The Love Sonnet Cocktail

One of the lovely things about creating bespoke cocktail for people are the little glimpses you get of peoples' lives. Poppy and Chris, the recipients of the Love Sonnet cocktail,  were kind enough to give their consent to let me share the details of it with you. In order to come up with something meaningful and appropriate, you must first get a measure of who they are and in the case of this lovely pair of newlyweds, it was a delightful back story of a couple with a real love for the theatre, who met later in life and were now getting married. Their wedding was to have a theatrical theme with plenty of Shakespearean references and the bespoke cocktail was being created as lovely wedding gift from a friend.

I wanted to create something that was both a celebration of love and romance and that acknowledged their love of Shakespeare and drama. The colour red symbolises love, is full of drama and is also the colour of poppies, which tied in nicely with the bride's name. The red in the bottle comes from a dash of Creme de Cassis, but the deep red colour in the finished cocktail is from fresh strawberries which also have romantic connotations. The cocktail was to have a floral note and for this I used a little Chase Elderflower liqueur which marries well with fruit and a dash of rosewater. The rose is to signify romance and doesn't overpower the drink, just adding a little complexity to the elderflower and complimenting the hint of rose infusion in the Hendricks gin.

The miniature bottles are painted with Shakespearean quotes about love and the masks of tragedy and comedy, which were part of their wedding's theme. Poppy's bottle was also painted with two little poppies to differentiate it from the groom's. The bottles, which contain the alcoholic part of the cocktail were accompanied by a recipe and handwritten explanatory letter, telling them why I had chosen the ingredients and painted the bottles with those designs.

Luckily for us, Poppy and Chris are willing to share the recipe for their delicious, martini style cocktail, so if you would like to join in the celebration of love, the recipe is as follows:

The Love Sonnet

Ingredients
1 1/4 oz Hendricks Gin
3/4 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
Dash of Creme de Cassis
1/4 oz lemon juice
3 fresh strawberries
2 drops of rosewater

Muddle the strawberries and lemon juice in the bottom of the shaker until liquid
Add the remaining ingredients and a handful of ice
Shake vigorously for 20 seconds and double strain into a chilled martini glass

Black Lace Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

If you are thinking of ordering a bespoke cocktail, either for yourself, your company or as a gift, then please take a look at these links for examples and more information.
Bespoke Cocktail Service
The Grey Fox Cocktail
The Secret Tea Society Cocktail
The Velvet Teas Cocktail

The Velvet Teas Cocktail

Bespoke Cocktail Service Hand painted detail of bespoke pitcher for Velvet Teas

Following on from the success of the The Secret Tea Society Cocktail (click here for details) , my involvement with the wonderful world of tea has carried on apace and I was recently commissioned to create a bespoke cocktail for a lovely company, based in Bath who create vintage style tea party events.

Velvet Teas is run by the delightful Emma Reynolds and was born of a love of fine china, beautiful linens and the exquisite pleasure of wonderfully sumptuous afternoon tea. Her tea party events already boast a selection of delicious sounding menus and Velvet Teas work with clients to provide the perfect tea party experience for any occasion. However, Emma felt that a bespoke cocktail would be a perfect addition to the  Velvet Teas menu and would enrich the whole experience for her ladies.

The criteria this cocktail had to fulfil were manifold.
First and foremost, it had to have universal appeal. As Emma's clients are almost exclusively female, this meant finding something with mass, feminine appeal.
Next, it had to be easy to prepare as events are very busy and nobody wants to wait half an hour for a drink to be ready. For this reason, it was decided that it should be a cocktail that could be made in a pitcher so that large groups could all order it without sending the catering into meltdown!
Despite being a pitcher based drink, it still had to be served in a coupe style glass which meant it couldn't be served over ice, like a highball.
It was also important to create a cocktail that went well with cake, so it had to be sweet without being sickly. Finally, and crucially, it had to be purple, so as to make it relevant to the Velvet Teas brand.

Many purple cocktails later, the Raspberry Velvet Tease was created. It's a fruity and fresh blend of Gin, creme de framboises, cranberry and lemon with the addition of blue curacao to give it the desired, purple hue. The recipe can be adapted to make a martini style cocktail, a highball or a pitcher, which is perfect if you are thinking of having a party.

