A Cocktail a Day (surviving the school holidays)

Amnesia Rose - glass by Toasted Glass

Now I know it is highly irresponsible to advocate daily drinking and no doubt some will be up in arms at the suggestion that spending time with one's children for six l-o-n-g weeks is anything short of idyllic, but here at TG HQ, we have discovered that the evening is far less fraught with tension after a cocktail (or two). So if you are looking around the war-torn slum that used to be your living room and counting down the days until September, then might I suggest taking one of these on a daily basis until the little blighters are back in full time education.

This first one I named Raspberry Refresher because Mr TG thought it tasted a bit like Refresher sweets, which is a good thing apparently...

 Raspberry Refresher

Ingredients

2 oz Absolut Raspberri Vodka
1/2 oz Giffards Creme de Framboises
1 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Sparkling water to top up
Fresh raspberry to garnish

Shake all of the ingredients (apart from the sparkling water) over ice.
Strain into an ice filled tumbler and top up with sparkling water.
Garnish with a fresh raspberry.

Raspberry Refresher - glass by Toasted Glass

I absolutely loved this next cocktail as the bitter orange taste of Campari really works well with the Chase Marmalade Vodka. If you haven't got a bottle of this, I suggest you purchase one immediately as it is rather wonderful. If you want to find out a little more about all things 'Chase' (and who wouldn't?), then click here to find out all about my visit to the Chase Distillery.

Bitter Orange

2 oz Chase Marmalade Vodka

1/2 oz Campari

1 tsp icing sugar

2 oz soda

Add the Marmalade Vodka, Campari and sugar to a shaker, half filled with ice.

Shake hard and strain into a chilled tumbler with ice.

Top up with 2 oz soda and stir gently to mix the drink.

Garnish with a twist of lemon zest, allowing the zest to spray the top of the drink to release the citrus aroma.

Bitter Orange - glass by Toasted Glass

This next drink is a very simple cocktail to make and with an incredible taste of rhubarb and custard sweets.

 Rhubarb Martini

2 oz Chase Rhubarb Vodka
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 tsp icing sugar
Slice of strawberry to garnish

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker, half filled with ice.
Shake hard until the outside of the shaker is totally frosted and the cocktail starts to form ice chips inside.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a slice of strawberry

Rhubarb Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

Our next cocktail is rather sweet, but it's a great introduction to bourbon, if you are a little unsure as to whether or not you like it. Also, you could add a little sparkling water at the end if you find it too intense. I preferred it a little watered down, but Mr TG liked it just the way it was.

Sweet Bourbon

1 oz Buffalo Chase Bourbon
1 oz triple sec
1/2 oz Luxardos Maraschino Liqueur
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Strip of lemon zest to garnish
Cocktail cherry (or frozen cherry) to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, except the garnish, to a shaker, filled with ice and shake hard for about 20 secs.
Strain into an ice filled tumbler.
Garnish with a strip of lemon zest and a cocktail cherry.

Tumbler by Toasted Glass

 Sweet Bourbon

Generally I find that if a drink has lime and mint in it, then I'm going to love it and Mojitos are always a failsafe. This is yet another delicious variation on the theme. If you would like some more great Mojito recipes, click here.

Blueberry Mojito

2 oz Flor de Caña Rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
12 small blueberries
3/4 oz simple syrup
8 mint leaves
Sparkling water to top up

Gently muddle the mint and blueberries in the bottom of the shaker.
Add the rum, syrup, lime and half fill with ice.
Shake vigorously for about 20 secs and strain into a large hi ball glass filled with ice.
Top up with sparkling water and stir gently to mix the drink.

Blueberry Mojito - glass by Toasted Glass

Our next cocktail is must for gin lovers with a taste for the floral i.e. me...

Amnesia Rose

2 oz William Chase GB Gin
1 oz lime juice
2 oz Fentimans Rose Lemonade
1/4 oz simple syrup

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker (except for the garnish).
Half fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for about 20 secs.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a sprig of mint

Hint - gently slap the mint between your palms, just before garnishing, to release the minty aroma.

