A toast to Mike Collins

Whenever I've been on WFAE's "Charlotte Talks," there is always that moment when the "on air" light turns on, the music cues up through my headphones, host Mike Collins starts his patter - and I give a big gulp. Here comes a chance to make a fool of myself while thousands of people are listening.

It's enough to make a girl wish she had a good cocktail at 9 in the morning. Not that I would indulge so early, but still.

So when a new cocktail book, "The Ultimate Cocktail Book," by Bill Reveall and Neil Mersh landed on my desk the other day, guess what caught my eye? The Mike Collins.

Yes, there is a Mike Collins cocktail. Sadly, it doesn't have anything to do with our longtime talk-radio host. It's a variation in the large Collins family, iced cocktails that always include lemon juice and soda water. Tom Collins is the best known, made with gin, but there are collinses. I've dallied on occasion with the John Collins, made with bourbon or rye. There's the Juan Collins, with tequila, the Pierre Collins, with brandy, and the Comrade Collins, with vodka. There's even a nonalcoholic version called a Phil Collins. And apparently, there's a Mike Collins, made with Irish whiskey.

Still, knowing there's a Mike Collins is a good excuse to raise a glass to our own Mike Collins. Mike, here's to you. And your mic.

Mike Collins From "The Ultimate Cocktail Book" ($17.95, Hamlyn).

5 to 6 ice cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon simple syrup (see note)
3 ounces Irish whiskey
1 orange slice
1 maraschino cherry
Club soda or seltzer
Orange rind spiral

Put the ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour the lemon juice, sugar syrup and whiskey over the ice and shake until a frost forms. Pour, without straining, into a tumbler or Collins glass and add the orange slice and cherry speared on a cocktail stick. Top with soda water, stir lightly and serve decorated with an orange rind spiral.

Time to toast "Mad Men"

Between the rain and the heat, our mint patch is taller than a hedge and as leggy as it usually is in late August. We've tried to keep up through diligent production of our favorite summer cocktails, mint juleps and mojitos. But it gets boring to always celebrate the end of the week with the same thing.

With the return of "Mad Men" on Sunday, I needed a new cocktail.

Enter the Southside. The recipe ran in the Observer several weeks ago, in a Chicago Tribune story on the gin trend. When I saw the ingredients, I had to try it: Mint, lime, simple syrup and gin.

One sip and I was sold. Sweet but not cloying, minty enough to be refreshing, with that tart bite of lime juice. Shaken and served very cold, it was a revelation that reminded me of the New Year's Eve long ago when we watched "Some Like It Hot" and got curious about Marilyn's drink, the Manhattan. I fell in love that time, too.

In case you missed it, here's the recipe again. Don Draper might stick with Rob Roys, but I think Betty would really like a Southside.

Southside

3 mint sprigs, divided (we use a little more)

2 ounces gin

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 ounce simple syrup (see note)

1 small dash Angostura bitters

Bruise two sprigs of mint gently in a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with remaining mint sprig.

Simple syrup: Mix equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook just a couple of minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Cool and store in the refrigerator.