside
1.5 oz Don Julio Silver Tequila
1 half lime
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Bulliet Bourbon
Ice

This drink isn't made for the weak or the faint of heart and thats why I love it.
In a shaker add ice, fresh squeezed lime juice, cointreau and tequila then shake vigoursly for 10-15 seconds. Pour into a bucket or double rocks glass and pour on a floater of bourbon. Garnish with a lime wege and an alibi.

If you need to bring the party up to the right level of tension may we suggest this smooth sipping beauty:

Sexual Healing
1.5 oz Lotus Caffieneated Vodka
.5 oz Lillet Blanc
.5 oz Lychee Juice
1oz Grand Marnier

Mix all the ingredients in a shaker with some ice and shake vigoursly for about 20 seconds. Strain and pour into a coupe ( you know, the glass that supposed to be based on the shape of Marie Antionnette's breast) serve with a lychee. The caffeine gets the heart racing, adds a flush to the cheek and gets the blood pumping for fun.

The thing with cocktails is to be creative, use fresh ingredients in ways that haven't always been tried and have fun with. Its not wine its booze and its made to be drunk - not the subject of heated discussions of terroir and harvest yields. Sure, some mixologist can be snobs but if its more then 80 proof order one up and savor the flavor - since you're paying for the drink in the end what tastes good to you is all that counts. If all else fails, I hear chartreuse is making a comeback.

The easiest thing to do at home is make your own infusions. Start with a 128oz empty, clean infusion jar which can be found for under 40 bucks with a quick google search.

You could start relatively safe with our recipe for a basic cucumber infusion. For this you'll need 4 cucumbers sliced and 3 bottles of non-flavored vodka. Try to stay away from super cheap and hit the $15 - 20 bottles (finlandia, smirnoff all work great). Cucumber is easy because it infuses really fast. Keep the mixture in a cool dark place for at least 4 hours then take it out and serve. Your new cucumber vodka goes well with some fresh squeezed lemon and a splash of simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar boiled to a syrupy consistency is achieved) serve it up in a martini glass and garnish it with a twist of lemon and some of the booze soaked cucumber. You're infusion should be good for a week before the cucumbers start to pickle -but who's going to wait that long.

Here's another recipe that will pull out the big guns and make you the life of your next cocktail party

Pear Nutmeg Infusion
( which was made up from some mixologists out of Seattle)
- 1 liter of neutral grain Vodka
- 1 red pear, cut in half
- 1/4 pound dried pears
- 1 whole nutmeg, cracked in half

Serve this bad boy up with a slice of pear and a smile.

Another neat trick is to infuse some simple syrup. Take Tres Agaves approach and create your own eyebrow singing habenero infused simple syrup
(habenero, equal parts sugar and water boiled down to a syrup and then a little more habanero for flavor thown in) and trick out your mojitos, cosmos and margaritas.
If you don't want to go spicy then try some blueberries and lemon or ginger and apricots - your imagination will be the only thing holding you back.