Amnesia Rose - glass by Toasted Glass

This last cocktail of the week has mint, it has lime, it has Chase Elderflower Liqueur - what a great way to finish!

Elder King

1 oz Kings Ginger Liqueur
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
8 mint leaves
Sparkling water to top up

Gently muddle the mint with the lime juice in the bottom of the cocktail shaker.
Add the liqueurs and half fill with ice.
Shake hard and strain into a chilled highball glass half filled with crushed ice
Top up with sparkling water and stir gently to mix the drink
Garnish with an extra wedge of lime

Elder King - glass by Toasted Glass

Pinkster Gin

Back in June, you may or may not remember that I went to the wonderful, food and drink extravaganza, that is the Taste London Festival and although I did remember to eat something, it was a very gin-centric sort of day. One of the purveyors of gin that I met there, were the relative newbies, Pinkster, who were enjoying a fantastic response to their subtly pink and delicately flavoured gin. At the time, I was unable to take a bottle home and as yet, Pinkster is not available in stores, but can be ordered online and I am now happy to say that I have a bottle of my own and it has been well and truly tested - the results of which, I am of course, going to share with you all.

Pinkster Gin available online from Master of Malt

When I received my bottle in the post, simply, but attractively packaged, I wasted no time in breaking the seal, popping out the cork stopper and having a good sniff. There's no denying the hint of raspberry about the gin, but it's very subtle and should not be mistaken for a liqueur and is no way, akin to a sloe gin. The aroma and flavour of raspberry is predominant, but very delicate none the less.

In order to qualify as a gin, the predominant botanical has to be juniper, but other than that , there are not too many stipulations, hence, there are literally hundreds of different brands, all with varying flavour; some big and bold, like Old Raj or City of London Distillery, some very delicate like Bloom Gin. Pinkster is definitely at the subtler end of the scale, which will appeal to most and of course, the colour is very becoming. As a cocktail gin, it works rather well as it does not overpower other flavours and of course, anything that enhances that raspberry infusion is going to be a winner. I am rather pleased with all of the cocktails I have created and Mr TG and I have very much enjoyed sampling them - so much so, that the bottle is three quarters empty. Please do give Pinksters and these cocktails a try - I think you'll enjoy....

First up is the Pinkster, Summer Punch Mar(tea)ni. This is an adaptation of the Earl Grey Mar(tea)ni recipe, a drink I featured in my Mother's Ruin post and first accredited to Audrey Saunders, owner of the famous Pegu Club in New York. As with the Earl Grey Martini, the Summer Punch Mar(tea) requires infusing the gin ahead of time, with a teaspoon of Whittards Summer Punch loose tea. This tea is the perfect blend to use with Pinkster as it uses berry fruits and juniper, both of which enhance the gin's natural flavour.

To infuse the gin, first pour 2 oz into a clean receptacle, add a spoonful of tea and allow to infuse for 1hr and definitely no more than 2 or the flavour will become bitter and woody. Strain the gin into a cocktail shaker and you're ready to begin.

Pinkster Gin infusing with Whittard Summer Punch loose tea

 Pinkster Summer Punch Mar(tea)ni

Ingredients

2 oz Pinkster Gin infused with Whittard Summer Punch loose tea
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
1 raspberry to garnish

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and dry shake (without ice), ensuring the lid is firmly on - dry shaking with egg white can cause a build up of gas in the shaker which can pop the lid off if you're not careful.

When the mixture is very frothy (about 20 secs) remove the lid, add ice and shake hard again until the outside of the shaker is properly frosted.
Strain the mixture into a martini glass or a small teacup if you prefer.
Garnish with a raspberry.

Hand painted, vintage teacup and saucer by Toasted Glass

Next up is the Colonel's Summer Cooler, a refreshing drink, perfect for those hot, muggy nights in the Colonies...