As with all the Bespoke Cocktails I create, the final recipe is accompanied by a hand painted miniature bottle with the alcoholic part of the cocktail, a recipe sheet and a hand written letter to fully explain the thinking behind the choices.

Bespoke Cocktail Service hand painted miniature

In the case of Velvet Teas, I also hand painted a large pitcher that will be used for serving the Raspberry Velvet Tease cocktail at their tea party events. If you would like to find out more about Velvet Teas and the wonderful events they can provide, then please click here to go their website.

Bespoke Cocktail Service for Velvet Teas

Raspberry Velvet Tease

Pitcher Method

Ingredients
1 part gin
1/2 part creme de framboises
1/2 part blue curacao
1/2 part lemon juice
1 part cranberry juice
1 part sparkling water
lots of ice

Add all of the ingredients apart from the sparkling water, to a large pitcher, with ice.
Use a long handled spoon to stir the ingredients well, for about 20 seconds - it is important to get the drink as cold and as well mixed as possible.
Add the sparkling water and give another short stir to mix - not too vigorous this time or you will lose the fizz.
Strain the cocktail into martini style glasses to avoid including any ice.
Garnish with a fresh raspberry.

Bespoke Cocktail Service - hand painted pitcher

White Lace cocktail glasses by Toasted Glass

Lavender Cocktails

Lavender Highball Glasses by Toasted Glass

I am always on the look out for new cocktail inspiration and last week it came from Gin Monkey, whose fabulous website gives independent and impartial reviews of  cocktail bars in the UK and around the world. I am an avid user of twitter and was following the exploits of @GinMonkeyUK, tweeting about cocktail bars in Prague and in particular, the Hemmingway Bar where one of the drinks on offer was a Lavender Martini. As a huge fan of anything with lavender in, this instantly got my attention and I set to work, tracking down lavender to make lavender syrup, full details of which you can find by going to my Lavender Syrup post.

Having made the lavender syrup, the first recipe I tried was a classic martini with the addition of lavender syrup. I have to admit that I am not a lover of neat spirits, hence my love of cocktails and whilst I can appreciate the nuances of a neat gin for tasting purposes, I would find it hard to drink a whole shot. Therefore, I am perhaps not best placed to judge this impartially, but I have to be honest, this was a tough drink to get through. Gin is very aromatic and the lavender syrup is very floral. Combined with only a little vermouth and bitters, no amount of shaking will disguise the fact that there is a lot of alcohol in there. The result, I have to say was a bit like drinking your grandmother's perfume. That said, I did drink it all, albeit, very slowly and if you are a fan of the classic gin martini (and/or Yardley), then do give it a whirl. I am definitely going to experiment a little more with some of the more classic cocktails and see if I can't educate my palate.

Lavender Martini

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz gin (I used Hendricks)
1/2 oz dry vermouth (I used Noilly Prat Dry)
1/2 oz lavender syrup
dash of orange bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into chilled martini glass

Slightly deflated by my result, I decided to try another recipe, loosely based on the martini, using home made vanilla vodka. You can find out how to make it in my Vanilla Vodka post. Don't worry, it's ridiculously straight forward. The resultant drink here, was far more to my taste. The vanilla vodka has a slight natural sweetness and a little earthiness that is a suprise hit with lavender which is used to a lesser degree in this recipe. The lemon juice works very well with lavender and gives the whole drink a nice sweet/sour balance. For me, this was a big hit and my independent tester, neighbour Amy (Mr TG is away), enjoyed it too. She did comment that it too, was reminiscent of Yardley, but not in a bad way.

Lavender Martini Glasses available on Etsy

Vanilla, Lavender Martini

Ingredients

1 1/2oz vanilla vodka
1/2oz lemon juice
1/4oz lavender syrup

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass

Lavender Martini Glasses available on Etsy

This next cocktail is a great, refreshing drink that marries together the obvious pairing of lemon and lavender. It makes a fantastic non-alcoholic drink, minus the alcohol and is delicious with either gin or vodka. I have chosen to go with gin on this occasion as the botanicals that flavour gin really add more depth to the drink. I wanted to try a different gin this week and so tested Blackwoods Vintage Gin, made using botanicals from the Shetland Isles. The gin is very competitively priced and really does deliver. The label stated that amongst other things, it was distilled using violet and water mint, both of which I could discern from sipping it neat. It was slightly floral and fresh and seemed perfect for this drink.


