Golden Years Cocktail

Bespoke Cocktail Service

The inspiration for this latest Bespoke Cocktail was the celebration of a Golden Wedding Anniversary. Fifty years of marriage deserves special recognition and quite possibly, a stiff drink, so what better gift than a tailor made cocktail.

The glasses were hand painted with a Lace design in ivory with a gold outline, incorporating the number '50' in the pattern and the wedding date, in gold, on the foot of the glass. The design on  the accompanying bottle that contains the all important, alcoholic components echoed the Lace design of the glasses and had the name of the cocktail, 'Golden Years', painted on it, in gold script. The name is both a reference to the Golden Wedding Anniversary and to the precious years they have, together.

The Bespoke Cocktail was commissioned for the lucky couple, by their daughter, who provided all the necessary information via the online survey. From her, I learned that they were partial to a gin and tonic as well as champagne cocktails made with sloe gin, but for this drink, we were looking to create  a martini style cocktail that could be served in their bespoke glasses. It seemed to me that a gin based cocktail would be ideal, but which gin to choose? Their 'go to' gin is Bombay Sapphire, but I had it on good authority that they would be open to trying something different, so, after much deliberation and trawling through my, frankly, worryingly large gin collection, I decided to plump for Bobbys Scheidam Dry Gin. I have written, at length, about this wonderful gin, in an earlier post, Bobby's Girl, but suffice to say, its fragrant, lemongrass aroma and soft, citrus flavour makes it stand out from the crowd.

From the beginning, I had wanted to create a drink with a golden colour, to mark the occasion, and the addition of Crème de Pêche (I used Cartron, but Giffard and Briottet are also good brands), lent, not only a rich tone, but another layer of fragrant, almost floral fruitiness to the cocktail. To this, I added Triple Sec and a pinch of edible gold powder, all of which I bottled, ready to be mixed with freshly squeezed lemon and orange juices.

Crème de Pêche is a peach liqueur made from the maceration of peaches with sugar and alcohol without the addition of any artificial flavourings and Triple Sec is an orange liqueur, such as Cointreau, made from the peel of both bitter and sweet oranges. The combination of the lemongrass, citrus and fragrant peach, makes for a fresh, zesty cocktail, that while, intense, is still very quaffable.

The Golden Years cocktail is served in the 'martini' style, stirred over ice  and strained into a chilled, cocktail glass, but could also be served over ice and topped up with a dash of sparkling water, for a longer, refreshing, summer tipple. The recipe below, is for the original, martini-style drink and serves one.

Golden Years

40ml Bobbys Dry Gin
20ml Crème de Pêche
20ml Triple Sec
20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
20ml freshly squeezed orange juice
Pinch of edible gold powder

Garnish - strip of orange zest

In advance of making the cocktail, I recommend popping your martini glass in the fridge to chill it. This will ensure that the drink stays chilled whilst drinking it.

Before squeezing the orange, use a sharp, paring knife to carefully remove a strip of zest from its peel, and set it aside to use as garnish.

Add all of the ingredients (apart from the garnish) to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice cubes. Ice is an essential part of any cocktail!

Stir briskly with a swizzle stick, for 50 seconds - one for every golden year...

Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any fruit pulp and maintain the cocktail's clarity.

Twist the zest over the cocktail to release a spray of orange oil and drop into the drink. This will enhance the aroma with a fresh, citrus scent.

Golden Years Cocktail, served in a Lace design glass

All of the alcoholic ingredients, featured in this recipe are available to buy online from Amathus Drinks or Master of Malt.

If you would like more information about the Bespoke Cocktail Service, you can visit the Toasted Glass website.

Summer Pastels

Bespoke Cocktail - Toasted Glass

Obviously, the number one priority when choosing your cocktail should be taste, but there's a lot to be said for looks as well, particularly if you are creating a cocktail for an event such as a wedding where the colour scheme is all important. Colour plays a large role in my business of creating Bespoke Cocktails as often, I am making a drink to represent a brand or a special occasion. So this week, for no other reason than I think they are as pretty as they are delicious, I've put together some martini-style drinks in pastel shades that might just be the perfect match for you.

The Just Peachy cocktail is fragrant with peach, hints of raspberry and spicy undertones. It's sweet enough to to slip down all too easily, but if you like your liquor hard, you can always double up on the gin. Remember, with a martini-style drink, there's no non-alcoholic element to water it down so the dilution comes, solely from shaking it over ice. Likewise, the drink is always best, enjoyed cold, hence the need for a stemmed glass to drink it from - this will prevent the heat of your hand, warming the contents of the glass and keep it icy cold from start to finish.

Just Peachy

1 oz Whitely Neil Gin
1 oz extra dry vermouth
1 oz martini rosato
1/2 oz Cartron Crème de Pêche de Vigne

Add everything to a shaker with ice and shake hard for about 20 secs.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Just Peachy - glass by Toasted Glass

The Elderflower and Violet Cocktail is a floral treat with just enough sharp lemon to cut through the sweetness. The pale violet colour is a joy to behold and the flavour is a must for those who like their cocktails flowery.

