by Peggy Strickland

Created on: November 16, 2009

Hopefully your cocktail bar is well stocked with a variety of liquor, liqueurs, and wines in a wonderful array of colors, flavors and a wide range of alcoholic content; ready for an impromptu party.

But that same cocktail bar most likely is also brimming with mixers and garnishes in equally impressive variety of palate pleasing taste and texture. Some of these mixers are made with alcohol, while others are naturally non alcoholic.

In addition to using such a bevy of flavorful elixirs, alcoholic and non alcoholic, to prepare traditional cocktails, some can be used to create quick yet simply elegant desserts for party or dinner guests. Be sure to keep on hand in your cocktail bar a store of items that might include liqueurs like Kahlua, Bailey's Irish Cream, Amaretto, Grand Marnier and Triple Sec. Also make sure you have an ample supply of mixers like Grenadine, fruit juices, chocolate syrup and soft drinks, as well as garnishes like mint, lemon, lime, oranges, cherries and pineapple, and a jar of marshmallow cream.

In your freezer you will want to stock several flavors of ice cream if possible, with a minimum of vanilla, as well as a couple of sherbets. From your pantry you might use chocolate cookies, vanilla wafers, lady fingers, brownies or specialty cookies like those made by Pepperidge Farm.

Now use your imagination with the above items from cocktail bar, freezer and pantry.

Here are a few suggestions.

* You can always make a traditional non alcoholic ice cream "float" using your preferred flavor of ice cream or sherbet with soft drinks like Root Beer, Coke, Orange Crush or Sprite. But, from your cocktail bar choose Grenadine to drizzle directly over ice cream, or add a splash of Grenadine or Triple Sec to your more traditional float.

Also consider a float or other cocktail dessert with a more distinctive "KICK," made with some of the following:

~~~~~ Pour room temperature Kahlua, Grand Marnier, Amaretto or Grenadine over vanilla ice cream. Add a couple of complementarily flavored cookies or brownies to the side.

* Make a luscious Chocolate syrup and Kahlua float or milk shake using chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Or for a touch of the Irish use Bailey's Irish Cream to make a float or milk shake with vanilla or strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries.

~~~~~ A sweet dessert wine like Riesling, sherry or Port makes a great accompaniment to pie or cake, and can be lightly blended with ice cream as a dessert cocktail novelty.

* Pour warm brandy over vanilla ice cream, with cookies on the side. Serve right away, as the ice cream will melt quickly.

In addition to dessert cocktails you can just pour cocktail ingredients like Kahlua, Triple Sec, Irish Cream or brandy over fresh fruit. When you bake homemade brownies or cookies add Kahlua or Grand Marnier to the mix in place of typical liquid ingredients. Or pour liqueurs directly over warm brownies or cookies.

BE DARING! IMAGINE IT , PULL SOMETHING FROM YOUR COCKTAIL BAR AND TRY IT!

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