6 Cocktails To Ease The Pain (Or Praise The Gain) Of Tax Time Slideshow

Whether you're struggling with your return, grimacing over what you owe, or celebrating an unexpected refund, we have a drink for you.

In a muddle over your 1040 worksheet? Take time out and muddle some fruit instead. Then dive back into that hellish form, erase your mistakes, and start anew. We suggest making a Pencil Eraser.

We are not, I repeat, not, advocating that you get creative with your deductions. In the unlikely event that you are tempted to fudge a little here and there, step away from that 1040 and take time out to mix yourself this classic tipple. It dates from the early years of the last century, so perhaps it will remind you of the old-fashioned values of honesty and integrity. 

You've tried to keep a positive attitude in the face of all that bewildering paperwork and those numbers that keep adding up in a way that isn't in your favor, but your mood is lousy. Go with the flow for a while with this ominous-sounding but effervescent concoction.

You've done your best. You've added and re-added, computed till you're bleary-eyed, and done it all on the up-and-up to boot. Your reward? A hefty figure down on that line that says "Tax You Owe." Ouch. That stings. This classic cocktail, oddly, doesn't.

It's time to dull the hurt, to forget, at least for an hour or so, the bad news that awaited you at the bottom of your tax return. This should do the trick.

Wait! What's that? You added wrong, and not only don't you owe the IRS a penny, you've got a four-figure refund coming back! What are you going to do with all that money? Sock it away, right? Right. Celebrate with a Fort Knox.