Lemon and Lavender Cooler

Ingredients

2oz Blackwoods Gin
10z lemon juice
1/2oz lavender syrup
sparkling water

Add the gin, lemon and lavender to the shaker and half fill with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into highball glass with ice
Top up with sparkling water

Lavender Highball Glasses by Toasted Glass

Keeping with the long drinks, in the hope that the sun will start shining again and I can sit in the garden, sipping iced cocktails, this next drink mixes vodka with dark, berry fruits, lavender and citrus. It is quite sweet, depending on how much sparkling water you use to top it up. For my tastes, I would only half fill the highball with ice, leaving more room to add sparkling water, making a longer, more refreshing drink.

Lavender Berry Cooler

Ingredients

1 1/2oz vodka
1/4oz creme de cassis
1/2oz lavender syrup
1oz lime juice
6 blueberries

Muddle (squish) the blueberries in the bottom of a shaker with the lime juice. If you don't have a muddler, then improvise with a pestle or handle of a cooking implement.
Add the vodka, cassis and lavender syrup to the shaker.
Half fill with ice and shake vigorously before straining into a highball glass, half filled with ice.
Top up with sparkling water.

Butterfly Highball Glasses by Toasted Glass

Finally, and this is a first for Toasted Glass, I have made a whisky cocktail, loosely based on a Rusty Nail (whisky and drambuie), which is one of the few ways I have ever been able to stomach Scotland's finest. It is a shameful admission that as a Scot myself, I have no love for the whisky, but a cocktail is an incredible thing, that done correctly, can really turn flavours around. Because I wanted to add sweetness and warmth to the whisky, I chose to mix it with King's Ginger, which, if you follow this blog, you'll know I am a fan of it's sweet, earthy warmth. Knowing that I like the lemon and honey of a hot toddy, I was fairly confident that lemon and lavender syrup would work with the whisky. I deliberately chose a whisky with a sweeter flavour and honey overtones, but decided to go for miniatures as I'm not quite ready to embrace whisky wholeheartedly. This Jura 10yr old whisky definitely has a sweet finish to it, but one sip was enough to tell me that I've a long way to go before I'm able to drink it neat. My late gramps would turn in his grave if he knew what I'd done to a good single malt...

Summer Toddy

Ingredients

1 1/2oz Jura 10 yr old whisky (or similarly sweet)
1/2oz King's Ginger
1/2oz lavender syrup
3/4oz lemon juice

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and half fill with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled tumbler

White Stag Tumblers by Toasted Glass

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this and who knows, maybe, in the same way as I have been with tequila, I'll be persuaded to choose it more often. I'm not sure what whisky purists would make of it, but I think anyone who enjoys a whisky with a mixer, will approve.

Next week, I'll be looking at cocktails to impress your father with, on Father's day, so probably a little less of pink drinks and glasses with butterflies and possibly a little more whisky - who knows....

Have a great weekend and drink safely x

All of the spirits and liqueurs listed are available to buy at Amathus Drinks (see link to their shop on the  left of the page) or similarly high quality purveyors of wines and spirits.

Cherry Vodka

Black Lace Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

If you follow me on twitter or facebook then you will know that this week I have been all about the Cherry Vodka. I am no stranger to making flavoured vodkas as I used to work in a cocktail bar, many years ago, where the in-house, flavoured vodkas were our speciality. Most were sugary sweet like the Loveheart Vodka I showed you how to make in an earlier post, but I was intrigued to try making a fruit infused vodka. I settled on cherry because I figured the colour would be pretty amazing and also because I had some in the freezer, left over from making Cherry Margaritas. As I said before, I think frozen cherries are just fine for cocktail making. They are frozen at the point of picking and retain all the colour and flavour. The only thing lacking, when they defrost, is a little of the firmness, but when you are squishing them up or steeping them for days in vodka, it doesn't really matter. I used Absolut Vodka because that was what I had and I would recommend that you use something of a similar or even higher quality. This is a fruit infusion and the flavour is quite subtle and not sweetened with sugar so the quality of the vodka will make a big difference to the end result. If you fancy giving it a go yourself, follow the simple steps below.

