Grateful Dead Drink is the ultimate party starter. The irony is that it makes you gratefully dead but literally alive, capable of enjoying every bit of the moment. Wait! Did I just justify its name?

Vodka tonics are one of those easy two-ingredient cocktail recipes that are ideal to whip up at parties. Though the drink may sound simple, it is a reliable concoction that is not to be slept on. Yet ...

1.5 cups good vodka, 1 pint fresh raspberries, sterilized lidded glass jar - let it hang out in a cool dark place for one to two weeks.