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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

To scare up a formidable Black Cat, pour 1 ounce vodka and 1 ounce cherry brandy into a highball glass over ice. Fill with equal parts Coke and cranberry juice.

If you want the whole crowd snookered, serve a vat of Devil’s Punch in your grandmama’s punchbowl. Just multiply this recipe about 20 times over, and your bowl will runneth over. For one Devil’s Punch, pour two parts tequila, one part each orange liqueur, lemon liqueur, sour mix and 1/4 part orange juice into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a sour or highball glass.

A Black Martini is a sweet, rich, sexy version of the James Bond elixir. Pour 3-1/2 ounces of vodka or gin and 1/2 ounce of blackberry brandy into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a big, scary black olive toothpicked to a smaller green olive.

Bloody Mary: No, it’s not named for a butcherous chick dictator—damn—but the famous hair-of-the-dog named for a Chicago barmaid is bloody delicious just the same. And there is every reason to drink the old girl at night, too. Mix equal parts vodka and tomato juice; mix in black and cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and lots of Tabasco to taste in a cocktail shaker. Then strain and pour over crushed ice and stick a big mean celery stick in it. Serve with anger.

Get more ideas at Cocktail.com, cocktailtimes.com and About.com.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.