How to make Cherry Vodka

You will need 

300ml good quality vodka

100g frozen cherries

Pour out 300ml of vodka into a clean measuring jug. Obviously you can make more if you wish - just scale up the quantities accordingly.

Place the cherries in a sieve and run cold water over them to get rid of the ice glaze - if you don't, when the cherries defrost in the vodka, you'll actually be inadvertently adding water. Similarly, allow the cherries to drain before adding them to the vodka.

Transfer the cherries into an airtight container, cover with the vodka, close the lid and wait.....

And finally , on the fifth day, it was good to go.

As you can see, the colour got more intense with each passing day and depending on your patience, you could leave it even longer, although the cherries themselves, by this point, have lost their colour and flavour, so I'm not convinced it would produce any better a result.

The cherries had retained their shape and it would probably have been fine just to use a sieve, but incase the fruit should break up when you separate it from the vodka, I suggest using a coffee filter paper. They will come in handy, should you decide to try the Loveheart Vodka too.

Tip the contents of your airtight container into a measuring jug before filtering, to avoid messy spills.

Allow the cherries to drain for quite a while as they are holding a lot of vodka.

Store the left over cherries in an airtight container in the fridge. With so much vodka in them, it would be a shame to throw them away!

Pour your vodka into a clean bottle and label it clearly to avoid any mishaps (especially if you have children).

So now you have your Cherry Vodka, what can you make with it? Well, of course, you could just drink it schnapps style, but that's not for the fainthearted. There is a sweetness to the vodka and a fruitiness that makes it quite palatable, but it's no sweet liqueur and in my opinion, it is best suited to cocktail making., so here are a few ideas.

Cherry Sour

Ingredients

1 1/2oz Cherry Vodka

1oz Cherry Heering

2oz Vita Coco

1/2oz fresh lime juice

Vita Coco, if you haven't heard of it before, is natural coconut water with no added sugar. It has an almost imperceptible coconut flavour and a slight natural sweetness. It is very different to coconut milk or coconut creme, both of which are quite calorific and thicker in texture. Apparently it's very good for you - lots of electrolytes, which is a good thing, so the blurb says, but that's probably a moot point when it's in an alcoholic beverage. Still, every little helps I suppose.

This recipe also contains Cherry Heering which adds a stronger cherry flavour and some sweetness. You can read more about Cherry Heering and where to buy it, in my Alfresco Cocktails post.

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and add a handful of crushed ice

Shake vigorously for 20 secs and strain into chilled cocktail glass

This cocktail has the whole sweet and sour thing going on, that I like so much, but it's fairly subtle, which is nice. It is refreshing and would work well as a long drink over ice, too.

Next up, a very fruity and delicious cocktail that tastes like summer in a glass. It's sweet but in a very natural tasting way and if your fruit tastes sweet enough, don't bother adding the 1/4oz simple syrup

Cherry Berry

Ingredients

2oz Cherry Vodka

3 strawberries

6 blueberries

1/4oz simple syrup (optional)

Place the fruit in the shaker and muddle (squish). If you don't have a muddler, I find the handle of an ice cream scoop or something similar, works quite well.

Add the Cherry Vodka and a handful of ice

Shake vigorously for 20 secs and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

NB - this cocktail is quite slow to strain through the holes in the shaker as berries become a little gloopy, but be patient, turn the shaker upright again and jiggle it a little before straining out the rest.

White Lace cocktail glasses by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is aptly named Lolita. It has an almost bubble gum sweetness due to the apricot brandy that belies its alcoholic content and it is the most sensational colour.

Lolita

Ingredients

2oz Cherry Vodka

1oz apricot brandy

1/2oz lemon juice 

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with a handful of crushed ice and shake vigorously for 20 secs

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Butterfly cocktail glasses by Toasted Glass

Our last cocktail today is a tropical inspired little number featuring a lovely rum I picked up in Amathus City a couple of weeks ago, which has an almost coconut flavour of it's own.The addition of fresh pineapple and coconut water, definitely give it that tropical feel and make me long for a more temperate climate. Still, whip up one of these, turn on the heating and samba round the living room - job done.

