Capitol Bar's head barman Kevin Hopper is now the cocktail columnist at the Idaho Statesmen, where he will be divulging all of the bars dirty little liquid secrets and plenty of recipes, along with advice on how to set up your own bar at home. Look for his column every other Sunday in the Statesman's Explore section. Here Kevin's debut column focusing on a summery thirst quencher called the Smash.

Vodka tonic. Gin and juice. Whiskey and Coke. All of these are mixed drinks; all are very easy to make. Just two ingredients, right? That’s all well and good, and it always leads to that wonderful tipsiness we all seek out after a hard day of work. Then there are cocktails. Martinis, Manhattans, Daiquiris, et al. Too difficult to mix together? Too many ingredients? Not so. The martini has two ingredients. The Manhattan has three. With just a little bit of knowledge and shoppi