56. The White Stripes - ‘Under Great White Northern Lights’ + CC & 7

The White Stripes - ‘Under Great White Northern Lights’ + CC & 7

Ingredients: 2 ounces Canadian Club Whiskey, 6 ounces 7-up

Mixing Instructions: Fill highball glass with ice, add whiskey and 7-up, stir and serve.

Notes: During the summer of 2007, The White Stripes set out across Canada on a tour that would become the material for Under Great White Northern Lights, a compilation live album and documentary by the same name.  For fans of The White Stripes this album highlights so many great songs from the duo’s incredible discography including, “Blue Orchid” “Icky Thump” “Fell In Love With a Girl” and “Seven Nation Army.” The true knockout of the album, however, is a hauntingly beautiful, emotionally-charged cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” - a performance that few in music will ever match.  It seemed fitting that with the chilled Canadian air crackling under the gain of Jack’s electric guitar, one should enjoy this album with a Canadian rye whiskey - a simple, but classic toast to one of the greatest bands and performances of all-time.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon  ||   Insound

55. Deerhoof - ‘Breakup Song’ + Cuba Libre

Deerhoof - ‘Breakup Song’ + Cuba Libre

Ingredients: 4 ounces Coca-Cola, 2 ounces light rum, juice of 1/2 a lime, lime wedge for garnish.

Mixing Instructions: Squeeze the juice of half a lime into a collins glass, add ice, pour the remaining ingredients into the glass, stir well.  Add lime wedge for garnish.

Notes:  Remember that scene in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory when the little gunslinger Mike Teavee gets zapped into a million tiny bits floating through the  ether, crackling, popping and snapping his way into a smaller version of himself?  That’s what Deerhoof’s music can sometimes sound like…lots of sonic bits and bytes jumbled together into a hurricane of sound.  Somehow, though, those bits magically came together for 30-min of enjoyable (even dance-able in many parts) music.  This isn’t something you put on as background music while the in-laws are in town, but if you’re in the mood for something different…like Willy Wonka different, then throw this hummer down on the turntable and mix yourself a Cuba Libre.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound

54. Cat Power - ‘Sun’ + The Original Tequila Sunrise

Cat Power - ‘Sun’ + The Original Tequila Sunrise

Ingredients: 1 1/4 ounces premium blanco Tequila, 3/4 ounces Creme de Cassis, soda water or club soda, fresh lime, orange wheel for garnish

Mixing Instructions: Fill chilled glass with ice.  Add Tequila, Creme de Cassis and a squeeze of lime.  Top with soda (no stirring…at least until you’re ready to drink as the visual effect of the darker ingredients on the bottom, lighter on top give the cocktail its name).  Garnish with orange wheel.

Notes: Layers upon layers.  It’s hard to quickly describe Sun, Chan Marshall’s first album in six years…and that’s what makes it intriguing.  What you won’t hear is the simplicity and innocence you’re used to from early albums.  This one features synthesizers, more instrumentation and a somewhat darker, more rugged tone to many of Marshall’s songs.  Her songwriting shows evidence of a life that is hitting a second wind, still filled with much of the idealism of her earliest albums, but tempered with the wisdom that comes with being alive for 40 years and digging through all the dirt and sunshine that comes with it.  “Sometimes you gotta do what you don’t want to do // to get away with an unordinary life.”  Peel back a beautiful album with a layered cocktail and embrace the beautiful contrasts that make life interesting.   

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound

53. Dr. Dog - ‘Shame, Shame’ + Algonquin

Dr. Dog - ‘Shame, Shame’ + Algonquin

Ingredients:  1.5 oz Whiskey (rye), 1oz Dry vermouth, 1oz Pineapple Juice

Mixing Instructions:  Pour whiskey, dry vermouth, and pineapple juice in a cocktail shaker.  Shake with ice.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Notes:  Dr. Dog have a history of uptempo albums with consistently great songwriting  and well roundedness.  You could pick out any album from their catalog and jam, but Shame, Shame from the spring of 2010 was a highlight.  After the success of Fate from 2008, Dr. Dog upped the ante by releasing this album with a little bit more of the feel of their incredible live show — it paid off for us fans.  Grab the vinyl and an Algonquin and you will know simple happiness.

purchase vinyl:  Amazon  ||  Insound

52. M83 - ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’ + White Russian

M83 - ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’ + White Russian

Ingredients: 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce Kahlua (or coffee liqueur), light cream

Mixing Instructions: Pour vodka and Kahlua over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass, fill with light cream and serve.