Carmen Miranda

Ingredients

1oz Cherry Vodka

1oz Flora de Cana rum (or similar quality)

Handful of fresh pineapple

2oz Vita Coco

1/2oz agave nectar (see Ay Caramba post for info on Agave nectar)

Muddle the pineapple in the bottom of the shaker

Add all of the other ingredients, plus a handful of crushed ice

Shake vigorously and strain into chilled cocktail glass

Cherry Cocktail Glasses available on Etsy

This is another cocktail that would be a lovely drink over ice in a highball glass and perhaps with a squeeze of lime too, but then I like a squeeze of lime on most things.

So there you have it - Cherry Vodka - worth the wait for the colour alone. It's so easy to do, I recommend you give it a whirl, even if it just so you can drink a pink V&T. Have fun making cocktails, drink responsibly and have a wonderful weekend X

Summer Spice

Go to Hendricks website

I was inspired this week, by the long overdue appearance of the sun and got to thinking of all the exotic locations I won't be visiting this year (boo), and how I might bring a little of their flavour to this week's blog. Add to that, the discovery that my local supermarket now stock Hendricks Gin and several ideas began to form. At first, I was going to dedicate the whole blog to my newly accquired bottle of Hendricks and indeed, I believe it more than worthy, but there was one tequila cocktail that I have rather fallen in love and felt I had to share it with you, so instead, this post will be dedicated to cocktails with a bit of spice. However, expect to see a lot more of the wonderful Hendricks in the weeks to come and do take a look at their website for some other inspired cocktails and if you like gin, their are some fabulous recipes and a bit more about Hendricks in this earlier post - Mother's Ruin

This first cocktail was taken from their website, although I inadvertently gave it my own twist by misreading the ingredients list. The recipe calls for elderflower cordial, but in my excitement, I took it to mean elderflower liqueur and if you are a regular to this blog, then you will know that my love for Chase Elderflower Liqueur runs deep. Thus, it was only when the drink was made, that I noticed it should have been cordial, but upon tasting, deemed it a success, so stuck with it. The resultant drink is less sweet because the liqueur has less sugar and more alcohol and by default, is more alcoholic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Certainly, it floated my boat. The basil works well with the botanicals of the gin and lemongrass imparts a delicate and fragrant flavour.

The Hendricks Experience (almost)

Ingredients

1 3/4oz Hendricks Gin
3/4oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
3/4oz fresh lemon juice
2 basil leaves
1/2 stick of fresh lemongrass

Slice the lemongrass and put in the bottom of the shaker and muddle (squash it a bit with a pestal or something similar)

Add all of the remaining ingredients  and half fill the shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass

White Lace cocktail glasses by Toasted Glass

Next up, I took my spice inspiration from India and more specifically, the sweet spices used to make masala tea and other spiced Indian drinks and blended them with freshly squeezed orange and a touch of vanilla to give the drink a little sweetness and warmth, without being cloying. in an ideal world, I would have used vanilla gomme syrup which, with the addition of acacia gum, adds a silkiness to the drink, but I didn't have any. So, in it's place, I used a little vanilla pod for the flavour and egg white, for the texture. The cardamom and cinnamon definitely add to the mix of flavours, without overpowering the wonderful flavour of Hendricks. A success, I feel.

All the Raj

Ingredients

1 3/4 oz Hendricks Gin
1 oz orange juice
2 cardamom pods
Pinch of cinnamon
2cm length of vanilla pod
1/2oz simple syrup (sugar syrup)

Add the egg white, syrup and orange to the shaker and whisk until frothy
Lightly crack the cardamom pods before adding to the shaker
Slice the length of vanilla pod and scrape out the black seeds and add seeds and pod to the shaker
Add the Hendricks and half fill with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass

Orange and Lemon cocktail glasses by Toasted Glass

My newly rekindled love affair with tequila shows no signs of abating, at least, not until the bottle runs out, and this next cocktail takes it's inspiration from Mexico, with the inclusion of chilli. I find that tequila works well with a bit of fire to enhance its own spicy aroma, or, depending on your opinion, to kill the taste of it. Either way, it's a winner, but do test the heat of your chilli before you start, or you could get more than you bargained for! The peppercorns might seem like an odd pairing, but the earthy, spiciness works well with tequila and peppercorns are a surprise match with strawberries as well. One of the most delicious puddings I ever had, was a bowl of warmed strawberries with a balsamic and black peppercorn reduction - who knew?