Colonel's Summer Cooler

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Pinkster Gin

1/4 oz Luxardos Maraschino Liqueur

1 oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit

1/4 oz lemon

3 basil leaves

1/4 oz simple syrup

Dash of soda

Sprig of basil to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, except the soda, to a shaker with ice and shake hard

Strain into a tumbler or highball filled with ice and top with a little soda

Slap the sprig of basil gently between your palms to release the oils and garnish the drink

White Stag Tumblers by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail has some herbal ingredients but nothing that overwhelms the drink. The initial scent of rosemary is wonderful on the nose and adds to the gin's botanicals and the addition of a little Giffards Creme de Framboises, plays up Pinkster's natural raspberry flavour.

Pinkster Garden Party

Ingredients

2 oz Pinkster Gin

1/2 oz Giffard Creme de Framboises

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 lavender syrup

Sprig of rosemary to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, except the garnish, to a shaker with ice and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosted.

Strain into a chilled martini glass

Slap the rosemary gently, between the palms of your hands to release the aroma and garnish the drink

White Lace Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is a great alternative to Pimms on a hot day as it is fruity and refreshing and simple to put together.

Lady Pinkster's Summer Cup

Ingredients

1 oz Pinkster Gin

1 oz Cockburns Fine Ruby Port

1/2 oz Giffard Creme de Framboises

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Dash of soda to top up

3 raspberries on a cocktail stick to garnish

Add everything apart from the soda and garnish to a tall glass, half filled with ice cubes and stir to mix and cool down the alcohol.

Add more ice and top up with a little soda.

Stir again and garnish

Hi ball Glasses by Toasted Glass

4th of July

Butterfly Hi ball glasses by Toasted Glass

As you've probably realised, I'm never, knowingly one to pass up a cocktail making opportunity and whilst I am, in no way American, I feel that having celebrated it once before, in Chicago (12 years ago), I am entitled to join in the fun. So, 'hip hip hurrah', for American Independence Day or perhaps, 'whoop', would be more appropriate....

Anyway, I'm sure most readers will know (especially the Americans), that 4th July is the day when the United States of America celebrate the official publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776. British schools perhaps do not focus quite so greatly on this important historical event as our American counterparts, but most of us are aware of the social significance it holds and are more than happy to join in the jamboree. So, without further ado, light your sparklers, charge your shakers and let's have some fun (whoop).

First up is our red cocktail, which I have named the Franklin, after Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the US and the Committee of Five who drafted and presented the Declaration of Independence to Congress. I have to confess, I don't know if he had a preference for tequila and watermelon - that may be more Freewheelin' Franklin than Benjamin, but it's a refreshing drink all the same.To make the watermelon juice,  I blitzed the watermelon in the blender and then passed it through a sieve to make sure all the pips were out, but you could just as easily mash the lot through a sieve without blending if you don't have access to a food processor. To make the 2 oz of juice, required for the cocktail, I used about a cupful of cubed watermelon.

 Franklin

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Sierra tequila resposado
1/2 oz Chase Elderflower liqueur
2 oz watermelon juice
1/2 oz lime
1/2 oz orange
orange zest

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with plenty of ice
Shake hard for 20 seconds and then strain into tall glass, filled with ice
Garnish with a lime wheel

African Red Butterfly Glasses by Toasted Glass

This 'white' in our next cocktail comes from white peach puree, which is easy enough to make, either with a blender or by squishing through a sieve. First though, you need to remove the peach skin, which is easily done by first scoring it with a knife and then blanching in boiling water for 1 minute before plunging it in cold. This should sufficiently loosen the skin to make it easy to peel off. Cut the peach in two and remove the stone before blending.

This cocktail is also named after another of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, who also went on to be the President of the United States. Did he like gin? Who knows, but I like to think he would have enjoyed this.