Elderflower and Violet Cocktail

1 oz Martin Miller Gin

3/4 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur

1/4 oz Bitter Truth Crème de Violette

2 oz dry vermouth

dash of lemon juice

Add everything to a shaker with ice and shake hard for about 20 secs.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Elderflower and Violet Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

The Flamooga is a Bespoke Cocktail I created for a customer recently that I hope they won't mind me sharing. It's a delicate shade of flamingo pink and a sophisticated blend of Gin Mare, Chase Elderflower Liqueur, a dash of Campari and ruby grapefruit. The herbal botanicals of Gin Mare (rosemary, thyme, basil and olive) and the citrus zing of ruby grapefruit are balanced with a little bittersweet from the Campari and fragrant floral of elderflower - something to reach all the tastebuds. It's not too sweet and works really well, shaken and served straight up, as shown here, or topped up with a little champagne and served in a champagne glass.

Flamooga

1 1/2 oz Gin Mare

1/2 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur

tsp Campari

dash of Angostura Orange Bitters

2 oz freshly squeezed ruby grapefruit 

Add everything to a shaker with ice and shake hard for about 20 secs.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Flamooga Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

T.L.C Cocktail

TLC Cocktail - Bespoke Cocktail Service

This cocktail was created as gift to mark the 30 year, Pearl Wedding Anniversary of a couple who work hard all year on the farm and in the local community and enjoy an annual cruise to far flung lands as a reward. From the brief I was given, I wanted to create something that would combine quintessentially British flavours with something a little more  cosmopolitan, that was both fruity and sweet.

The name of the cocktail refers to the couple's initials, but serendipitously also stands for 'tender loving care', without which, a marriage is unlikely to last 30 years. The bottles were hand painted in a lace design with a pearl outline and the number 30 entwined into the pattern to represent their 30 years of marriage to one another.

And so, to the cocktail...

The recipe calls for fresh raspberry purée which is easily made by squishing the raspberries through a sieve with the back of a spoon - collect the purée in a dish and discard the pips. About 4 large raspberries should be enough to make a tablespoon of purée.

The dash of lemon juice should be fresh, not the bottled type, but is literally, just a tiny squeeze, less than half a teaspoon. Although seemingly minuscule, that little dash just adds a freshness and depth to the alcohol.

Should you wish to make their signature cocktail for yourself, you will need to invest in a bottle of Martin Miller Gin (highly recommended with Fever Tree Tonic for an exceptional G&T), Cartron Crème de Pêche de Vigne and Giffards Crème de Framboises (both delicious when added to fizz in the style of a Kir Royale) and a sweet vermouth such as Martini Rosso which is an essential ingredient for many cocktails, including my current fave, the Negroni.

TLC Cocktail

3/4 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/4 oz Crème de Framboises
1/2 oz Crème de Pêche de Vigne
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 tbsp raspberry purée
dash of fresh lemon juice
raspberry to garnish

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice (cubed, not crushed) and shake hard until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted (about 20 secs).

Strain the contents into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a raspberry or two on a cocktail stick.

TLC Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

If you find the drink a little intense, served this way, why not try it served over ice or topped up with champagne - delicious!

TLC over ice - glass by Toasted Glass

Think Pink

Pinkster Gin and Fever Tree Tonic

It's that time of year again when many of us will be thinking of what to buy our lovely mums for Mother's Day and if my children are reading this - ask daddy to get mummy a nice bottle of gin please...

There are a myriad of wonderful gins to choose from out there and I am doing my level best to work through them all with the able assistance of recent gin convert and father of my children, Mr TG. This week we have been mostly drinking Pinkster, a small batch, British gin with  a delicate, pink colour and slightly sweet and fragrant flavour that is partially derived from raspberries (hence the pink colour) and I suspect, lavender, although I don't know for sure as the makers are tantalisingly vague.  

This kind of vagary is not uncommon in the gin world, however. In order to qualify as 'gin', the main botanical must be juniper, but that does leave room for all manner of experimentation and whilst many artisanal brands list their botanicals with pride, it's likely that those ingredients are not the whole story. It's a competitive business these days and who can blame  distillers for holding a little something back...

So, back to Pinkster - drunk neat, it is sweetish and floral with a fruity sharpness that is more berry than citrus. The makers recommend serving it with a good tonic, a sprig of mint and a fresh raspberry, which makes an exceptionally pretty and delicious G&T. If your dearest mama is partial to a drop of gin then a bottle of this would make a marvellous Mother's Day gift or if you can't bear to be parted from it, having purchased a bottle, then why not rustle up a few cocktails instead?

Pinkster Gin

This week I have been making some 'pink' variations of a few of my favourite cocktail classics as well as creating this sweet citrus, easily quaffable drink that is bound to please even the most awkward of mothers on Mothering Sunday.

Belles of St Clements

1oz Pinkster Gin

1oz Triple Sec

1/2oz lemon juice

1 small egg white

1/2 tsp grenadine

1oz cava or champagne

Orange wheel to garnish

Add all of the ingredients apart from the fizz, to the bottom of a cocktail shaker and whisk until frothy - you can 'dry' shake the ingredients without ice, to the same effect, but please be aware that this can cause a build of pressure in the shaker and the lid can pop off!

Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass and then float the fizz on top.

Garnish with a slice of orange - I have used a miniature orange, but an orange slice will be just fine.