Fresa Picante

Ingredients

1 1/2oz tequila resposado
2-3 strawberries (depending on size)
1/2 chilli (medium heat) adjust according to taste and the strength of your chilli
6 black peppercorns
1oz lime juice
1/2oz simple syrup

Muddle the strawberries in the bottom of the shaker until they are pulped
Add the chilli and black peppercorns and muddle again
Add the remaining ingredients and half fill the shaker with ice
Shake vigorously for 20 secs minimum and strain into a cocktail glass

Gecko cocktail glasses by Toasted Glass

This last cocktail, I discovered last week when I was making margaritas, but as it is a drink over ice, it didn't make the cut for last weeks blog post - Ay Caramba. However, both Mr TG and I thought this was a great drink and so simple to recreate. Admittedly, classing ginger beer as a spice is a little tenuous, but it does have ginger in it, so....

El Diablo

Ingredients

1 1/2 tequila resposado
1/2oz creme de cassis
1/2oz lime juice
ginger beer

Add the tequila, cassis and lime juice to a shaker half filled with ice
Shake vigorously and strain in to a tumbler filled with ice
Top up with ginger beer

POW tumbler by Toasted Glass

Well that's it for another week. I hope you find something you want to try here and if you do, I'd love to know your thoughts. Have a fabulous weekend, drink responsibly and come back next week for more cocktail recipes x

Easter Cocktails

Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

As my family and I are preparing to embark on our first ski trip together, I had thought to miss this week's cocktail, but I couldn't resist trying out these tangy treats and as many of you may well be entertaining family and friends over the Easter break, this will give you plenty of time to make sure you have the ingredients. Both of this week's cocktails are once again, bursting with fruit - I'm not sure if they count as one of your five a day, but they certainly will put a spring in your step. 

The first cocktail, Country Thyme works well as a mocktail, when the vodka is omitted, should you wish to offer a non alcoholic beverage for those that don't indulge. Just follow the recipe as is, but miss out the vodka. Equally delicious, are last week's mojito recipes, minus the rum. Not that I am suggesting you avoid alcohol altogether, but it could be useful, should you find yourself appointed as designated driver for instance. Anyway, for the rest of us, let's throw caution to the wind, charge our shakers and make some cocktails!

Country Thyme

Ingredients

1 sprig of thyme
10 - 15 blueberries
Half a lemon, roughly chopped
1.5 oz vodka
0.5 oz sugar syrup
crushed ice

Place the thyme sprig in the palm of your hand and slap it to release the oils (yes really), then give it a twist and pop it in the bottom of a large tumbler or a highball glass and fill with crushed ice

Set aside the glass, and in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the blueberries and lemon

Add the vodka and sugar syrup and fill with ice
Shake vigorously for 10 - 20 secs and strain into the prepared glass
Garnish with another sprig of thyme and enjoy!

Agapanthus Tumbler on Etsy

Next up is this delicious concoction which calls for the addition of a dash of champagne. Obviously, it would be a terribly wasteful to open a whole bottle, just for this, but if you need some inspiration on how to finish it (other than just necking it, that is), then read my vintage post from 2012, all about champagne.

La Fleur de Paradis

Ingredients

2 oz gin
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz grapefruit juice
0.5 oz orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
0.75 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
0.25 oz sugar syrup
1 oz champagne or cava

Add all of the ingredients, bar the champagne, to a cocktail shaker
Top up with ice 
Shake vigorously for 10 - 20 secs 
Strain into a cocktail glass
Enjoy!

Orange and Lemon cocktail glass by Toasted Glass

Have a wonderful Easter - drink responsibly  - and I'll be back just after the Easter weekend with some apres ski inspired cocktails x

Mojitos

The Perfect Mojito Glass on Etsy

The first time I tried a Mojito was in 2001, in Havana, Cuba's beautiful and dilapidated capital city. Armed with our Lonely Planet city guide, Mr TG and I nervously negotiated the maze of narrow streets, constantly on the lookout for falling masonry from the buildings overhead, which were in a state of treacherous disrepair, until we found the unassuming frontage of La Bodeguita del Medio.

