Classic Cocktails

Cocktail Tumblers by Toasted Glass

Well, it's been a busy old time; so busy, in fact, that it has been almost a year since I last shared my love of cocktails with the blogosphere. On the positive side, this is because I am kept so busy painting that it's hard to find the time to drink, let alone, create cocktails, but rest assured, my love of a libation, remains strong, if infrequent.

This week, I've been creating a range of simple, classic, cocktail tumblers, so it seemed only correct, that they should be thoroughly road tested before I unleash them on the world. Each one will come with a handwritten, little recipe card, but you can try them out here and see which is your favourite. I love them all!

None of the above recipes, specify a particular brand of alcohol (other than Campari), so if you find a new, favourite cocktail, here, why not try it with a couple of different ones and do a taste test. As a huge fan of the Negroni cocktail, I can attest that it can taste completely different, depending on the brand of gin you use.

Negroni Tumbler by Toasted Glass

Negroni

1oz Gin
1oz Sweet Vermouth (the red one)
1oz Campari
Garnish - orange zest

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail tumbler with a few cubes of ice and stir.
Garnish with a slice of orange zest (cut straight from the peel of an orange, avoiding the pith). Squeeze gently over the glass, to release the aroma, before popping it in.

Mojito Tumbler by Toasted Glass

Mojito

2oz Rum
2 teaspoons sugar
6-8 mint leaves
1 fresh lime - chopped
Garnish - sprig of mint

Gently muddle (squish) the ingredients in the cocktail tumbler until the sugar is dissolved.
Add plenty of ice and a little sparkling water to top up.
Stir to mix.

The most important thing with a cocktail like the Old Fashioned, is to use a great quality bourbon or rye that you love. With so few ingredients, there's no hiding from the whiskey, so make sure it's a good one!

Old Fashioned Tumbler by Toasted Glass

Old Fashioned

2oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 sugar cube
3 drops of bitters (your choice)
Garnish - orange zest

Pop the sugar cube in the cocktail tumbler and shake a few drops of bitters on top and let the sugar dissolve.
Pour in the bourbon or rye and stir to mix.
Add a cube or two of ice and garnish with orange  zest as before.

Margarita Tumbler by Toasted Glass

Margarita

2oz Tequila
1oz Triple Sec
Juice of 2 freshly squeezed limes
Garnish - crushed salt flakes, lime slice

Place the crushed, salt flakes on a small plate.Wet the rim of the glass with the slice of lime and roll it gently through the salt so that the rim becomes salt encrusted.
Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail tumbler with ice (crushed, if possible) and stir.
Garnish with the lime slice.

Julep Tumbler by Toasted Glass

Julep

3oz Bourbon
1 tsp sugar
5-6 mint leaves
Garnish - mint sprigs

Pre-chill the cocktail tumbler in the freezer.
Add the mint leaves and sugar to the chilled tumbler and gently muddle.
Pack the tumbler with crushed ice and pour on the bourbon.
Stir and add more ice.
Garnish with lots of mint, slapping it gently in your palms, beforehand, to release the minty loveliness.

Cachaça, a Brazilian spirit, akin to firewater, is more widely available these days, but if you don't have any, why not try Caipiroska instead, substituting the Cachaça for vodka.

Caipirinha Tumbler by Toasted Glass

Caipirinha

2oz Cachaça
2 teaspoons sugar
1 lime - chopped

Muddle the lime and sugar in the bottom of the glass, allowing the sugar to dissolve.
Add a generous amount of ice (crushed if possible) and top up with Cachaça.
Stir to mix.

I really hope you try some of these classic recipes and if you are thinking of ordering a tumbler for your favourite cocktail, have a little gift from me - enter the code COCKTAIL at the end of the payment process and get 10% off that product. You can use the code as often as you like and on as many cocktail tumblers as you fancy. Enjoy!