Belles of St Clements - glass by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is an update of the eternally popular and simple to make, Negroni, using Pinkster Gin and Chase Elderflower liqueur. In a classic Negroni, the bitterness of the Campari is tempered by the sweetness of sweet vermouth, but with the 'Pinkroni', I've countered the bitterness with elderflower liqueur which makes it slightly sweeter and more floral.

Pinkroni

1oz Pinkster Gin

1oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur

1oz Campari

Add all of the ingredients to a tumbler or rocks glass with a few large ice cubes and stir to mix and chill the liquid. This has quite an intense flavour, but will dilute as the ice melts. I personally like to stir mine for 30 secs to get to an optimal dilution, but do experiment until you find your perfect mix.

Pinkroni Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail, the Martinez, is thought to be a precursor to the Martini (gin and dry vermouth) that mixes sweet vermouth with gin, but what really brings the drink to life, is the addition of a little maraschino liqueur and bitters. For me, the Martinez is a far more palatable drink than the Martini which is too dry for my liking and this Pink Martinez is a lovely alternative that uses Martini Rosato, the rosé alternative to Martini Rosso sweet vermouth. Martini Rosato combines flavours of pomegranate, raspberry, cinnamon and lemon giving it a sweet and spicy finish and a perfect companion to Pinkster.

Pink Martinez

2oz Martini Rosato

1oz Pinkster Gin

2 dashes Luxardos Maraschino Liqueur

2 dashes orange bitters

3 raspberries to garnish

Add all of the ingredients apart from the garnish to the bottom of a shaker with a handful of ice.

Stir the mix for about 20 secs to cool the liquid and create the perfect viscosity.

Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with 3 raspberries strung on a cocktail stick and dropped into the glass.

Pink Martinez

This last cocktail is a great alternative to Pimms as it's easy to put together and can be served by the glass or easily scaled up to serve in a pitcher. Rather than lemonade, it uses Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic which enhances the floral notes of lavender from the Pinkster Gin and the fragrant peach in Cartron's creme de peche de vigne.

Pinkster No.1

1 part Pinkster Gin

1 part Creme de Framboises

1 part Creme de Peche de Vigne

3 parts Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic

Handful of mint leaves

Handful of raspberries

A few lemon slices

Fill the bottom of a large pitcher with ice and add the mint and fruit.

Pour in the alcohol and tonic and stir to mix.

Pinkster No.1 - glass by Toasted Glass

Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea

Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea

The power of twitter is a force to be reckoned with, that has brought me followers and customers from across the globe and sparked connections with wonderful people from all walks of life, some of which I can now count as friends. One such connection is the very lovely @GreyFoxBlog who has long been a champion of British design and manufacture and who was instrumental in introducing me (once again through the medium of twitter) to the chaps at Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea. They appropriately met at the Best of Britannia 2013, a celebration of all that is great about British design, manufacture and produce, where friends, Philip Harding and Ian ODonohue, along with his father Martin, were keen to extoll the virtues of their premium, bottled, alcoholic ice tea. Whilst selflessly quaffing their delicious ice tea in the name of supporting British produce, Grey Fox recalled his dipsomaniac, tea loving, cocktail creating, glass painting, blogging friend (does that make me a 'renaissance woman'?) and decided we would be a perfect fit. How right he was...

Harry Brompton's is an incredibly well balanced drink that has all the rich flavour of black tea with citrus notes and a crisp astringency that stops short of woodiness and is tempered with the light effervescence of tiny bubbles that prickle the tongue in a tantalising manner. There is alcohol in there - I know because it says 4%abv on the bottle, but that little spike of grain spirit does nothing to mar the flavour making it not only highly quaffable, but a great mixer and cocktail ingredient.

In order to give a well balanced review, Mr TG and I thought it was important to try Harry Brompton's in it's natural form before diving headlong into the cocktails and can confirm that is incredibly refreshing served over ice with a wedge of lime (as seen at the top of the page) and can even be enjoyed straight from the chilled bottle with a citrus slice wedged in the neck - perfect for you young folks, out and about on the town.

My love of tea and cocktails and the combining of the two thereof, is well documented in this blog, so it was never going to be too much of a stretch to come up with some tasty beverages. Using Harry Brompton's meant I could create cocktails with tea without the prior infusion of spirits and reduced the need for additional sweeteners as it is already lightly sweetened.

To begin with, I decided to combine a great London gin with a great London tea in this delicately floral and crisp cocktail. Berkley Square Gin counts among it's botanicals; kaffir lime and lavender, both of which enhance the citrus and apple notes of the ice tea. To further reinforce those flavours, I added a little lavender syrup and some freshly squeezed lime.

Lavender in London

2 oz Berkley Square Gin
2 tsp lavender syrup
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Harry Brompton's Ice Tea
twist of lime zest to garnish

Add the gin, syrup and lime juice to a shaker with ice and shake briefly to combine and chill the ingredients.
Strain the liquid into an ice filled, chilled tumbler and top with Harry Brompton's Ice Tea.
Garnish with a twist of lime zest.

Lavender in London - tumbler by Toasted Glass

Next up is a fragrant, peachy delight that combines Sipsmith (another London stalwart) Barley Vodka , Cartron Creme de Peche de Vigne (from Bourgogne, slightly south of London, but available from Amathus Drinks) and Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea.

