Being a guy, I've never actually seen a whole episode of Downton Abbey. I've only walked through the living room on the way to the bathroom while it was on the TV. But in general, "actually knowing stuff" before you speak your mind isn't as popular as it used to be, so I went ahead and named this drink after the show. 

That decision was based on the presence of gin in the ingredients and the way the image below came out. With the fancy tablecloth, indiscernable-but-upscale-looking bottle in the background, and of course the mini-goblet--the whole thing just smacks of aristocracy.

This cocktail also contains Crema di Limoncello, or as we Yanks call it, Limoncello Cream. If you haven't yet used it, you'll find that it also somehow seems more refined than regular limoncello. Don't ask me how the addition of cow drippings achieves that feat, I can't explain it.

Here's a fun drinking game for Downton Abbey (and possibly the ONLY one in existence). Down one of these every time you hear the word "squiffy." 

You know what's really missing from the whole holiday experience in the US? It's not more shopping time, that's been expanding for years. It's mid-July and I'm expecting to see Christmas decorations at the stores any time now. 

No, it's an official drink for Halloween. That was going to be your next guess, I know. I don't know if you've ever taken your kids out begging for candy but it's a loud, chaotic affair. A perfect excuse to extend the limoncello-drinking season well beyond summer. 

This cocktail is all class. The color is faintly reminiscent of blood, but not cheesily so. The glass is perfect for holding while observing others bob for apples. The sprig of rosemary marks you as a discerning, dignified adult who just happens to be wearing a Barney costume right now.

The drink is named the AB Negative because it establishes the blood/Halloween connection, but also because it's the rarest of all the blood types. Only 0.6% of the population has that blood type--it's true, I just Googled it. That amounts to 1 in 167 people, which somehow sounds far less impressive than 0.6%.

If you confine consumption of this cocktail to Halloween (that's impossible, I know, this is just a thought experiment), then you can only drink it 0.003% of the year. Now THAT'S an impressively rare and uncommonly delicious treat!

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It's close to Independence Day here in the States, so I thought I'd name this drink something patriotic. Sorry I couldn't be more creative. 

I named it The Patriot because much like the movie of the same name, it has a lot of blood (orange) in it. This is also the cocktail that Mel Gibson was drinking before the got arrested for DUI in 2006. That's true, you can look it up. (Editor's note: That is definitely NOT true.)

Just in case you thought I couldn't possibly tie this American name and tequila-laced drink straight back to Italy; blood oranges are originally from Sicily. They remain one the most treasured Sicilian exports. 

The anthocyanin that gives the juice that stunning red color is also a powerful antioxidant. So it's chasing down the free radicals that are created by the alcohol in the drink. It's like a little war happening right in your margarita glass.  Enjoy the fireworks!

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