Tease Maid Cocktail

Tease Maid Cocktail - Bespoke Cocktail Service

The journey to creating this cocktail has been a long one, that began as a conversation, more than a year ago, over tea and cake, at a Secret Tea Society meeting. Brought together by a love of tea, gin and conversation, Sarah (Sass) Allard shared with me, her vision for an exclusive, yet relaxed Tea Lounge where like minded people could come together and enjoy some exceptional teas. We discussed the possibility of my creating a cocktail for her that would encapsulate her vision and would, one day, grace the incredibly chic tables of her Tea Lounge. It was important to create a cocktail that would be enjoyed by all at the Tea Lounge, but equally, it had to represent Sarah herself as the lounge will be an embodiment of her personal vision.

With that in mind, it was imperative that the cocktail should contain tea in some shape or form and knowing that Sarah is more than partial to the rich, malty flavour of Assam, the first ingredient was assured. Deciding on spirits was slightly more complex - regular followers will know that I am a bit of a gin geek and was therefore bursting with ideas for gin/tea based cocktails. However, much as Sarah enjoys gin, her real passion is for rum; with her Trinidadian heritage, the spirit of the Caribbean runs through her veins and so the spirit of the Caribbean was to run through this cocktail.

Rum and tea have long been traditional bedfellows although it's often served as a hot drink, and creating a martini style drink that would be enjoyed by all, proved trickier than I had first envisaged. Part of the problem was the tea itself; results in the strength of the brewed tea varied slightly, which significantly changed the taste of the cocktail. Add to that, the fact that the tea continued to infuse, even after the leaves were removed, causing the flavour to become bitter and woody, it soon became apparent that another solution was necessary. The cocktail also had to be something that could be prepared in a reasonable amount of time, if it was to appear on the menu of the Tea Lounge and so, the idea of an Assam Peach Concentrate was conceived. This could be prepared in advance, in large quantities, if necessary and stored safely in the fridge. After the initial effort of making the concentrate, the building of the cocktail would be relatively simple.

When it came to choosing a rum, I wanted something with lots of spice and vanilla that would compliment the malty flavour of the tea and fragrant sweetness of peach. Rumbullion navy strength Caribbean rum is tailor made for the job - it's a high proof rum (42.6% ABV), flavoured with Madagascan vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Delicious enough to drink neat, it's a worthy addition to the drinks cabinet, plus it comes in a rather fabulous bottle...

Rumbullion navy strength rum

So, before I impart the recipe for the Tease Maid cocktail, I must just share with you a few details about Sarah (Sass) Allard and her upcoming Tea Lounge. The fabulously apt name, 'Tease Maid' was conceived by her and sums up perfectly, the spirit of the drink. The 'Tease Maid' character that graces the bottle and martini glass featured in this post, was created by me and I used Sarah herself, as my inspiration. The Tea Lounge is (at the time of publication of this post) still in the conceptual stage, but you can follow Sarah, and I urge you to do so, on twitter (@teapreneur_girl) and Facebook (teapreneur) to keep up to date with all her news.

Tease Maid Cocktail

2oz Rumbullion
2oz Assam Peach Concentrate
1oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
sprig of mint to garnish

Add everything, bar the mint, to cocktail shaker, with a handful of ice.

With the lid firmly closed, shake until the outside of the shaker develops a frosty bloom (about 20secs).

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Slap the mint gently between the palms of your hands to release the minty aroma and garnish the drink.

Tease Maid - Bespoke Cocktail by Toasted Glass

A Passion for Rum

Deco Fan Coupe by Toasted Glass

It has been a while since rum featured on my cocktail menu, but with warmer weather looking like a distinct possibility and sunshine streaming in through the studio windows, I felt the urge to mix up a drink to invoke languid, summer evenings in tropical climes.

As Bacardi has recently unveiled a new bottle design and a return to the traditional Spanish names, I thought I would remind myself of its smooth, nutty flavour. With hints of vanilla, it makes for easy drinking and has been a populist choice for decades, but the new bottle and name (Bacardi Carta Blanca) give it more of an authentic feel. A Cuba Libre might just be a rum and coke, but somehow, renamed, it just tastes better...

As well as using white rum, I decided to crack open the bottle of Vanilla Galliano that has been glowing like a great, yellow lighthouse in my cocktail cupboard. I must confess that I bought it erroneously, thinking it was standard Galliano, but as I am a fan of the original's earthy vanilla undertones, I figured that earthy, vanilla overtones might not be such a bad thing.