Brompton Peach Tea

1 oz Sipsmith Barley Vodka
1 oz Cartron Creme e Peche de Vigne
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
Harry Brompton's Ice Tea
sprig of fresh mint to garnish

Add the vodka, creme de peche and lemon juice to a tumbler with ice and stir to combine and chill the ingredients - the outside of the glass should become frosted.
Add enough ice to fill the glass and top up with ice tea.
Gently slap the mint between the palms of your hands to release the essential oils and garnish the drink.

Brompton Peach Tea-glass by Toasted Glass

This next drink has a bit of a Moroccan influence, combining the flavours of rose, mint and lemon. Hendricks Gin is infused with rose and cucumber, making it the ideal spirit for this cocktail and the floral flavour is further enhanced with the addition of a little rosewater.

Harry in the Kasbah

2 oz Hendricks Gin
6 - 8 mint leaves
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 tsp rosewater
Harry Brompton Ice Tea

Muddle (gently squish) the mint with the gin and lemon in the bottom of a shaker.
Add ice and shake until the outside of the shake frosts over.
Strain into an ice filled tumbler or tea glass.
Add the rosewater and ice tea.
Stir to combine and garnish with mint.

Harry in the Kasbah-tea glass by Toasted Glass

This last cocktail is further proof that chilli infused Campari is an absolute must for every cocktail cabinet. The bittersweet combination of Campari and Triple Sec, combined with a chilli kick make this a tea with a twist.

Harry Brompton and the Goblet of Fire

1 oz chilli infused Campari
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Harry Brompton's Ice Tea
twist of lemon zest to garnish

Add the Campari, triple sec and lemon to a shaker with ice.
Shake to chill and strain into an ice filled tumbler.
Carefully top with ice tea to maintain the layers.
Garnish with a thick twist of lemon zest.

Harry Brompton and the Goblet of Fire-tumbler by Toasted Glass

So, I hear you ask, 'where do I get myself some of this fabulous ice tea?'. Well, I am reliably informed that Waitrose will soon be stocking it and it is currently available in bars and restaurants across the UK. However, I highly recommend you visit their website to keep up to date with developments and to be in with a chance of winning yourself a crate of the stuff - click here to enter the competition

Pop goes Christmas

Angelic cocktail-glass by Toasted Glass

There doesn't need to be much of an excuse to crack open the fizz in the TG household, but I know that I won't be alone in popping a cork or two this Christmas. For many, Christmas morning will start with a Bucks Fizz, which is fairly innocuous as Champagne cocktails go, being comprised in half from freshly squeezed orange, but all the same, a step too far far me. Much as I love a tipple, breakfast, (even on Christmas morning), is too early for Mr TG and I who will be sticking to a nice pot of tea until midday, when the bacchanalia begins in earnest. Whilst I've had little to do with the festive preparations this year, having been too busy, painting glass, I have found time to road test a few, new Champagne Cocktails that might just take your fancy this Christmas, although I suggest that unless you want to wake up, face down in a plate of turkey, you join me in holding off until midday…

This first cocktail is a nice alternative to the classic Buck's Fizz and has a gorgeously, festive hue that makes it perfect for a Christmas Day tipple.

Melba Fizz

Ingredients
1 oz Gin (Pinkster would be perfect)
1 oz Catron Creme de Pêche de Vigne
6 fresh raspberries
Champagne or Cava

Muddle (squish) the raspberries in the bottom of your cocktail shaker, along with the Creme de Pêche de Vigne.
Add the gin, a little ice and give it a quick shake just to cool the liquid.
Double strain the cocktail into a chilled glass and then transfer to a chilled champagne flute. This will avoid spilling the cocktail down the side of the glass if your champagne flutes are narrow at the top.
Carefully top up with fizz, avoiding overspill and then briefly stir with a swizzle stick to mix the drink.

Melba Fizz-glass by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is a very delicate shade of green with an equally delicate flavour. The trick is not to overdo the Blue Curaçao, thus lending the drink a hint of orange and a beautiful sea green shade.

Hummingbird

Ingredients
1 oz Gin
1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
1 tsp fresh lime juice
Champagne or Cava
Twist of lime zest to garnish

Add the Gin, Blue Curaçao and lime to a large mixing glass, with ice and stir briefly to mix the liquids.
Strain the mixture into a chilled champagne flute and top with fizz.
Twist the strip of lime zest over the cocktail to release the citrus aroma and garnish the drink.

Hummingbird-glass by Toasted Glass

Now tequila may not be a drink you immediately associate with Christmas or with Champagne for that matter, but dispel those preconceptions and open your mind and your tastebuds to this delicious concoction that combines these two elements in a surprisingly light and pleasant quaff.

Angelic

Ingredients
1 oz tequila resposado
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
6 grapes (skins removed)
Champagne or Cava to top up
2 slices of grape to garnish

The easiest way to remove the grapes from their skins is to cut them in half and then hold the halved grape between your forefinger and thumb and pinch them together. The grape should just pop out. If not you can remove any little bits of skin by double straining the drink at the end.

Muddle (squish) the grapes with the tequila in the bottom of a shaker.
Add the Chase Elderflower Liqueur, a little ice and shake briefly to chill the liquids.
Double strain the cocktail into a chilled champagne flute and pop in the sliced grape.
Top up with chilled Champagne or Cava.