This little bar has continued trading on it's association with the the late, great writer and functioning alcoholic, Ernest Hemmingway, who famously wrote on the wall there, 'My mojito in La Bodeguita. My daiquiri in El Floridita' and is a pilgrimage destination for fans of Hemmingway and tourists looking for an excuse to drink in the afternoon. I admit, we fell into the latter category, although my father was inspired to become a writer after reading Hemmingway, so that counts - right?

Anyway, after stressing about falling masonry and whether or not all the fast talking Cubanos did want to be our tourist guide or just run off with our travellers cheques, the cramped interior of the bar was a welcome sight and the first taste of a mojito, a refreshing, minty, citrus hit. The barman there was more than happy to show me how to make a Mojito and the recipe that I have given you today, is just that. I am also going to give you a few variations which are equally delicious and just call for the simple addition of an ingredient or two, but the basic recipe is always the same. 

Since returning from Cuba, I have subsequently tried Mojitos in many notable establishments - well, it has been 12 years - and have been surprised at how many use granulated, brown sugar. Perhaps this is thought to be more authentic to the original drink, but it's not the one they serve in the home of the Mojito and all the sugar clogs up your straw, not to mention the massive bits of lime and mint floating about. I recommend using  white, caster sugar or sugar syrup which is readily available in most supermarkets and of course, it's only fitting that we should use Havana Club white rum.

Mojito (basic)

Ingredients

5 mint leaves
1 fresh lime
2 level tsp white caster sugar or 1 oz sugar syrup
2 oz white  rum
sparkling water
crushed ice

Take a large tumbler or highball glass and squeeze the juice of the whole lime into the bottom
Add the sugar/syrup and mint leaves and muddle together to dissolve the sugar and release the aroma of the leaves
Add the rum and almost fill the glass with crushed ice
Top up with sparkling water and give it a little stir to ensure it's properly mixed
Enjoy!

For an added little kick and a pretty colour, another Cuban barman recommended that I add a few shakes of Angostourra Bitters with the rum and in fact, that is how I've been making them ever since. 

If you are a follower of this blog, you will know that I am a big fan of Chase Elderflower Liqueur and this next variation uses both Elderflower and fresh raspberries, although, just Elderflower alone is delicious. It blends really well with citrus and mint, but the raspberries add a spot of colour too.

Visit Chase Distillery

Raspberry and Elderflower Mojito

Ingredients

5 mint leaves
1 fresh lime
3 raspberries
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
1 level tsp white caster sugar or 1/2 oz sugar syrup
1 and 1/2 oz white  rum
sparkling water
crushed ice

Take a large tumbler or highball glass and squeeze the juice of the whole lime into the bottom
Add the raspberries and muddle
Add the sugar/syrup and mint leaves and muddle together to dissolve the sugar and release the aroma of the leaves
Add the rum and Chase Eldeflower Liqueur and almost fill the glass with crushed ice
Top up with sparkling water and give it a little stir to ensure it's properly mixed
Enjoy!

Have an amazing weekend and please drink responsibly!

Monique
x

PS - The Friday cocktail will be taking a break in the French Alpes next week, but back the following week with some Alpine inspired deliciousness.

Mother's Day Cocktails

Flush with the success of last week's cocktails, using the fabulous Chase Elderflower Liqueur, I decided it was definitely worth using again for today's Mother's Day special. After all, I'm a mother of two and I love it, but that aside, it has a delicate, floral bouquet that seems appropriate for the occasion.

Visit the Chase Distillery

First up is the ridiculously quaffable Elderflower Fizz, which is not only delicious, but so simple to make. I have decided to use Cava for this, but you can use Champagne if you prefer. The addition of Elderflower liquer will significantly sweeten the drink, so do be careful if you decide to use Prosecco, as it can be slightly sweeter to begin with.

Elderflower Fizz

1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
Champagne or Cava to top up  glass

Pour the Elderflower liqueur into the bottom of a champagne flute and top up with Cava - simple and totally delicious!