The vanilla aroma is quite intoxicating and could be overpowering if used in quantity, but used sparingly, will add depth and complexity. As well as vanilla, there are over 30 different herbs used in the distillation of this Italian liqueur, notably star anise which, as any absinthe drinker will know, likes to make it's presence known.

To compliment the complex flavours of Vanilla Galliano and white rum, I added Giffards Passion Fruit Syrup and the juice of half a ruby grapefruit. The result is a delicately floral, sweet and citrus cocktail that slips down, all too easily.

Roll on summer!

Galliano's Passion

1 1/2oz Bacardi Carta Blanca
1/2oz Vanilla Galliano
3/4oz Giffards Passion Fruit Syrup
2oz freshly squeezed ruby grapefruit
strip of grapefruit zest to garnish

Using a paring knife, carefully take a strip of zest from your grapefruit and set aside for garnish.
Add all of the other ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice.
Close lid firmly and shake hard until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted.
Remove lid and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Twist the strip of zest over the drink to release the citrus oils and drop in the glass.

Retox

Lavender Martini Spritz

The weeks that follow the Festive period are generally fraught with guilt and wavering resolution after a month long bacchanalian booze fest. Buttons don't seem to fasten properly, elastic seems to cut into body parts, turning limbs into link sausages and the last time you awoke feeling vaguely human is a dim distant memory. So it's no surprise then, that for most of us, January has become a month of avoidance, restraint and low level misery. Whilst there is a definite need to let the body recover, there will come a time when you want to start to drink again without entirely undoing all that good work you've put in. So, as you sip on your hot water with a side order of self-sacrifice, why not undo a button or two of your hair shirt and start planning your 'retox' diet....

Cocktails can of course be very fattening; often they are laden with sugar to make them taste like pop which in turn makes them easy to quaff at an alarming rate. However, if you make them yourself, you can control exactly what goes in the glass. Many recipes will call for an ounce of sugar syrup which can equate to over 150 calories before you've even added the alcohol. All of these recipes use only a teaspoon or two of syrup, but will still taste great and you'll be less inclined to chug them down like a  Sunny D crazed teenager. Each cocktail contains around 180 calories which is less than a large (250 ml) glass of wine.

First up is a far less sugary version of the Mojito; a cocktail of rum, mint and lime whose origins are Cuban, but whose popularity has spread worldwide. This version uses a little runny honey to sweeten the taste, but far less than the equivalent sugar in a traditional Mojito. As a result, the other flavours really come to the fore, so be sure to use a good quality white rum and the freshest of ingredients.

Mojito Flaco

2 oz white rum
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
6-8 mint leaves
2 tsp runny honey
sparkling water to top up
sprig of mint to garnish

Add the mint leaves, honey and lime to the bottom of a shaker and muddle (squish). Don't overdo the muddling as the mint will end up tasting vegetal rather than deliciously minty if the leaves become too bruised.
Pour in the rum,  a handful of ice and give it a good shake (with the lid on of course).
Put plenty of ice into a chilled glass and strain the cocktail into it - be sure to check the strainer isn't clogged with mint or you won't be able to get all the cocktail out.
Top up with a little sparkling water and give it a little stir to mix.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
(Tip - if you gently slap the mint between your palms, it will release a fabulously minty aroma that will enhance the drinking experience)

Mojito Flaco - glass by Toasted Glass

This next drink uses Berkley Square Gin which is distilled in the traditional, London style and then infused with a bouquet garni of botanicals, including lavender, sage kaffir lime and basil. The Lavender Martini Spritz uses a little lavender syrup and fresh lime juice to enhance those wonderful flavours and just a little dash of sparkling water to diffuse the intensity.

Lavender Martini Spritz

2 oz Berkley Square Gin
2 tsp lavender syrup (click here for recipe)
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
dash of sparking water
lime wheel to garnish

Add the gin, syrup and lime juice to shake with ice and shake hard until the outside frosts over.
Open the shaker and add a dash of sparkling water.
Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a wheel of lime.

