By Heather Leszczewicz Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Feb 23, 2007 at 5:20 AM

February is "Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com, and we'll serve up more than a six pack a week of bar articles all month long. Look for bartender profiles, drink recipes, revamped bar guides and more!

It's a simple procedure ordering a shot -- "Gimme a shot of this and a shot of that." However, being in the bar should require being more adventurous than ordering a straight shot of vodka, whiskey, scotch or tequila. It's a chance to be creative.

If people can order their coffee each morning 10 different ways, a shot can be the same way. Just know the lingo and the ingredients, and away you go. Here are 10 shots to try, some with variations as well. Suggest your own favorite shots in the talkbacks.

Apple Pie
As a substitute for the dessert served with a side of ice cream, fill up a shot glass with three-fourths vodka and fill up the rest with apple juice. Add a dash of cinnamon to make it taste like the real thing. Double up the taste with a double shot, fill halfway with vodka and half with apple juice.

Banana Split
Wisconsin's winters can't keep away the cravings for banana splits. So, a shot can take the place of the frozen treat. Mix equal parts banana liqueur with vodka. There's also Bananas and Cream which has banana liqueur, Kahlua and Bailey's Irish cream.

Buttery Nipple
It's creamy, sweet and tastes like butterscotch. Mix Irish cream and butterscotch schnapps. It tastes good and not like alcohol so remember to drink it in moderation.

Cherry Cheesecake
Nothing's better than a sweet shot and cheesecake is delicious. Fill a shot glass three-fourths with vanilla schnapps. Fill the rest with cranberry juice.

Dirty Girl Scout
The Girl Scout cookie sales only come around once a year and sometimes people get the craving for those Thin Mints. So here's a shot to stave off the cravings. Mix together Bailey's Irish Cream, vodka and crème de menthe.

Lemon Drop
The lemon drop can be made as a regular drink, but it's also a fun shot. Fill a shot glass with vodka, plain or citrus depending on taste. Prepare a lemon wedge dipped in sugar. Shoot the vodka and follow up with a bite of the lemon, sweet and sour at the same time.

Liquid Cocaine
This is the shot to do in moderation and it has a few variations. There's the five-part shot mixing vodka, Southern Comfort, Grand Marnier, Amaretto and pineapple juice. There's the four-part with tequila, vodka, gin and rum. Finally, the three-part with rum, Goldschlager and Jagermeister.

Red Headed Slut
One of the most popular shots with the college crowd. Mix Jagermeister, peach schnapps and cranberry juice. Or try its sister shot, the Blonde Headed Slut, Grand Marnier, peach schnapps and pineapple juice.

Silk Panty
For a silky smooth shot, combine peach schnapps, vodka and a splash of cranberry juice. The name turns off a few people, but it's surprisingly good.

Three Wise Men
This shot is for the brave and those not afraid of the burning as it goes down. It's a mixture of name brand whiskeys: Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker and Jack Daniels. Add Jose Cuervo to make the Four Horsemen.   

Heather Leszczewicz Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.

However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.

Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson. 

Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.