Notes:  Do you remember when you were a child, just after getting tucked into bed, saying to your parent, “Tell me a story.”  Somehow what came next always had a supernatural force behind it…enabling the worlds of fantasy and reality to blur in an frighteningly enjoyable way.  For M83’s sixth studio album, Anthony Gonzalez chose wisely in zeroing in on the theme of dreaming for a simple reason - reality doesn’t have the capacity to capture the music he and his group created for this double-album journey.  This is music meant to be enjoyed with a child-like heart…for 74 minutes nothing else in the world matters.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound

51. Animal Collective - ‘Centipede Hz' + Matador

Animal Collective - ‘Centipede Hz' + Matador

Ingredients:  1 1/2 ounces Silver Tequila, 2 ounces pineapple juice, 1/3 ounce lime juice, simple syrup, lime wedge for garnish. 

Mixing Instructions:  Combine silver tequila, pineapple juice, lime, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.  Shake with Ice.  Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.  Garnish with lime wedge.

Album Notes:  There are few contenders for album of the year that match up to Animal Collective’s Centipede Hz.  If you were there when they released the album stream for the whole world to consume at once then you know the mixture of musical talent and artistic spirit that went into the album’s creation…and you’ve probably since been back to pick out your highlights.  Now that you can finally get your hands on a copy of the album on vinyl, we can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t.  Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist, and Deakin have combined to brew up an album that stands alone, while continuing the legacy that Animal Collective have built up to today.  Match them up with a Matador as you let the vinyl spin and the music unwind around you.  You’ve got nothing to lose.

purchase vinyl:  Amazon  ||  Insound

50. Two Door Cinema Club - ‘Beacon’ + Gin and Grapefruit Cocktail

Two Door Cinema Club - ‘Beacon’ + Gin and Grapefruit Cocktail

Ingredients: 1/4 cup of gin, 1/4 cup of grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon dry vermouth, crushed ice.

Mixing Instructions: Combine and shake in cocktail shaker, strain into stemmed glass over ice cubes.

Notes: If you liked Two Door Cinema Club’s last album you’ll like this one.  The Irish indie-rock trio expounds on the musical themes of Tourist History without feeling unoriginal or repetitive.  Songs like “Settle” and “Sleep Alone” show an increased depth to their song writing as well.  As one reviewer noted it’s nearly impossible not to dance to this album.  True, there’s nothing earth-shattering about Beacon, yet one will likely find themselves turning to it again and again simply because it’s addictively fun.  

purchase vinyl: Recordstore.co.uk (vinyl not available in U.S. until Oct. 2)

49. The Black Keys - ‘Thickfreakness’ + Sloe Gin Fizz

50. The Black Keys - ‘Thickfreakness’ + Sloe Gin Fizz

Ingredients: 2 ounces sloe gin, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1 teaspoon super fine sugar, club soda

Mixing Instructions: Shake gin, lemon juice and sugar with ice in a cocktail shaker then strain into a small, chilled Collins glass, filling to an inch or so from the top.  Then splash the club sode or seltzer in carelessly so that it foams.

Notes: Fuzzzzz…..fizzzzz……yummy gin jammy.  Thick is a great way to describe this second album from The Black Keys, thick but not dense.  Thick as in oozing with smoke and booze filled blues that cemented the Akron duo into rock legendary.  This is music for people that truly love music…paired with a drink for people that truly love a good drink.  Damn right.   

purchase vinyl:    Amazon   ||   Insound

48. Phoenix - ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ + Calimocho

Phoenix - ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ + Calimocho

Ingredients: Cheap red wine (seriously…if the bottle costs more than $5 you’re aiming too high), Coca-Cola, ice.

Mixing Instructions: Fill a large glass with ice, fill halfway with red wine, top off with Coke, mix and serve.

Notes:  Pure joy.  Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix offers an entire album of addictive, synth-rock perfection.  The French group finely balances pop with brains and substance producing a feel-good sound that never comes off as artificial.  Paired with the popular Spanish cocktail Calimocho (Kalimotxo) it is hard to think of a better way to spend a late summer afternoon.

purchase vinyl:    Amazon   ||   Insound

47. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - ‘Mature Themes’ + Sour Old Mule

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - ‘Mature Themes’ + Sour Old Mule

Ingredients:  2oz Bourbon, 1oz Lime Juice 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters, Egg White, Ginger Beer, orange peel

Mixing Instructions:  Combine egg white, lime juice, bitters, and bourbon into a cocktail shaker.  Shake a bit.  Add ice, full shake.  Strain into glass, top with ginger beer to taste and garnish.

Notes:  There’s a chance you don’t know what you’re getting into with a band like Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti—a chance that maybe you’re already making assumptions based on the name alone.  Forget that—Ariel Rosenberg is the man behind the name and is a serious contender for space in your catalog.  His new album Mature Themes is an instant favorite and a good introduction to his artistry in general.  We paired with a Sour Old Mule not because we think that best sums him up, but because Mature Themes requires a mature cocktail.  Trust us, the album is phenomenal if you think anything else we’ve paired was a good fit for you… and the drink is great too.  Give it a shot.  