Lavender Martini Spritz - glass by Toasted Glass

Finally, to celebrate the end of detox and the start of retox, a champagne cocktail that is fresh, light and fabulous. Of course, in the spirit of restraint, you can use a brut cava instead of champagne...

Apple Mint

1 oz vodka
2 oz apple juice
4 mint leaves
1 tsp sugar
champagne or cava to top up
sprig of mint to garnish

Add the sugar to the apple juice in the bottom of a shaker and stir until dissolved.
Add the vodka, mint leaves and muddle gently before popping in a handful of ice and giving it a shake.
Double strain the cocktail to remove the bits of mint and pour into a chilled champagne flute. Carefully top up with fizz and add a sprig of mint to garnish.

(Tip - fruit juice and fizz can react quite vigorously so add the champagne or cava incrementally, waiting for the bubbles to subside before adding more.)

Apple Mint - glass by Toasted Glass

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....

Beer Cocktails

Mr TG's Weissbier in more effervescent days - glasses by Toasted Glass

There has been a bit of a theme running through the posts of late, albeit, unintentional, and this week is no exception. Firstly, couple of weeks ago, we had a surfeit of pears, so I made pear nectar. Next, it was peaches, so I made peach nectar and this week, it's Weissbier so we are making Beer Cocktails, as close to 'beer nectar' as you can get.

You see, Mr TG has developed a bit of a taste for German Weissbier and actually, although beer is generally not my thing, I have to concede that it is quite tasty. So tasty in fact, that I thought it a jolly good idea when he discovered you could buy a 5 litre keg at a considerably more reasonable price than by the bottle. However, what we didn't realise is that it immediately starts to go flat as I believe these little barrels are designed for serving at parties and not intended to be stored in the fridge for a cheeky glass of beer of an evening. So what do you do with a couple of litres of rather lifeless Weissbier? Why you make some cocktails, of course...

All of the following cocktails are actually delicious and worth buying a bottle or two of fresh Weissbier to enjoy them at their best. When buying weissbier for this purpose, I recommend you buy a German brand such as Erdinger or Paulaner as oppose to a Belgian Witbier, which has very different tasting notes due to the tradition of brewing it with orange peel and coriander. I tried making Mr TG's beloved 'Flintoff' cocktail with a Belgian Witbier and the result was not up to par. No doubt there are some great cocktails to be made with it, but that's for another time.

Today we are all about the Bavarian Weissbier which is generally cloudy, naturally sweet with an often, quite distinctive, banana note, not to mention, clove and vanilla - basically, very delicious. It is actually quite a highly carbonated beer, hence the big frothy head you associate with German beers, which helps counterbalance the malty sweetness of it. However, for the purpose of making cocktails, it is best to pour out what you need and allow it to settle, before adding it to the mix. Otherwise, you may have a few frothy overspills to clear up. Of course, there were no such worries for Mr TG and I, given that the fizz had long since departed from our brew, but even so, the use of a shaker is not recommended, except as static, mixing receptacle.

The first cocktail is not one I can claim to have invented and there are many variations on the theme. Basically, it's a Mojito, but instead of topping up with sparkling water, you are using beer. If you are using a Rhum Agricole like Clements, which is a very young, white rum, with almost citrus notes to it, I recommend a less hoppy, lighter, more citrus tasting beer, like Corona, but with the Weissbier, I found  a mix of white rum and dark rum worked better.

Beer-jito

Ingredients
1 oz Clements Rhum Agricole
1 oz Havana Club Añejo 7 años
1 oz lime juice
8 mint leaves
1 oz sugar syrup
3 oz Weissbier
Sprig of mint to garnish

Muddle (squish) the mint in the bottom of a cocktail shaker or large glass with the lime juice.
Add the rest of the ingredients, plus a handful of ice and stir with a bar spoon (long handled like a sundae spoon) for about 20 secs.
Strain into an ice filled tumbler or hi ball glass and garnish with the sprig of mint.
Tip - if you slap the mint very gently between your palms, it will release the essential oils and enhance the minty aroma of your creation.

Beer-jito - glass available from Toasted Glass

I'm not sure what exactly inspired me to make this next drink, but I think it will be a moment of inspiration, I'll be eternally grateful for. It's very simple to make and would be a great one to scale up the quantities and serve as a punch at parties.