Angelic cocktail-glass by Toasted Glass

This final cocktail uses just a taste of Creme de Violette to give a floral note without straying into parma violet territory. The combination of Absolut Raspberri vodka and fresh raspberries keep the flavour fresh and light and a couple of dashes of simple syrup are all this needs to sweeten it.

Raspberri Royale

Ingredients
1 oz Absolut Raspberri
1 tsp Creme de Violette
2 tsp simple syrup
4 raspberries
1 raspberry for garnish

Muddle (squish) the raspberries with the vodka and add everything else except the garnish in the bottom of the shaker.
Add a handful of ice and shake  to cool the liquids.
Double strain the cocktail into a chilled champagne glass and pop a raspberry in the bottom of the flute.
Top up very slowly with Champagne or Cava to avoid the cocktail fizzing over.
Gently stir with a swizzle stick.

Raspberri Royale-glass by Toasted Glass

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season and remember; a Champagne cocktail is not just for Christmas….

Vitamin C

Cranberry and Elderflower Mojito - glass by Toasted Glass

Mr TG and I have oft remarked that since I began my foray into the world of mixology, neither one of us is ever likely to fall foul of scurvy, given the vast amounts of limes we habitually consume through the medium of cocktails. Our livers may be the size of an elephant's, but by jingo, our vitamin C levels are through the roof...This week's cocktails all feature cranberry juice which is also high in vitamin C, not to mention antioxidants and flavonoids and has been shown to have an antibacterial effect in the body - admittedly, the health benefits are largely mitigated by the addition of sugar and alcohol, but it does look pretty and it tastes good too.

For those of you of an age to have been partying in the 90's, you will no doubt have sampled the delights of cranberry cocktails. The Cosmopolitan, the Woo Woo and the Seabreeze were all cocktail bar favourites and still persist today, but I wanted to mix up my own drinks, using some of my favourite ingredients. My problem with the aforementioned cocktails is that they all feature vodka, which is fine, but it doesn't bring a lot to the drink other than alcohol content and I wanted to mix some drinks that created new flavours with the cranberry, drawing on that slightly bitter fruitiness.

I personally love a cocktail with bitter sweetness to it and am a big fan of Campari and Aperol, so the combination of cranberry with that, works perfectly and creates the most beautiful colour as well. Cranberry and orange work very well together, so the bitter citrus of Campari and the sweeter orange of triple sec in this first cocktail, are a great combination with the juice. I used Williams Chase GB Gin as it's big, juniper and spice notes are fantastic with Campari and the addition of a little lemon juice balances out the flavours.

Vitamin C

Ingredients

1 oz Chase GB Gin

3/4 oz Campari

3/4 oz Triple Sec

1/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 oz cranberry juice

Dash of sparkling water

Strip of orange zest to garnish

Add the everything except the sparkling water and garnish to the bottom of a shaker or large glass, with some ice and stir until the outside begins to frost.

Strain into an ice filled tumbler and add a dash of sparkling water to taste.

Cut a strip of zest from the peel of an orange and twist over the drink, releasing the essential oils, and garnish.

Vitamin C Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail was inspired by the Woo Woo, which is a rather sickly mixture of vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry juice. I actually used to love this drink, but since discovering the joys of Catron Creme de Peche de Vigne, I could never return to the artificial flavour of peach schnapps. The original drink is served long, over ice whereas this is served in the Martini Style. Rather than vodka, I have used Bloom Gin as it's delicately floral flavour works beautifully to enhance the peachy notes, rather than overpowering them. To avoid the flavour being too sweet, the addition of lemon juice is a must and as with all Martini Style drinks, it must be as cold as possible, so shake, shake, shake....

Poinsettia

Ingredients
2 oz Bloom Gin
1 oz Catron Creme de Peche de Vigne
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 oz cranberry juice
Strip of orange zest and fresh cranberries to garnish

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and shake hard for about 20 secs.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a strip of orange zest and fresh cranberries, as shown.

Poinsettia Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

Now I have to be honest and 'fess up that I originally made this last cocktail with Bloom Gin and it was delicious. In my opinion it was even nicer than the rum version, but I absolutely love gin above all other spirits, so I would think that. In the interests of proffering options to those of you who who might want to drink something other than gin, I thought it only fair to try it with rum too and actually, it is very nice. The trick is to use a rum agricole such as the Clément Blanc which has an almost fruity taste to it and to avoid one that might be too nutty in flavour, which doesn't sit well with the Elderflower.

Cranberry and Elderflower Mojito

Ingredients
2 oz Clément Blanc Rum
1 oz freshly squeezed lime
6-8 fresh mint leaves
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
Dash of simple syrup
2 oz cranberry juice
Sprig of mint and fresh cranberries to garnish

Add everything but the cranberry juice and garnish to a shaker and muddle (gently squish with a blunt ended utensil) the mint with other ingredients.
Add a handful of ice and shake for 20 secs.
Strain into an ice filled glass and top with the cranberry juice.
Garnish with a sprig of mint and fresh cranberries, as shown.

Cranberry and Elderflower Mojito - glass by Toasted Glass

Overall, I found cranberry juice to be a versatile and attractive ingredient despite it bringing back hazy and often toe-curlingly, embarrassing memories of a bygone decade. In fact, I could have made many more cocktails, but Mr TG and I are trying to show some restraint in our cocktail consumption, so my ideas will just have to wait for another post. Watch this space....

