sponsored by Catdaddy Moonshine, hosted by Baby Blues BarbequeQ: What do “moonshine” “bootlegging” “barbeque” and “nascar” have in common?A: The birth of creative cocktailing and a taste of Americana!While Prohibition was meant to be the death of American drinking culture, in reality, it only forced liquor lovers to get more sly in their tippling habits. During that nasty little 13-year dry spell in the early 20^th Century, home stills sprung up from coast to coast and, in fact, many new enterprises were born. Among them moonlit, late-night sprints outrunning coppers in a rickety car filled with a bootfull of booze! Learn more about what it means to be a bootlegger in Aaron Vanek’s 3 part interview with Catdaddy Moonshine founder in Part 1 “Made by Moonshine,” Part 2 “Distilling An American Icon,” or Part 3 “Nice and Legal.”The Liquid Muse Cocktail Club is exposed to a wide rainbow of cocktail culture. Past events have included a rum tasting; an absinthe soiree; a lecture on tequila; a private sneak peek at Boa Sunset; and so on. However, while we’re often going “high brow” with our boozey bonanzas, we would be remiss in overlooking that great American tradition of homemade hooch – and Catdaddy Moonshine, along with Baby Blues Barbeque, were just the people to bring it to us! The RSVP list for this party filled up within 45 minutes proving that even the most sophisticated of cocktailians like to get down-and-dirty from time to time!Every bottle of Catdaddy Moonshine is handcrafted in small batches by the folks at Piedmont Distillers, in the little town of Madison, North Carolina. It is made from (mainly) corn, and triple distilled in a copper pot still. It has a unique, slightly sweet flavor, which comes from a secret recipe for “apple pie moonshine,” a traditional moonshine recipe in North Carolina. The texture is slightly viscus and imparts notes of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and citrus. It is very tasty on the rocks and surprisingly mixable in cocktails and punches.We were particularly excited to have this summer sip-up at pinkpalace.melbourne, a great nightclub. Not only did the BBB crew provide our members with an onslaught of ribs, fried green tomatoes, spicy wings and so on, TLM cocktail clubbers got to nibble and sip in one of LA’s most buzzed about restaurant / bars to open in the last few years. If you haven’t already checked it out, Baby Blues WeHo is the perfect place to take a first-date (if he / she is down with dripping in barbeque sauce and inhaling a few dozen of those oh-so addictive corn fritters, you know you’re in for a good time). Its also a big thumbs-up joint for a birthday party (book the private room) or a company holiday party (that people will actually want to show up at…).You can invite some of your friends and recreate our TLM Cocktail Club Down Home Summer Celebration by heading over to Baby Blues, which carries Catdaddy Moonshine year round. And, you can also try your hand at mixing up some end-of-summer sips at your next bash.Want to join us at the next TLM Cocktail Club party? Join us on Facebook and get exclusive members-only invites. Cheers!Moonshine Mojito (An easy summer favorite presented by Aaron Vaneck, an early adopter of Catdaddy Moonshine; writer for examiner.com and contributor to The Liquid Muse.com)2 oz. Catdaddy5-6 mint leavesJuice from one medium sized lime2 teaspoons white sugarClub soda.Either in a mortar or the highball serving glass itself, muddle the leaves with the sugar and limejuice. Fill the highball halfway with ice cubes, pour in the Catdaddy, and top it with club soda.Mountain Moonshine Punch (Created by bartender / mixologist Jim Kearns of Ryehouse in NYC)1.5 oz Catdaddy3 sugar cubes1oz soda1 dash Angostura bitters.5 oz fresh lemon juice.75 oz fresh grapefruit juice.5 oz Sailor Jerry rumMuddle sugar, soda and bitters. Add other ingredients. Stir and serve over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with an orange slice.Mountain Moonshine Punch (Jim Kearns of Ryehouse in NYC)1.5 oz Catdaddy3 sugar cubes1oz soda1 dash Angostura bitters.5 oz fresh lemon juice.75 oz fresh grapefruit juice.5 oz Sailor Jerry rumMuddle sugar, soda and bitters. Add other ingredients. Stir and serve over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with an orange slice.