Ruby in the Weiss

Ingredients
1 oz Ruby Port (I used Cockburns)
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
4 oz Weissbier

Add all of the ingredients to a the bottom of a shaker or large glass, with ice.
Stir with a long handled spoon for about 20 secs, then strain into an ice filled tumbler.

Ruby in the Weiss - glass by Toasted Glass

This final cocktail is loosely based on one of my favourite tequila drinks, El Diablo and is such a fabulously spooky colour, it's just crying out to be a Halloween party special.

Devil's Brew

Ingredients
2 oz tequila resposado
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
2/3 oz creme de cassis
1/3 oz blue curaçao
2 oz Weissbier
2 oz ginger beer
Strip of lime zest to garnish

Firstly take a sharp paring knife and cut a strip of zest from your lime before you squeeze the juice out.
Next, add all of the ingredients, apart from the zest, to a cocktail shake or large glass with ice.
Stir for 20 secs and then strain into an ice filled tumbler.
Twist the strip of zest over the rim of the glass, to release the essential oils and garnish the drink.

Devil's Brew - glass by Toasted Glass

Just Peachy...

Sweet Rosemary cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This week's post has been brought to you, courtesy of Lockets, Olbas Oil and Kleenex Balsam Tissues, without which, none of this would have been possible. I am currently in the midst of Lady Flu and viewing the world as though I had a vaseline smeared fish bowl on my head - none of which is conducive to good mixology, taste being an integral part of the process. Luckily however, the week began in less snot-centric circumstances and I was able to create a few peachy numbers before the flu fairy descended upon me, sprinkling me with her germ-laden, fairy dust. 

Why peaches, I hear you ask? Well, the truth is that Mr TG returned from a hard day's foraging in the supermarket, laden with multiple punnets of white peaches which had been reduced in price. They were a tad on the hard side, so we left them to ripen in the bowl, but after two days of waiting patiently, they were still looking more useful as cricket balls, than a fruity treat. Not wishing to admit defeat, I decided to turn them into peach purée - worst case, we'd drinking Bellinis all week...

So, should you find yourself in similarly saddled with a bowl of hard peaches, this is what to do to make them into peach nectar.

Peach Nectar

Firstly, score the skin of the peaches with a sharp knife, to make several crosses over the surface - this will allow the skin to loosen when you blanche them.

Place the peaches in a pan of water so that they are covered and bring quickly to the boil - if the peaches are really hard, allow to boil for minute or two.

Remove from heat and run immediately under the cold tap - this should loosen the peach skin and make it easy to peel off.

Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones.

If the peaches are still very hard, place all the cut pieces into a saucepan with just enough water to cover the bottom and simmer for a few minutes until soft, ensuring the pan doesn't boil dry.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Push through a sieve with the back of a spoon and store in an airtight container. 

Add a little water and or sugar, if necessary.

As this peach nectar has no preservatives, you should aim to guzzle it within a day or two, which means lots of cocktailing opportunities, or you could just drink it as juice, but where's the fun in that?

This first cocktail brought a touch of summer sun to an autumnal evening. It plays the sweetness of peach against the tang of grapefruit and tops it off with a touch of fiery ginger beer. The combination of sweet and spicy Añejo 7 Años Havana Club, dark rum with the citrus notes of Clement Rhum Blanc Agricole give the drink lots of flavour layers in the tradition of a Tiki style cocktail.

Peach Tiki

Ingredients

1oz Añejo 7 Años Havana Club

1oz Clement Rhum Blanc Agricole

1oz peach nectar

1oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

A little ginger beer to top up

Strip of pink grapefruit zest to garnish

Using a sharp paring knife, cut a strip of zest from the peel of the grapefruit and set to one side.

Add everything, but the ginger beer to a cocktail shaker and shake hard for about 20 secs.

Strain into a large tumbler or highball filled with crushed ice and top up with a little ginger beer.