Southern Belles

Kentucky Peach cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This week, my thoughts have turned back to bourbon. Perhaps it's the chill in the air that makes the smooth vanilla and spice of a rye bourbon seem so appealing right now...? Perhaps I'm running out of Gin-spiration...? Whatever the reason, it felt like the time was right to crack open the bottle of Buffalo Trace (again) and mix up some new drinks.

Any regular readers will know that bourbon is not necessarily my drink of choice, but I have mixed up the occasional Manhattan and in an earlier post, (Kentucky Fried) discovered that given enough of a cocktail makeover, bourbon has what it takes to be a tip top tipple. Obviously, hardened bourbon drinkers may crack their hairy knuckles in consternation, but that's just fine; they can continue to swig it neat from a chipped mug and good luck to them. I, on the other hand, will be taking my medicine with a large spoonful of sugar and probably some lemon and mint. It might not be macho, but it sure does taste swell.

Bourbon is a grain spirit, made, using predominantly corn (at least 51%), but the remaining 49% can come from a combination of barley, rye and wheat. Using more wheat than rye will result in a smoother, creamier bourbon as wheat allows the sweetness of the corn and the vanilla (from ageing in oak barrels) to shine through. A bourbon made with rye will have a higher concentration of  spice notes such as pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. It typically has more 'bite' than it's wheatier counterparts and the end result of your cocktails will vary depending on the type of bourbon you use. Buffalo Trace contains rye and is therefore a little spicier, but is by no means at the spiciest end of the spectrum. It's a good, all round bourbon that adds a little bite without totally overpowering. That said, don't be afraid to experiment with other bourbons - you might just find your new, favourite drink.

One of my favourite cocktail ingredients, of late, has turned out to be ruby port. It seems that barely a week goes by when I'm not sneaking in yet another port based beverage and surprise surprise, I'm at it again.

My inspiration originally came from a cocktail recipe I stumbled across, that used red wine and bourbon. I had made a mental note to give it a try and then got sidetracked and forgot all about it. When I tried to recall it, the details were hazy, but I knew that some kind of sweetening would be necessary to bring the flavours together. That's when I realised that using port would bring the flavour I was looking for, along with the sweetness that was required. The addition of triple sec brings a bittersweet orange note that blends with spice of the bourbon and the brambly fruitiness of the ruby port. A spot of fresh lemon juice prevents the cocktail from descending into cloying sweetness - perfect...

Scarlett O'Hara

Ingredients
1 oz Buffalo Chase bourbon
2 oz Cockburns Ruby Port
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
Twist of lemon zest to garnish

Before cutting your lemon to squeeze it, use a sharp knife and cut a wide strip of zest from your lemon.
Add everything apart from the the lemon zest to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice.
Shake hard for 20 secs and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a twist of lemon zest.

Scarlett O'Hara cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is basically a martini style version of my 'Bird on the Wire' cocktail, created as a bespoke cocktail for a client, but I'm sure they won't mind this apprehension and adaption of their drink. Some things are too good to keep under wraps..

Southern Passion

Ingredients
2 oz Buffalo Trace bourbon
1 oz Giffards Passion Fruit Syrup
1 passion fruit
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
6-8 mint leaves
Twist of lime zest to garnish

Before cutting the lime to squeeze it, take a paring knife and cut a strip of zest from the peel.
Halve the passion fruit and scoop out the pulp and add to a cocktail shaker.
Add everything apart from the zest and muddle (squish)the mint leaves to release their minty essential oils.
Add a handful of ice and shake hard until the outside of the shaker develops a frosty bloom.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a twist of lime zest.

Southern Passion cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This last cocktail combines Buffalo Chase bourbon with Cartron Creme de Peche de Vigne which may not seem like an obvious pairing, but actually, peaches are big news in the Southern States and the fruit pairs well with the vanilla, spice and nuttiness of bourbon. 

I am a huge fan of the fragrant taste of peaches, but when it comes to alcohol, not all peach liqueurs are made the same, but Cartron Creme de Peche is made using lots of beautiful vine peaches and is bursting with natural flavour. When making this cocktail, ensure that you use a peach liqueur that is made using the 'creme' method of macerating real fruit and contains no artificial flavouring.

Kentucky Peach

Ingredients

2 oz Buffalo Chase bourbon

1 oz Cartron Creme de Peche de Vigne

1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar syrup

Twist of lemon zest and sprig of mint to garnish

Before cutting your lemon to squeeze it, use a sharp knife and cut a wide strip of zest from the peel.

Add everything apart from the the lemon zest and sprig of mint to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice.

Shake hard for 20 secs and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with a twist of lemon zest and sprig of mint.

Tip - slap the mint gently between your palms to release the aroma, before garnishing the cocktail.

Kentucky Peach cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This week's cocktails were served in these Vintage Pin Up cocktail glasses; The Scarlett O'Hara cocktail was brought to you by lovely brunette, Jane; Southern Passion came courtesy of bombshell blonde, Marilyn and Kentucky Peach was served up by lovely Rita, redhead. Who's your favourite?

Vintage Pin Up Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

One for the ladies...

Bittersweet Ruby cocktail - tumbler by Toasted Glass

It has been a busy old week at Toasted Glass HQ and although we are barely into Autumn, the Christmas orders are already beginning to roll in. As sole designer and painter, this means that my time is largely spent, paintbrush in hand, hunched over, wishing my studio wasn't the coldest room in the house. However, help is on it's way, in the form of a free standing gas heater, so I will have no cause for complaint and of course, at the end of a long day of painting, there's always the promise of a cocktail to refresh and invigorate. Strangely, despite the cold, I am no less inclined to charge my shaker with ice and create a new libation and seeing as I have been painting rather a lot of Vintage Pin Up Girl designs lately, I thought I would create some drinks for them.

Of all the drinks I made this week, the Bramley Blue was Mr TG's clear favourite. If I want to curry his favour, I can guarantee a positive response to any drink I create, that contains lime, mint and sugar and I have noticed he is also rather partial to a dash of triple sec. However, having used the last of the triple sec in last week's creations, I turned to it's rather garish counterpart, blue curaçao. 

Blue curaçao can vary, depending on the brand you buy, but essentially, it is made with citrus peel (from the laraha fruit), as is Curaçao triple sec, although some, such as Bols Blue Curaçao, also have added spices. The overriding flavour of both liqueurs, however, is that of orange and of course, it is sweet, so despite the comedy colour, it actually mixes well with many  drinks, but if you find it a little off-putting, just use triple sec instead.

The star of this drink is the Chase Bramley Apple Vodka, a purchase made whilst taking a guided tour of the distillery earlier this year. It has a slight sweetness, tempered with the sharpness of Bramleys and a very natural, apple flavour. In short, it is delicious and can be enjoyed, ice cold and straight up as well as being a fine addition to the cocktail cabinet.

Bramley Blue

Ingredients
2 oz Chase Bramley Apple Vodka
1/2 oz blue curaçao
1/2 oz simple syrup
6-8 mint leaves
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Sparkling water to top up
Strip of lime zest for garnish

Before cutting the lime for squeezing, pare off a thick strip, using a small, share knife, ensuring the pith is left behind.
Add the mint leaves and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker and muddle (squish) gently to release the essential mint oils
Add everything else apart from the sparkling water and garnish to the shaker with a handful of ice.
Shake hard for around 20 secs and then strain the contents into an ice filled tumbler.
Top up with a dash of sparkling water and garnish with a strip of lime zest, twisting it over the drink to release the citrus aroma.

Bramley Blue cocktail - tumbler by Toasted Glass

This next drink contains my two, latest purchases from my favourite purveyors of fine spirits and liqueurs, Amathus Drinks; Van Wees Three Corners Gin, distilled in Holland using only juniper and citrus as it's botanicals; and Cartron Creme de Peche de Vigne, a superior peach liqueur that uses a maceration of real fruit, rather than any artificial flavourings. The result is a slightly floral and fresh flavour with plenty of citrus to counteract the sweetness of the peach.

Juniper, Lemon and Peach

Ingredients

2 oz Van Wees Three Corners Gin

1 oz Cartron Creme de Peche de Vigne

1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Sparkling water to top up

Strip of lemon zest for garnish

Add all of the ingredients apart from the water and the garnish, to a shaker with ice.

Shake hard until the outside of the shaker begins to frost and strain in to a chilled, ice filled tumbler.

Add a dash of sparkling water to top up the drink.

Garnish with a strip of zest, twisting it to release the essential oils.

Juniper, Lemon and Peach - tumbler by Toasted Glass

This final drink combines the bitter orange of Campari with the sweetness of ruby port to create a complex mix of flavours that give this cocktail real depth.and of them all, this was possibly my favourite drink of the week - I can't seem to get enough of port in cocktails at the moment. Plus, I just love that unexpected, slightly bitter aftertaste from the Campari - delicious!

Bittersweet Ruby

Ingredients

2 oz Cockburns Ruby Port

1 oz Campari

1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Dash of sparkling water

Strip of lemon zest

Add all of the ingredients, except for the sparkling water and garnish, to a shaker with ice.

Stir with a bar spoon (long handled, like a sundae spoon) until the outside of the shaker develops a frosty bloom.

Strain the contents into an ice filled tumbler and top with a dash of sparkling water and a twist of lemon zest.

Bittersweet Ruby cocktail - tumbler by Toasted Glass

Alpine Inspired Cocktails

My family and I took our first ever ski trip to the French Alps recently and discovered the wonders of an active holiday with lively children. I cannot recommend it enough. For once, our children were interested in something that didn't involve staring at a screen and their ability to just boldly, set off, head first, down a mountain, put me to shame.

Whilst we were away, there was little time to keep up with blogging, so I apologise for the lack of cocktail recipes, but I have prepared a bumper selection this week which all feature, in varying degrees, the French Alpine liqueur, local to the Courchevel area, Genepi.

Génépi is a liqueur or aperitif, similar in makeup to absinthe. The word is also used to refer to alpine plants of the genus Artemisia (commonly called wormwood) that provide the liqueur's flavour and colour.

Like many European herbal liqueurs, especially those used as digestifs, Génépi can be an acquired taste. It is less sweet than many digestifs, and the flavour imparted by the herbs is reminiscent of chamomile. It is naturally pale gold in color, but some varieties have a final maceration of the wormwood which yields a light green color. A few commercial products are made bright green through the addition of food colouring.

Because Génépi is produced by steeping the aromatic wormwood flower heads in a strong, clear alcohol such as vodka or pure grain alcohol rather than distilling or fermenting, it cannot be considered an equivalent to French eau-de-vie. Also, the added sweetness marks it out as a liqueur, rather than a spirit. 

We also brought back a bottle of Marc de Savoie (French Eau de Vie) and I can categorically state that I would not feed it to my worst enemy. Anything that smells like diesel, is probably not recommended for human consumption and nothing I tried mixing it with could disguise the aroma of lighter fuel. In fact, we only had a few sips of the evil stuff and I could not rid my mouth of it's foul taste and have awoken today with a sore throat, which may or may not be related...

Anyway, back to the infinitely more palatable, Genepi. Most of this week's cocktails would probably work equally well with Absinthe, particularly as many commercially available bottles are closer to the 40 % proof of Genepi anyway, but you can buy Genepi in this country and it's not a bad little drink. As well as it's cocktail potential, you can enjoy it straight up, chilled or over ice as a digestif. The wonderful Amathus Drinks sell it online or from their London stores, where knowledgeable staff are happy to assist. 

There were quite a few other ingredients needed for this week's selection, all of which can also be sourced from Amathus as full size bottles. However, I decided to play it safe and try out some of the ingredients in miniature as I wasn't sure how often they would get used. The Creme de Peche de Vigne could not be sourced from Just Miniatures, but they were able to provide me with Creme de Cassis, Creme de Violette and Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur. I paid a little more for express service and was not disappointed as everything arrived within 2 days. 

Creme de Peche available from Amathus

I have to be honest, not everything was to my taste this week, but I will give you all the recipes, my honest opinion and ways in which I think they could be improved, if any. First up is La Poudre, a cocktail which can be found in many of the bars in and around Courchevel. I found this to be a little cloying and personally, would add an ounce of lemon juice just to give it a bit more bite, but if you like it sweet, then this is for you.

La Poudre

Ingredients

1 oz Genepi

0.5 oz Creme de Cassis

0.5 oz Creme de Peche de Vigne

2.5 oz fresh orange

(1 oz fresh lemon juice) if you want a bit more tang

Fill a tumbler with crushed ice

Add all the ingredients into a shaker and fill with ice

Shake vigorously and strain into the prepared glass

Fruity Tumbler available on Etsy

Next up was the L'Arc de Triomphe, originally devised as an Absinthe cocktail, but working beautifully with Genepi. 

Featuring the unique influence of bitter orange marmalade, this cocktail from Scott Baird of 15 Romolo and the Bon Vivants in San Francisco is a bold and colorful quaff. It's not too alcoholic, but truly delicious and perfect for an afternoon tipple. I think, of all the cocktails, this one was my favourite.

L'Arc de Triomphe

Ingredients

1 ounce Genepi

1 ounce fresh orange juice

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

1 ounce bitter orange marmalade

¾ ounce egg white

Angostura bitters

1 ounce soda water

Add the Genepi, orange juice, lemon juice, marmalade, egg white, and a dash of Angostura to a shaker and whisk by hand, until frothy. Add ice, and shake well to make cold. Strain into a chilled tumbler and enjoy. 

Fruity Tumbler available on Etsy

Another delicious and infinitely more potent cocktail was the Hobnob. Again, it was originally created as a cocktail with Absinthe, but Genepi works very well too. The grapefruit and lime really give the cocktail some bite, not to mention the heavy shot of alcohol. As a daytime drink, I would just use 1 oz of gin or you may find yourself under the table by tea time.

Hobnob

Ingredients

¼ ounce Genepi

one 1-inch square of grapefruit zest

one 1-inch square of lime zest

½ ounce simple syrup

½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice

½ ounce fresh lime

2 ounces gin

½ ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur

Add grapefruit zest, lime zest, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Muddle the zests until they begin to break apart. Add the grapefruit juice and lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice. Add the Genepi, gin and maraschino liqueur. Shake hard. Strain the drink into the prepared glass.

Fruity Tumbler available on Etsy

This is a version of the cocktail Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and champagne), which was created for a 1935 book of humorous cocktail riffs called So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon. While Death in the Afternoon is a great name, it is a little lacking as far as drinks go. The addition of crème de violette has a rounding effect and gives the drink some subtlety. I have substituted the absinthe for Genepi and although I enjoyed the result, Mr Toasted Glass said it tasted as though I had added Blueberry Nerds (horrid kiddy candy) to it. Admittedly, I do like anything that involves a bit of fizz and have adored Parma Violet sweets since I was a child, so I may be rather biased. Click here to read an earlier post with the original Death in the Afternoon recipe.

Death at Dusk

Ingredients

½ ounce crème de violette

5 ounces sparkling wine

¼ ounce Genepi

Pour the crème de violette and wine into a flute and float the Genepi on top. Serve.

Black Lace Champagne Flute on Etsy

I hope you enjoy this week's selection and if you have any feedback, I would love to hear from you, especially if you tried out any of the recipes, either with Genepi or with Absinthe. As always, drink responsibly and enjoy x