 For this recipe, I also decided to try out my new Williams GB, Extra Dry Gin from the Chase Distillery. As with their original gin, it's not made from bought in grain spirit, but distilled from start to finish at their Herefordshire distillery. It's a more classic tasting gin than their original, which I find a little more akin to an Eau de Vie than a gin, it being made from apples, but this one is packed full of botanical flavours and I could particularly pick up on the cinnamon and citrus as well as the more obvious juniper.

Jefferson

Ingredients
2 oz Williams GB Extra Dry Gin
1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz white peach puree
1/2 oz lime juice
2-3 mint leaves
Sprig of mint to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, apart from the garnish, to a shaker with ice.
Shake hard for 20 seconds and strain into an ice filled tall glass
Garnish with a sprig of mint

Cabbage White Butterfly glasses by Toasted Glass

And finally, the 'blue' of the red, white and blue and patriotically named after John Adams, whom, if you didn't already know, I'm sure you could guess, is another of the Founding Fathers and he also went on to be a President of the United States. Bizarrely, both Jefferson and Adams died on the same day, July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence...

Adams

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Flor de Cana Rum
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 oz blue curacao
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz lime juice

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker, with ice.

Shake hard for 20 seconds and strain into an ice filled hi ball glass

Blue Morpho glasses by Toasted Glass

So there you have it, perfect, refreshing cocktails to make July 4th go with a bang, whether or not you are in the USA. Enjoy x

Peacock Cocktails

Glasses and decanter by Toasted Glass

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been painting peacocks; peacocks on champagne flutes, peacocks on mirrors and of course, peacocks on cocktail glasses. Peacocks have long been a great love of mine and indeed, I previously dedicated a whole post to them, so enamoured am I  of their beauty. If you would like to read that, then please click here.

However, today's post is all about the cocktails and for all three, I am using Martin Miller Gin, which, as I mentioned in my Taste of London post, is a damn fine gin. So fine in fact, that Mr TG, who has never been a great fan of the stuff, has been won round to it's fresh, clear, citrus magnificence. In celebration of it's wonderful gininess (if I say it's a word, it's a word), I have made three, great, gin cocktails and shown them off in the same Peacock glasses, but all to very different effect.

The first  cocktail is a classic Martinez, whose history is a little hazy, but is thought to be a precursor to the Martini or even a variation of it. Indeed, there are theories that it may even have been a gin version of a Manhattan. To be honest, nobody knows for sure, but most can agree that a modern Martinez will have one part gin to two parts sweet vermouth, with a little splash of maraschino liqueur or perhaps even triple sec and a dash of bitters. The addition of orange zest is often used too, although not a prerequisite and I have chosen to leave it out of the glass as there would be too much going on, with such an intricate design. However, in a plain martini glass, it does look nice against the cocktail. The Martinez is a very simple cocktail that requires good ingredients to make it shine which is why  Martin Miller Gin is perfect. I generally prefer cocktails with more citrus or berry fruit, but the sweetness from the vermouth and the maraschino, alongside the spice and the herbal notes combine with the gin's botanicals to make a complex and surprisingly quaffable drink.

Martinez

Ingredients
2 oz Martini Rosso
1 oz Martin Miller Gin
2 dashes Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a bar glass or the bottom of a shaker, with some ice.
Stir the drink for 20 seconds to fully mix the cocktail and to get the correct viscosity and temperature.
Strain into a chilled martini glass

Peacock glasses by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail, the Southside has an equally hazy history, with some claiming it dates back to the Prohibition and refers to the Southside district of Chicago Illinois. Others claim it was created at the 21 Club in New York City. Recipes also vary, from serving it as a mojito style drink over ice, with bitters or as I have done, shaken up and served in a martini glass. Whatever the history and however you serve it, it's a refreshing combination of lemon, mint and gin, which makes it just about perfect in my opinion.

Southside

Ingredients
2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
5-7 mint leaves

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake hard for 20 seconds and then double strain into a chilled martini glass.