Peach Tiki - glass by Toasted Glass

As well as being a gorgeous shade of blush, this next cocktail is a delicate blend of gin and juice, enhanced with the herbal notes of fresh basil. I used Williams Chase Extra Dry GB Gin because it has strong spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg that compliment the peach nectar and plenty of juniper and citrus to blend with the pink grapefruit. There are a lot of different flavours going on in one glass, but the result is a delicately perfumed and refreshing  drink.

Basil Blush

Ingredients

2oz Williams Chase Extra Dry GB Gin
4-6 fresh basil leaves
1oz peach nectar
1oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1/2oz simple syrup
Dash of sparkling water
Sprig of basil to garnish

Add the syrup and basil leaves to a cocktail shaker and muddle gently (squish) to release the essential oils - don't overdo the muddling or the flavour will be vegetal rather deliciously herbal.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker with a handful of ice and shake to mix.
Strain the shaker contents into a chilled tumbler, filled with ice and top with a dash of sparkling water.
Garnish with a small sprig of basil - gently slap the sprig between your palms to release the basil aroma.

Basil Blush cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

Now I realise that tequila isn't everybody's spirit of choice, but I have grown to love the smokey, earthy flavour of a tequila resposado and find it combines really well with elderflower and rosemary syrup as in the Tufnell cocktail from my Ashes post. Here, I've used these flavours again, but combined them with peach nectar and topped up with a spot of bubbly to add some sparkle and dilute the concentration in the absence of ice.

Sweet Rosemary

Ingredients

1oz tequila resposado
1/2 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
1/2 oz rosemary syrup (click here for recipe)
1oz peach nectar
1/2 oz lemon juice
Cava or your fizz of choice to top up
Strip of lemon zest to garnish

Before cutting the lemon to squeeze it, take a sharp paring knife and cut a strip of zest from the peel.
Add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the Cava, to a shaker and shake hard.
Strain into a chilled martini glass or coupette and carefully add some fizz, ensuring you pour slowly to avoid it fizzing over. Allow to settle and gently stir to mix.

Sweet Rosemary cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

And so we come to the end of the week, when the lurgey caught up with me and I was rendered temporarily off the cocktail radar. I was sorely tempted to treat myself with Penicillin cocktails, but upon reflection, decided that, although undeniably delicious, the health benefits were debatable. Instead, I made a warming, fruity punch, using the rest of the peach nectar, lemon and honey-ginger syrup. I can testify to it's soothing and warming qualities and should you wish to pop a tot of rum in there too, I imagine you'll be perky again in no time!

Rum Tea Remedy

Ingredients

1oz Clements Rhum Blanc Agricole

1oz honey-ginger syrup

2oz water

2oz peach nectar

1oz lemon

Add everything to a saucepan and heat very gently for about 5 mins, never allowing it to boil.

Pour into a suitably heat resistant receptacle, cup hands around it and curl up in a comfy chair, preferably with a warm, snuggly blanket...achoo

Rum Tea Remedy - cup by Toasted Glass

Nature's Harvest (in a glass)

Jolly Sailor Mulled Cider - glassware from Toasted Glass

Only a few, short weeks ago, it felt as though Summer might last forever, but of course, the seasons march on a pace and here we are, pulling on sweaters and wondering when it will be acceptable to crank up the central heating. Thankfully though, there's more to Autumn than just shorter days and chilly mornings. This is harvest time for a plethora of fruits, vegetables and grains, many of which will make an appearance on our plates and some of which should definitely be charging our glasses. British apples, pears, blackberries and plums are all at their best right now and if you are lucky enough to grow your own, you're probably wondering what to do them all, so when you've had your fill of fruit crumble, might I suggest that you turn your culinary skills to the drinks cabinet. After all, a warming tipple is a welcome pleasure as the nights draw in and the temperature drops. But don't worry if you don't have a garden full of fruit trees, the supermarket has plenty of British produce in store right now that will taste better than ever.

For this first cocktail, I actually made some pear nectar, which may sound a little over the top, but was surprisingly, very simple to do and a fabulous way to use up a surfeit of pears. Mine, I hasten to add, were from the supermarket and had inconveniently all decided to ripen at once, simultaneously turning from molar challengingly hard, to squish, within a day. As I couldn't convince my children that they really wanted to eat a bowlful of pears in a sitting, I decided to make them into juice.

Pear Nectar (makes about a pint)

3 large pears
150 ml of water

Chop the pears into quarters - no need to peel or core - and add to a pan with the water.
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for a few minutes.
Allow to cool and place a sieve over a large bowl.
Mash the pear through the sieve and hey presto...pear juice!

As there are no preservatives, I suggest you use the juice within a day or so, but if you do want to store it for longer, you must keep it refrigerated in an airtight, sterilised container. This is very important as juices can become volatile if not kept in a sterile environment. However, it's so delicious, I can't imagine it will last too long.

Now, of course, you can buy pear nectar from some health food outlets or even make it by whizzing up unsweetened tinned pears, so don't feel you have to go all 'Nigella' in the kitchen. Using fresh produce is always a nice touch, but this cocktail is going to taste delicious, whichever way you prepare it. What really gives it that Autumnal, spiced flavour, is the delicious cinnamon, vanilla and clove syrup and luckily, you can buy it, ready made in a bottle  ( Clément Sirop de Canne available from www.amathusdrinks.com ). Alternatively, you can make your own:

Vanilla, Cinnamon and Clove Syrup

Add a vanilla pod, cinnamon stick and a couple of whole cloves to a pan with one cup of water.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and add two cups of sugar.
Simmer for 5 mins and allow to cool.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Phew, so you've got your pear nectar, you've got your syrup, let's make some cocktails already!

Spiced Pear Martini

Ingredients

2 oz vodka (I used Sipsmith Barley Vodka)
2 oz pear nectar
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 - 1 oz Vanilla, Cinnamon and Clove Syrup (1/2 oz is enough for me, but if you like it sweet, add a little more)
Cinnamon stick and a strip of orange zest to garnish

Using a paring  knife, cut a strip of zest from and orange - try to leave the pith behind if possible.
Add the vodka, pear nectar and syrup to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice cubes.
Shake hard for about 20 secs and strain the contents into a chilled martini glass.
Twist the orange zest over the top of the drink to release the essential oils and use as garnish along with the cinnamon stick.

Spiced Pear Martini - glass available from Toasted Glass

Next up is a cocktail that will definitely warm  you up after a chilly day. It combines lots of warming ginger with the earthy spiciness of tequila and the fresh flavour of blackberries. If you can pick your own, so much the better, just give them a little wash before you start.

Tequila, Ginger Bramble

Ingredients

2 oz Tequila Resposado (gold in colour)
1-2 cm root ginger, peeled and finely grated
3-4 fresh blackberries
1/2 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz agave nectar or sugar syrup
Sparkling water to top up
Blackberry to garnish

Add the ginger and blackberries to a cocktail shaker and muddle (squish).
Add the tequila, lemon and syrup with a handful of ice and shake hard.
Strain the contents into a chilled tumbler or hi ball, filled with ice and top up with a little sparkling water.
Stir gently to combine and garnish with a fresh blackberry.

Tequila, Ginger Bramble - tumbler by Toasted Glass

Finally, Autumn hasn't really started before you have your first Mulled Cider and Britain has no shortage of fine ciders to choose from. With the apples, literally falling out of the trees, there is no better time to celebrate that most British of drinks and warm your very cockles, to boot.

I could probably write a whole book, just of Mulled Cider recipes and indeed, I may, but for now, let's settle on just one that will see you through the next cold snap and into the Festive Season. The quantities here will make two generous cups, but if you are entertaining guests in the near future, scale up and give them a warming treat.

Jolly Sailor's Mulled Cider

500 ml dry cider
50 ml dark rum
Peeled zest of 1/2 an orange
1/2 an apple, cut into 4 wedges
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla pod
4 cloves

Put all of the ingredients in to a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat gently - do not allow to boil.
Simmer very gently for about 20 mins and pour into cups with the apple wedges - try to leave the zest etc, behind, as the cups get a little crowded, but be sure to eat the apple at the end - it's delicious!

Jolly Sailor Mulled Cider - glassware by Toasted Glass

The Ashes 2013

So, Wimbledon is over for another year and as the nation basks in the glow of Murray's victory, Mr TG settles back for six weeks of cricket as England and Australia battle it out on various pitches across England, to see who will win the tiniest cup in the history of sport. Yes, it's time for Ashes 2013, which kicked off at Trent Bridge on July 10th and will go on until August 25th, during which time, Mr TG's humour will depend on the performance of the England team against their old adversaries, the Aussies.

The term, 'The Ashes' came about as a satirical comment made by the press after a game at the Oval when England were beaten by the Australians for the first time, on home ground. In the aftermath of that game, a satirical obituary was published in the Sporting Times, in which it claimed, the game of cricket had died and 'the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia'. The subsequent, series played between the two teams in Australia in 1882-83 was jokingly dubbed by the newspapers as England's bid to bring home the Ashes of English Cricket.

The tiny trophy which has become synonymous with game, is not in fact the actual trophy that was originally presented and is reputed to contain the ashes of a cricket ball. The original terracotta urn has remained at the Melbourne cricket club since it was presented at the end of the 1882-3 series. The actual trophy is a Waterford crystal reproduction of this and is actually quite impressive, but the media and the cricketers themselves can never pass up the comic opportunity of holding aloft a palm sized terracotta copy.

Despite Mr TG's great love of the game and the fact that we live within shouting distance of the Essex County Ground, I have managed to remain blissfully uneducated in the nuances of the game. In fact, I will actually be attending a Twenty Twenty game on sunday, but I look at as an opportunity for a picnic more than anything else. Expect to hear quite a lot from me on twitter that day... So, I feel it's in my best interests to come up with a cocktail or two to make the experience a little bit more fabulous and I'm sure , for those that love the game, it will be all the more enhanced by one of these.

I took as my inspiration, two cricketing greats, who are as well known for their off pitch personas as they are for their cricketing prowess; Phil 'the cat' Tufnell and Andrew 'Freddy' Flintoff seemed appropriate choices for cocktail monickers, given their, shall we say, 'fun loving' reputations. The Tufnell cocktail is a drink with a herbal twist, owing to ex-team-mate, Atherton's claim that Tuffers was partial to the, more than occasional, herbal smoke and The Flintoff is a potentially lethal mix of rum and beer that is quite liable to fuel an attempt at crossing the high seas in a pedalo.

The Tufnell cocktail requires a small amount of rosemary syrup which can be made quite simply by following this recipe. Rosemary Syrup (click here for recipe). The tequila was purchased from Tesco and the Chase Elderflower liqueur from the wonderful people at Amathus Drinks.

A young Tufnell in 1998, celebrating Test cricket success

The Tufnell

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Sierra tequila resposado
1/2 oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
3/4 oz rosemary syrup
1 oz lemon juice
Half a ripe pear, peeled, cored and diced
A little sparkling water to top up
Sprig of rosemary

Muddle the pear in the bottom of a shaker then pass through a sieve so only the juice remains.
Alternatively blitz it in a blender, which will give a slightly thicker consistency - both are fine.
Add the pear juice and rest of the ingredients, apart from the sprig of rosemary, to the cocktail shaker and shake hard.
Strain the contents of the shaker into a tall glass, filled with ice and top with a little sparkling water.
Stir to mix.
Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Hi ball glasses available on Etsy

The Flintoff cocktail requires honey-ginger syrup (click here for recipe). Leffe Blonde beer has a honey spice of it's own and a slight banana taste that pairs well with rum. It is readily available in larger supermarkets and I was able to purchase mine from Tesco. The Flor de Cana rum was bought from the City branch of Amathus Drinks and is also available to buy form them, online. For those of you who would like to try the cocktail, but would rather not have the full Flintoff experience, I suggest sharing one between two or perhaps leave out a shot of rum...

Flintoff in typically exuberant form

The Flintoff

Ingredients
3 oz Flor de Cana rum
1 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz honey-ginger syrup
3 oz Leffe Blonde Beer

Add the rum, lemon and syrup to a shaker with ice and shake hard.
Open the shaker, add the beer and stir carefully, with a bar spoon to combine all of the ingredients.
Strain into a tall beer glass, filled with ice.

Pint Glass available on Etsy

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

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

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.