—Oh yeah, and there’s a killer cover of “baby” by Donnie and Joe Emerson on the album, if you haven’t heard it yet.

purchase vinyl:  Amazon  ||  Insound

46. Four Tet - ‘Pink’ + Piña Colada

Four Tet - ‘Pink’ + Piña Colada

Ingredients:  1/2 cup rum, 1/2 cup coconut cream, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup pineapple chunks, sliced pineapple, cherry

Mixing Instructions:  Fill blender with ice cubes—add rum, coconut cream, coconut milk and pineapple chunks.  Puree.   Serve with a slice of pineapple and a cherry garnish.

Notes:  Four Tet’s new album Pink is heavy on the beats but light on mood.  You won’t be in it 1 minute before you feel your head swirling along to the beat—and just wait til you hear Pyramid.  Some of these tracks have been seen elsewhere in the last year, but are packaged together as a great whole piece for any party, as we see it.  Currently only available digitally or as 12” singles, we’re looking forward to (hopefully) seeing it as a complete LP in the near future.  We don’t aim to tease since this album isn’t available as a whole yet, but it was too good not to pair and share.  We’ll keep you posted on the full LP release.

purchase vinyl:  boomkat

MP3:  Amazon

45. Divine Fits - ‘A Thing Called Divine Fits’ + More Over

Divine Fits - ‘A Thing Called Divine Fits’ + More Over

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces of gin, 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, 1/4 ounce sweet vermouth, 1/4 ounce Cherry Heering, 1 dash bitters

Mixing Instructions: Stir well in a mixing glass with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist

Notes:  Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, the New Bomb Turks’ Sam Brown, and Alex Fischel have brought their individual talents and styles together in a way that seems impressively natural for being together such a short time.  The depth of talent is evident, but not distracting.  Paired with a delicate cherry cocktail, ‘A Thing Called Divine Fits’ will provide a considerable amount of music pleasure to those astute enough to take it for a spin.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound   

44. Sigur Rós - ‘Valtari’ + The St-Germain Cocktail

Sigur Rós - ‘Valtari’ + The St-Germain Cocktail

Ingredients: 2 parts Brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine, 2 parts club soda, 1 1/2 parts St-Germain 

Mixing Instructions: Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Notes: Delicate, beautiful, haunting.  Music that places you on a high grassy knoll watching the waves steamroll into the rocky cliffs below…life, suddenly, made much larger.  Listen from start to finish, the way it was meant to be experienced.  Truly epic.     

purchase vinyl:   Amazon || Insound

43. JJ Doom - ‘Key to the Kuffs’ + Jack and Coke

JJ Doom - ‘Key to the Kuffs’ + Jack and Coke

Ingredients:  Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Coca-Cola

Mixing instructions:  Mix together to desired taste and strength, stir with ice… garnish with a lime wedge if that’s your thing. 

Notes:  Doom is back, and we couldn’t be more excited.  We chose jack and coke because it’s a simple mix that works just like Doom has a simple formula that always works.  Not overly complex at face value (never over-produced… usually no hooks or choruses)… but anything paired with Doom will be good.  He’s INCREDIBLE!—A lyricist in the truest form.  JJ Doom - Key to the Kuffs is not a traditional (modern) rap album, Doom will never do that… but if you get passed how raw it sounds, you’ll notice that Doom’s lyrical capabilities still clearly set him apart from the rest of the field.  His sharp and witty wordplay is a never-ending display of his talent.  His verses still start and end abruptly….but they’re as sharp as ever and if you pay attention you’ll hear some of the most witty lyrical banter available in the current musical landscape. Add production for this album from Jneiro Jarel as well as guest appearances from Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz fame) and Beth Gibbons (Portishead)… and you have a genuine work of art.  GMO, Wash Your Hands, Retarded Fren, Guv’nor, Bite the Thong, and a smooth instrumental, Viberian Sun Part II are all standouts… but put this LP on your platter and you won’t be disappointed.  Drink up!

purchase vinyl:  Amazon  ||  Insound

42. Yeasayer - ‘Fragrant World’ + The Brooklyn

Yeasayer - ‘Fragrant World’ + The Brooklyn

Ingredients: 2 ounces rye whiskey, 1 ounce dry vermouth, 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur, 1/4 Bittermens Amere Nouvelle (American variation of Amer Bier). 

Mixing Instructions: Combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and stir until well-chilled.  Strain into a cocktail glass.