Peacock glasses by Toasted Glass

Finally, we have a variation on the Pegu, a cocktail made famous by the Pegu Club in Rangoon, a colonial hangout and listed in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930. It is a combination of gin, cointreau, lime juice and bitters and has an almost grapefruit flavour. My version uses blue curacao in place of cointreau, which gives it a blue colour, but doesn't alter the flavour too much.  It's refreshing and perfect for these glasses I think, with it's peacock hue.

Peacock

Ingredients

2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/2 oz blue curcao
3/4 oz lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake hard over ice, for at least 20 secs
Strain into a chilled martini glass

Peacock glasses by Toasted Glass

Remember, if there are any cocktail terms that you don't understand, they should all be explained in this post, the Dufford's Guide and if you would like to read all about the fabulousness of Peacocks, click here.

Champagne Cocktails

Flamingo Flutes by Toasted Glass

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to hear that I am partial to a glass of bubbly (as demonstated in my Champagne post) and even more partial to a 'champagne' cocktail - I use the term 'champagne', loosely, as actually, this week's cocktails were all made with a decent bottle of Cava. In my opinion, there is nothing much to be gained from using actual Champagne in cocktails as a nice Cava or Prosecco will do the job just fine, but make sure that your chosen fizz is suitably dry as most Champagne cocktails tend to sweeten the bubbles anyway.

This first cocktail is a variation of my favourite Chase Elderflower liqueur, topped up with Champagne - you can see the original recipe in my Mother's Day Cocktails post. In this version I added a raspberry which I allowed to macerate in the  liqueur for about 3 hours until it took on a pinkish tinge, but still remained intact. The subtle raspberry flavour added another layer to the cocktail and the raspberry itself was a delicious sweet treat at the bottom of the glass.

Raspberry and Elderflower Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients
3/4 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
1 raspberry
Champagne or Fizz to top up

Pour the liqueur into a champagne flute and pop the raspberry in the bottom of the glass
Cover the top of the glass and leave to macerate for upwards of 3 hours (if you can wait)
Top up with Fizz and stir gently to ensure the liqueur doesn't just sit at the bottom

White Lace Flutes by Toasted Glass

This next cocktail is a classic and to really enjoy it, you should use a fresh ripe peach and make the peach puree, fresh, but at a push, bottled will do.

Bellini Cocktail

Ingredients
Peach Puree
Champagne or Fizz

To make peach puree, you must first score the skin of the peach and blanch in boiling water for about 20 secs, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately run under very cold water
The skin of the peach should now peel off fairly simply, starting at the score marks
Cut the peach in half and remove the stone
Using the back of a spoon or a pestle, squish the flesh of the peach through a small sieve and collect the puree in a bowl underneath

The quantities for a Bellini are approximately 1/3 peach puree to 2/3 fizz, so 1 peach should be just about right to make 1 Bellini

Pour the peach puree into the bottom of a champagne flute and carefully top up with fizz, adding just a little at a time to avoid it fizzing over the top

Flamingo Flutes by Toasted Glass

You may have heard me sing the praise of Honey and Ginger Syrup before. It is delicious and fiery addition to cocktails, baked apples and salmon and now I have discovered that it is rather fantastic in Champagne too!

Queen Bee

Ingredients
3/4 oz honey ginger syrup
Champagne or fizz to top up

miniature bottle by Toasted Glass

Pour the syrup in first and top up with fizz
Give a gentle stir to ensure the liqueur and fizz are properly mixed

White Bee Flutes available on Etsy

I think this next cocktail was possibly my favourite of them all. I took a classic gin cocktail, the Southside, and added champagne. It's fresh, it's quaffable and probably very dangerous as it's not short on alcohol, but hey, just one won't hurt....

King of the Southside

Ingredients
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
5-7 mint leaves

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well
Double strain to remove any traces of mint leaf, into a champagne flute
Top up with fixx and stir gently to mix

Lily Flutes by Toasted Glass

This final cocktail is also a take on a classic and for me, taste all the better for it. I really wanted to love the Aviation when I made it for my Gin Cocktails post. It seemed to sum up that wonderful era of Aviation, a true classic, but in truth, it wasn't a favourite. I loved the idea of it more than I loved the actual drink This version, for me, is far more palatable and although the alcohol content is actually more, it tastes far less innocuous - again, quite dangerous...