Champagne Flute by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail, was the winner of the May 2012 Vodka Cocktail Contest and with good reason. It is a fruity, herbal mix that is a joy to drink and was inspired by the creator's mother's garden. As ever, I have adapted it slightly, not least because the name made me howl with laughter. The original recipe calls for Grey Goose vodka, hence the name, 'A Goose in Spring'. I can only imagine that in the US, the term 'goose' does not have the same connotations, or perhaps his mother is partial to a goose in spring - who knows? Anyway, I do not have Grey Goose Vodka and I used lavender in the cocktail, rather than infusing the vodka for 6 days and as I am so enamoured of Chase Elderflower Liqueur, I have decided to call it:

Chase in the Garden

3 raspberries
Sprig of Lavender
2 oz vodka
3/4 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 fresh lemon juice

Muddle the raspberries and lavender  in a cocktail shaker
Add the spirits and lemon juice
Fill to halfway with crushed ice
Shake well
Strain into a chilled, lavender rubbed cocktail glass

Waterlily Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

I hope you get a chance to treat mother to a cocktail or two, this weekend, or even just try them for yourself - they won't disappoint, but please remember to drink responsibly and never drink and drive. Have an amazing weekend xxx

Butterfly Cocktails

Butterfly Glasses by Toasted Glass

Well, it's Friday afternoon and the weekend is almost upon us, so I think it must be time to start planning a tipple. I stumbled upon this week's delicious libation when I Google searched 'Butterfly cocktails' and found this gem, created by Alex Kammerling in London. 

The cocktail called for the inclusion of Elderflower liqueur, which I had tasted before, but did not have in my possession, so the wonderfully obliging, Mr TG was dispatched to Leadenhall Market in his lunch hour to obtain a bottle. The shop there have several London outlets and even more fabulously, an online shop where you can purchase a wide range of interesting alcoholic beverages. However, a trip in person is recommended if you can, as the staff are extremely knowledgeable and really helpful: Amanthus Drinks

There were several options available, but Mr TG chose this one, which I love. It comes in a lovely bottle and best of all, is made in Britain. I have since discovered that they make vodka, primarily, so next time I am stocking up, I'll be sure to buy British and try theirs!

visit the Chase Distillery website

I must confess that I was so taken with Elderflower liqueur, that I upped the quantity a little as I found the original cocktail a little wersh (bitter,for the non Scots among you), but that could have been down to the grapes I used. Anyway, I shall give you my version of it and you can likewise adapt, if necessary. After all, that's how the best cocktails are born.

Butterfly Cocktail

Ingredients

1.5 oz vodka
1oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 seedless white grapes
3 leaves basil
3 leaves mint
ice

Muddle the grapes in the bottom of a cocktail shaker (muddling is essentially just roughly mashing them) 
 Add the other ingredients with enough crushed ice to half fill the shaker
Give it a bit of a shake - nothing to vigorous as the delicate flavours of the herbs will be marred. 
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and enjoy the fresh citrus flavour.

I had a little sip before putting it in the fridge for later as I still have to take my son to his gymnastics club, but I can assure you it is delish and I will be quaffing it later!

After the success of this Butterfly cocktail and seeing as I had a whole bottle of liqueur, I thought I would put my Mixologist's hat on and make a slightly sweeter, fruitier version and I'm so pleased with the result, I just have to share. 

Strawberry Butterfly Cocktail

Ingredients

1.5 oz vodka
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
3 large strawberries
1/2 large orange
ice

Muddle the strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker
Squeeze the 1/2 orange directly into the shaker
Add the other ingredients with enough crushed ice to half fill the shaker
Give it vigorous shake this time and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Not only does it look gorgeous, but it's really tasty too and practically a health drink with all that fruit (okay, maybe not) and although sweeter, not so much so that it tastes like an alcopop - these cocktails are definitely for grown ups!

So, I hope you get to give one or both of them a try and I can't recommend the Chase Elderflower Liqueur enough. In fact, you will definitely be seeing a few more drinks that use it, over the next few weeks, so grab a bottle if you want to join in.

Of course, I'm sure it goes without saying, but I will anyway - always drink responsibly and never drink and drive. Have a fabulous weekend. x

Pastel Butterflies Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass