Cinco de Mayo

TG Micheleda Cocktail

Never let it be said that Toasted Glass would miss out on a cocktail opportunity and despite having no Latino connections whatsoever and only a rudimentary grasp of Spanish, Mr TG and I decided to embrace with open arms, the alcoholic potential of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

That is the beauty of Cinco de Mayo (or 5th of May to those whose Spanish is even more rudimentary than mine own) - although deeply rooted in history and marking the date in 1862 of the remarkable Mexican victory over Napoleon's invading French army at the Battle of Puebla, it has become a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. Although only observed as an official holiday in the State of Puebla in Mexico, it is celebrated across Mexico and the United States, having grown in popularity over the years as the Latino population expanded. In the 1980's, beer company marketeers spotted an opportunity to make a fast buck and brought the celebration to the masses making it so high profile that in 2005, US Congress lobbied to have the date observed across the American States with appropriate cultural ceremonies - cue the mariachi bands, tortilla chip sombreros and tequila....

Across the world, there are Cinco de Mayo celebrations to be had, particularly in the capitals and major cities, but if you can't make it to one of those, why not get in the spirit of things and knock up a few inspired cocktails at home... Margaritas are always a popular choice, but having fairly exhausted their potential in previous posts (click here for some alternative Margarita recipes), it was time to don the thinking sombrero and come up with something new...

Cinco de Mayo - glass by Toasted Glass

Cinco de Mayo

2oz silver tequila
2oz freshly pressed watermelon juice
2cm round of cucumber peeled and cubed
Sliver of birds eye chilli
Dash of simple syrup
Wedge of fresh lime

To begin, make the fresh watermelon juice by pressing a few cubes through a sieve and collecting the liquid - discard the seeds and pulp.

Add the tequila and cucumber to the bottom of a shaker and gently muddle (squish). The idea is not to liquify the cucumber so don't worry if it stays fairly whole - the flavour will leech out.

Pour in the watermelon juice and add the sliver of chilli and a dash of simple syrup.

Squeeze the wedge of lime into the shaker and discard the pith and peel.

Shake hard with ice until the outside of the shaker has a frosty bloom and strain into a chilled martini glass.


Beergarita

1oz silver tequila
1oz triple sec
1oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Tiny pinch of salt flakes
Mexican beer to top up (we used Corona)

Add the tequila, triple sec, lime juice and salt to a shaker with ice and shake hard.

Strain into a highball with ice and top up with a light Mexican beer such as Sol or Corona and stir gently to mix.

Beergarita - glass by Toasted Glass

This next drink is an adaptation of a Mojito, using silver tequila in place of rum and with the addition of a little fresh raspberry which not only adds to the flavour but creates a magnificent colour.

Raspberry Tequito

2oz silver tequila
6 raspberries
8-10 mint leaves
1oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2oz simple syrup
Sparkling water to top up.

To begin, press the raspberries through a sieve with the back of a spoon, collecting the juice in the bottom of the shaker and discarding the pulp and seeds.

Add the tequila and mint and gently swish to release the essential mint oils - don't overdo it or the flavour becomes 'grassy'.

Add the lime juice and simple syrup with a handful of ice and shake hard for about 20 secs.

Strain (or double strain if you don't want any bits of mint floating) into an ice filled highball glass and top with a little sparking water.

Stir gently to mix.

Raspberry Tequito - glass by Toasted Glass

No Cinco de Mayo celebration would be complete without a nod to the Micheleda, the Mexican beer cocktail that has many variations that range from the simple addition of lime and salt to more complex variations involving chilli, clam juice, tomato and worcester sauce. Never ones to shy away from the complex, this TG Micheleda chucks it all in the mix, (bar the clam juice as Mr TG didn't fancy that much) and despite our reservations, it turned out to be delicious, not too mention relatively innocuous in terms of alcohol.

TG Micheleda

1/2 (33cl) bottle of Corona
1oz tomato juice
1/2oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt flakes
Dash of Worcester Sauce
Sliver of birdseye chilli
Fresh ground black pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and stir to combine until the outside of the shaker frosts over.

Strain gently into a tumbler and garnish with a lime wheel.

TG Micheleda - glass by Toasted Glass

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

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