Night Flight

Ingredients
2 oz gin
1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz creme de violette
1/2 oz lemon juice
Fizz to top up
1 raspberry to decorate

Add all of the ingredients, bar the fizz, to a shaker with ice and shake well
Strain into a champagne flute and top up with fizz
Stir gently to mix the drink

Black Lace Flutes by Toasted Glass

Well this was how Mr TG and I spent our evening, last Saturday and very pleasant it was too. What's more, there was not a trace of a hangover the next day which is nothing short of miraculous. Please don't sue if you aren't quite so lucky. Have a wonderful week and pop back soon to see what's new x

Mother's Ruin

After veering seriously off piste with last weeks selection of Alpine Inspired, Genepi cocktails, I thought I'd bring it back closer to home and what can be more British than gin?

 Well, quite a lot apparently, as gin actually originated in Europe in the middle ages, as a kind of moonshine liquor, flavoured with juniper berries, distilled by monks, no doubt looking for a little entertainment to relieve the tedium of endless chanting and scratchy robes. In fact, gin didn't appear in England until the early 17th century, but it's popularity soon took hold when, due to the heavy duty imposed on imported spirits, gin shops sprang up all over London. Cheap gin was considered to be the root cause of many the social problems facing the poor and was famously depicted by Hogarth in his series' of engravings, including, Gin Lane (seen below).

These days, gin has become a drink for the discerning tippler, with a vast array of wonderful distillations to choose from. The wonderful Hendricks gin has a distinctive flavour, due to the botanicals used in it's distillation and the infusion of rose and cucumber which may well make it a wonderful facial toner too, although, perhaps best not to try that out.. Other notable gins include Tanqueray and of course, Gordons; a bottle of which is always in my drinks arsenal, as it is the favoured beverage of the in laws. So, for the purposes of this week's blog, I am using, the eternally popular, Gordons, although should anyone (ahem, take note Mr TG) wish to gift me a bottle of Hendricks, I would love to try out some other fabulous gin cocktails.

For a mind boggling selection of gins, including Hendricks (pictured), Tanqueray and the amusingly named range from Van Wees. visit Amathus Drinks , either online or at one of their London stores.

The first cocktail I tested, was the Earl Grey Martini, a drink that sounded like my perfect cocktail, combining the flavours of Earl Grey tea, lemon and gin - what's not to love? And sure enough, it was a triumph - a delicious and refreshing marriage of flavours that left me wishing I had infused more gin so I could 'test' another one! The infusing bit does require a little forethought, but is in no way complicated. 

Earl Grey Martini

Ingredients

2 oz gin

1 level tsp good quality earl grey tea

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz sugar syrup

3/4 oz egg white

Ahead of mixing, pour the gin into a glass and sprinkle over the loose tea.

Allow to infuse for 2 hours and then strain, discarding the tea leaves.

Separate the egg white from the yolk and set aside the white 

Place the egg white, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker

Whisk until frothy, then fill the shaker with ice and add the strained gin

Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass

Cocktail Glass by Toasted Glass

Next up was the Aviation cocktail. My decision to include this was mostly led by last week's purchase of Creme de Violette and Luxardo's Maraschino liqueur from Just Miniatures, two unusual ingredients, that happily, both feature in this classic cocktail.

The Aviation first appeared in print in a book by New York barman, Hugo Ensslin in 1916. The drink called for London Dry Gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur and Creme de Violette. The drink's name was in reference to the emerging era of flight, a truly monumental advance for mankind that was initiated only a few years previously by the Wright brothers. The addition of Creme de Violette gives a sky blue tinge to the drink and it's association with flight, gave it a modernity that it made it a popular choice. Today it is a classic cocktail that is enjoyed by cocktail aficionados, in part, due to the inclusion of two, rather more unusual ingredients. 

The Aviation Cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz gin

1/2 oz maraschino liqueur

1/2 oz creme de violette

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker

Fill with ice and shake vigorously

Strain into a chilled martini glass

Cocktail Glass by Toasted Glass

This week's final cocktail is a Gin and Elderflower Martini and if you follow this blog, you'll know I am a huge fan of the Chase Elderflower Liqueur, made in Briitain at the Chase Vodka Distillery. Not only is it delicious, but it comes in a divine bottle.

Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

For other delicious cocktail recipes using Chase Elderflower liqueur, do take a look through some older posts.

Easter Cocktails

Mojitos

Mothers Day Cocktails

Butterfly Cocktails

Gin and Elderflower Martini

Ingredients

1 oz gin

1 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur

1 oz dry vermouth

1/2 oz lime juice

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker

Fill with ice and shake vigorously

Strain into a chilled martini glass

Cocktail Glass by Toasted Glass

With a bit of sunshine on the horizon, I enjoyed this week's cocktails immensely. The flavours were fresh and zingy, just right for sipping in the garden (or anywhere else for that matter). The Aviation Cocktail is one I will definitely ask for when out as I think it deserves to be enjoyed in a glamorous, old fashioned cocktail bar and the Gin and Elderflower Martini was always going to resonate well with me, but this week's clear winner, is the Earl Grey Martini. A heavenly marriage of flavours that really works perfectly with gin.

Enjoy trying them for yourself and as always, drink responsibly. Have a fabulous weekend x

Ay Caramba.

Gecko Cocktail Glasses by Toasted Glass

To date, this blog has featured all the cocktails I personally wanted to try, which seems like a good place to start. Hence, they have all tended to be zesty, fruity, occasionally with floral or herbal undertones and built around vodka, gin and rum. While this seems to me to be more than enough to work with, I am willing to concede that there is far more to be discovered in the world of mixology and so, like the intrepid explorers of yore, I am donning my pith helmet and venturing out into the jungle of wild and untamed spirits. That said, I am not veering into totally unchartered territory, as all of this weeks picks are indeed zesty and fruity, but I am ringing the changes by making margaritas, which, as I'm sure you know, all feature, tequila.

The very mention of tequila, sends an involuntary shudder down my spine and sadly, not in a good way, but it was not always so and I am hoping, that with the right ingredients, I can rediscover my love of it once again. Let's hope so, because I now have a whacking great bottle of the stuff to get through! Once, in a time before children, before hangovers gained such an intensity as to render all cognitive behaviour, impossible, tequila was an oft time companion in the relentless maradi gras that was my life, but over familiarity does indeed, breed contempt and our relationship has been frosty, to say the least, since 2003. However, cocktail aficionados, assure me that the problem lies, not with Tequlia itself, but with the quality of tequila we buy - although I suspect, my personal issue was one, more of quantity, than quality, but moving on....

Tequila is distilled from the heart of the blue agave, a large succulent plant found in Mexico and must be produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco to qualify as genuine. It is sold as either 100% agave or mixtos, which must be at least 51% agave and the rest being made up of other sugars. There are then five sub categories that the pure tequila is divided into, according to age. For a smoother, more palatable drink (yes please) you should look to buy a 'resposado' or 'anejo' tequila. The 'resposado' has been aged for a minimum of two months, but less than a year, in oak casks and the 'anejo', a minimum of one year, but less than three.

I had wanted to head to Amathus for a bottle of their superb Calle 23 Resposado tequila, but time constraints were such, that I could venture no further afield than my local Tesco, where, by fortune, they had a bottle of Sierra Resposado, complete with amusing, Mexican hat lid, more than adequate, I hope for mixing up a few tequila cocktails.

So, to begin with, we are going to make a margarita. There are so many variations on the basic drink, which consists of tequila, triple sec (or similar orange liqueur), lime juice and salt. This first margarita is called a Puro Margarita and does not use triple sec, but rather, the sweetness comes from the addition of agave syrup, which, if you haven't heard of it before, is a natural sweetener, made from the agave plant and with a much lower GI than sugar. It is readily available in larger supermarkets and of course, health food stores.

Puro Margarita

Ingredients

1 oz lime juice

Zest of  1/2 a lime

Pinch of sea salt

3/4 oz agave syrup

2 oz tequila Resposado

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Half fill with crushed ice

Shake vigorously for 20 secs

Strain into a cocktail glass

Now here's the shocker - it's actually really nice. I could definitely detect tequila, but the addition of lime zest, seemed to pick up a spiciness, I hadn't ever really noticed before, with tequila and the sweet, sour and salt worked beautifully, together. 

So, flush with success, I am moving on to a variation on the theme and making a Cherry Margarita. This recipe calls for 8 cherries and I am using freshly frozen cherries, not least because they appear to  be more expensive, pound for pound, than plutonium, at the moment, but also because they actually break down more easily and the whole thing can be made in a shaker. This recipe also calls for Luxardo's maraschino liqueur, which I purchased as a miniature, to try out, a few weeks ago, from Just Miniatures, and in fact, have almost finished it, so may be investing in a full size bottle soon.

Cherry Margarita

Ingredients

8 frozen cherries

1/2 oz sugar syrup

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz Luxardo's maraschino liqueur

1 1/2 oz tequila Resposado 

Run cold water over the cherries in a sieve and pat dry

Add the cherries and sugar syrup to a cocktail shaker and muddle until the cherries are fairly pulped

Add the remaining ingredients and top up with crushed ice

Shake vigorously for 20 secs and strain into a cocktail glass

Again, I surprised myself by really enjoying this. If I had any criticism, it was that it was a little sweet for my taste and possibly could have benefited from less added sugar, but the colour was so magnificent, I could forgive it that.

This last cocktail is adapted from a daiquiri recipe, favoured by Ernest Hemmingway, but the the rum is substituted with tequila. I like to think that Hemmingway, the alcoholics' poster boy, would have approved. I imagine he would have probably approved, had I substituted the rum for turpentine, in the appropriate circumstances....

Hemmingway Margarita

Ingredients

2 oz tequila Resposado 

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 oz Luxardo's maraschino liqueur

1/4 oz sugar syrup

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill to half way, with ice

Shake vigorously for 20 secs and strain into a cocktail glass

This, I thought, was delicious - sweet, but not cloying and very refreshing. I do believe, Hemmingway would have happily sunk a few of these and no doubt written some outstanding work of fiction, whilst pie-eyed. I, on the other hand, am struggling to finish this post after sharing all these with Mr TG. 

So, in brief, tequila isn't half as dreadful as I thought and I would happily whip up any of these cocktails to entertain guests. Of all of them, I would choose, as my number 1, the Puro Margarita - the addition of lime zest, elevating it from Cheesh and Chong, to Frida Kahlo.

And finally, I couldn't write about tequila, without a nod to the classic, shot, with salt and lime. I find it hard to believe there's a person of drinking age, alive, who hasn't tried this - possibly with disastrous consequences- but, just in case, here it is...

Tequila, Salt and Lime

Ingredients

1 oz tequila Resposado 

1 wedge of lime

1 pinch of salt

Pour the tequila into a shot glass

Take a pinch of salt and put it on the back of your opposite hand

Throw back the tequila shot in one gulp and immediately suck on the wedge of lime

Gecko Shot Glasses by Toasted Glass

Now, I have to be honest and admit that I did not try this one at home, but I did sniff the glass and was surprised to find that I did not retch. I think my days of tequila shots are well and truly over, but I may well make the Puro Margarita, part of my cocktail repertoire.I hope that you get the chance to try these out for yourself and please let me know your thoughts. Drink responsibly and have an amazing weekend x