Notes: If Boyz II Men spent a night smoking hookah and drinking cocktails with a posse of highly-talented English electronic artists they might start getting in the same ballpark as Yeasayer’s third album.  ’Fragrant World’ finds the Brooklyn trio reinventing their sound to something a bit more restrained and complex, but nonetheless incredibly fascinating.  The electronic and R&B influences run deep with opening track “Fingers Never Bleed” giving listeners the perfect blend of what’s in store.  ”Longevity” follows with bass lines that require an excellent sub or headphones to truly enjoy - a highly addictive song.  Other gems are sprinkled throughout.  Some fans may find this album a little less accessible upfront, but after multiple listens it is evident that Yeasayer crafted something that gets better with time, something worth digging into.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound

41. Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) + Scorpion

Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) + Scorpion

Ingredients: 2 ounces light rum, 2 ounces orange juice, 1 1/2 ounces lemon juice, 1 ounce brandy, 1/2 ounce Orgeat syrup, 1 scoop shaved ice

Mixing Instructions: Blend and pour into a tall glass (tiki if available) filled with cracked ice.  Top with one gardenia or an edible flower of your choice. (via Trader Vic’s of Los Angeles)

Notes:  Only a handful of soundtracks in cinematic history have captured a specific mood and style so well.  Cliff Martinez’s 80’s-cool, synth-heavy, finely calibrated score provides not only a steely backbone to the movie, but takes listeners on a subtle and sexy ambient musical journey.  Both the soundtrack and cocktail place one in a blissful state of anticipation and tension - quiet, smooth and shockingly deadly.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon

40. The Antlers - ‘Undersea' + Brandy Alexander

The Antlers - ‘Undersea' + Brandy Alexander

Ingredients:  3/4 oz creme, 3/4 oz brandy, 3/4 oz dark creme de cacao, nutmeg

Mixing Instructions: Pour the liquors and creme into a mixing glass, shake and pour into a martini glass.  Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Notes:  The Antlers - Undersea EP is 4 timeless tracks of musical goodness.  It’s a soundtrack to contemplation.  Put this album on, sip your Brandy Alexander… reflect on the good fortune that put you in this place and time. Rinse. Repeat.

purchase vinyl:  Amazon  ||  Insound

39. Aesop Rock - ‘Skelethon’ + Singapore Sling

40. Aesop Rock - ‘Skelethon’ + Singapore Sling

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces gin, 1/2 ounce Cherry Heering, 1/4 ounce Cointreau, 1/4 ounce Benedictine, 4 ounces pineapple juice, 1/2 ounce lime juice, 1/3 ounce grenadine, 1 dash Angostura bitters, cherry for garnish.

Mixing Instructions: Shake with ice, strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.  Garnish with cherry

Notes:  Jeff Weiss of Pitchfork said of this album, ”It’s the best-written rap album since Danny Brown’s XXX, which it resembles in its ability to evoke the self-doubt, sleepless nights, and isolated focus required to finish something great.”  A lot of complexity for such a smooth album and cocktail.  You won’t get bored quickly with either.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   

38. Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs - ‘God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise’ + Bourbon Cocktail

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs - ‘God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise’ + Bourbon Cocktail

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces bourbon, 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 ounce Benedictine D.O.M., 1/4 ounce Cointreau, Angostura bitters, lemon twist for garnish.

Mixing Instructions: Place a cocktail glass in freezer to chill. Combine the bourbon, lemon juice, Benedictine, and Cointreau in a cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice.  Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted.  Strain into the chilled cocktail glass, top with a dash of bitters, and garnish with lemon twist. (via Chow)

Notes: Ray LaMontagne produced his fourth album on his own, recording it over the course of two weeks at his home in the woods of rural Massachusetts.  It worked.  Aided by his incredibly talented band, the Pariah Dogs, LaMontagne delivers up a masterpiece in American folk.  The melancholy rasp of a voice, slide guitar and contemplative lyrics make this the kind of album to which you picture living life.  Few vocal performances can match the opening riff of the title track…perfection.  Other highlights include, “Beg Steal or Borrow” and “Devil’s In the Jukebox.”  Sip your Bourbon Cocktail, and let LaMontagne’s voice make life simple again.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon

37. Lana Del Rey - ‘Born to Die’ + Long Summer Night

Lana Del Rey - ‘Born to Die’ + Long Summer Night

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces Southern Comfort peach liqueur, 1 1/2 ounces triple sec, 1 1/2 ounces sweet and sour mix, 1 can Mountain Dew soda

Mixing Instructions: Pour Southern Comfort, triple sec, sour mix in a glass over ice.  Fill with Mountain Dew, stir and serve.

Notes:  The girl with the whispering willows voice shoots a flaming arrow into the heart of the American Dream, meekly nursing a cigarette as the whole thing burns down in front of her.  The 26-yr old Del Rey is both Shirley Temple and Marilyn Monroe, going back and forth between child and adult, innocence and complex consciousness.  Enjoy your cocktail (hat tip to ‘Diet Mountain Dew’) doing as the name suggests and finding a long summer’s night to take this album for a spin.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon