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!

Bespoke Cocktails

Geordie Lass Cocktail - Lace coupe by Toasted Glass

One of the great pleasures in my life, is my work and I am very lucky to have been able to turn my love of painting and designing, into a business. In fact, so busy am I, right now, that my other great pleasure in life, that of cocktail experimentation, has had to take a real back seat. However, in the process of creating Bespoke Cocktails, the two get to overlap  and it is double the pleasure.

The Bespoke Cocktail first came about when I created one for the relentlessly sartorial blogger, Grey Fox. It was intended as a truly personal gift  that would represent him, both as an individual and as a brand - he is a style writer and blogger who addresses the issue of fashion and the older gentleman. From there, I have had the pleasure of creating numerous cocktails for all sorts of people; sometimes to represent a brand and other times to mark a significant event, but each one requires a lot of thought and a fair bit of testing - a labour of love you might say...

This latest bespoke cocktail has become a new favourite in the Toasted Glass household - so much so, that we are in danger of running out of Chase Marmalade Vodka, yet again! It was created as a gift from one friend to another, to mark her significant birthday and was accompanied by a pair of hand painted champagne coupe glasses. The name, 'Geordie Lass' was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the recipient, but I like to think it suits the cocktail well - fresh, fruity and bubbly, but with an unexpected kick...

Bespoke Cocktail with accompanying Lace Coupe Glasses

The combination of fresh orange and marmalade is quite sweet, but the addition of lime juice dials it down a notch, keeping it zesty and the Campari adds a hint of bitterness that gives it depth. The cocktail can be made using unadulterated Campari, but adding the chilli infusion is very straightforward and adds a certain frisson to the proceedings. In the way that a straight shot of alcohol can turn a night around, a kick of chilli can bring on the same sensation. This is a drink that wants to go out and have fun!

Bespoke Cocktail with couples supplement

Geordie Lass

1 1/2 oz Chase Marmalade Vodka
1/2 oz Chilli Infused Campari
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1 oz blood orange juice
1 oz champagne or fizz

Add all, but the champagne/fizz to a cocktail shaker, with a handful of ice.
Close firmly and shake hard until the shaker develops a frosty bloom.
Open the shaker and pour in the fizz, but DO NOT SHAKE!
Strain the contents in to a chilled cocktail glass.

Cheers!

If you would like to take a look at some of the other bespoke cocktails I have created for clients, click here.

Valentine's Tipple

Peacock Feather Coupe by Toasted Glass

Whether or not you are an advocate of Valentine's Day (owing to a distinct lack of interest from Mr TG, I have learned not to be...), this cocktail will make you feel all warm inside. The fizz and the fruit keep it light and fun while the Campari adds a subtle bite; a recipe for a perfect night...

I've used Chase Elegant gin because its botanicals won't overwhelm the flavour and unusually, it is distilled from apples, making it a perfect partner for fruity cocktails. Chase Elderflower liqueur adds a sweet, floral hint that pairs beautifully with all forms of fizz and is definitely one to add to your drinks' cabinet. If you search this blog, you'll find I've used it on many an occasion and have had to replace the bottle more times than I care to admit.

So, even if you're feeling a little 'bah humbug' about the whole occasion, I can still recommend this cocktail. Enjoy with friends, or perhaps watching Brief Encounter with just the dog for company - either way, it's a coupe full of love to enjoy this weekend.

Scarlet Woman

1oz Chase Elegant Gin
1/2oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur
10ml Campari
3oz Brut Cava
5 raspberries

Pulp the raspberries by pushing them through a sieve, collecting the juice in the bottom of your shaker and discarding the pips.
Add the gin and elderflower with a handful of ice, pop on the lid and shake until the outside of the shaker frosts over.
Open the shaker, add the Cava and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin

Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin

A trip to my favourite, London, specialist drinks' supplier, is sadly, all too rare an occasion these days. However, it was with a sense of mild jubilation that Mr TG and I escorted our little princes back to school after seemingly, endless, summer holidays and having dabbed the tears from our eyes, quickly recovered when we realised that after seven, long weeks, we were free to do whatever we wanted; at least until 3.30pm. Hurrah!

We boarded the train to London and made a whistle stop tour of Borough Market, popping in to Neals Yard to purchase a frankly, huge amount of stinky cheese. Then, clutching our fragrant parcel of whiffy Stilton, headed over to Leadenhall Market where the lovely Diosa from Amathus Drinks had some new gins for us to try.

It was hard to leave with just one, as both brands we sampled were delicious in very different ways, but in the end I promised myself I would save one for another trip and based my final decision on looks - terribly shallow, I know, but I'm sure you'll agree that it certainly is a bonny bottle. Of course, looks aren't everything, but luckily, there's far more to this gin, than just a pretty face...

Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin is quite unique; as well as a long list of locally sourced botanicals, including a hefty dose of lavender (always a good thing), quince and lemon thyme, the gin is given a final infusion of Reisling using handpicked grapes from the Zilliken Estate in the Saar region which straddles the borders of France, Germany and Luxemburg.

The gin owes its moniker to Ferdinand Geltz, a Royal Prussian, District Forester of yesteryear, but owes its unique taste to Master Distiller, Andreas Vallendar; the former lends an air of gravitas to the gin, but it is the latter who has really worked the magic; bringing together over thirty botanicals, most of which are picked by hand from the surrounding area, making this a truly artisanal beverage.

On first tasting, I was struck by just how dominant the Resiling infusion was, giving it a distinctly 'winey' flavour, but on second sip, the lavender took centre stage. The overall impression was floral, very dry and quite unlike any gin I've tasted before - I was hooked.

My immediate thought was that the Reisling infusion made it taste like an incredibly intense Martini and so, that seemed like a jolly good place to start.

Ferdinand's Martini

2oz Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin
1oz Dolin dry vermouth

Whether you shake or stir, is a matter of personal taste, but in this instance, in order to preserve as much of the gin flavour as possible, I decided to stir.

Add the gin and vermouth to the bottom of a shaker, with a handful of ice and stir approximately 20 times.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Ferdinand's Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

The classic Gin and Tonic is my go to drink and is a great way to enjoy a good gin, providing you don't drown it in bad tonic. Fever Tree is one of the best and the naturally light version uses less sugar, without substituting it for artificial sweeteners.

Ferdinand's Gin and Tonic

2oz Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin
Fever Tree naturally light tonic
wedge of lime

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how to make a gin and tonic, but just incase...

Add the gin to a chilled glass, half filled with ice and top up with a little tonic. Don't add too much as you can always add more if it's not to your taste, but you can't take it away if you add too much.

Add a wedge of lime - the acidity of lime actually makes a gin and tonic taste sweeter...

Ferdinand's Gin and Tonic - glass by Toasted Glass

The Negroni is one of my favourite, simple, gin cocktails. It combines Campari with a sweet vermouth, both of which blend with Gin to create an intensely bittersweet, herbal drink, whose flavour is subtly altered by whichever gin you use. It's a great drink and works well with Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin, although the Campari does tend to overpower the mix, somewhat.

Ferdinand's Negroni

1oz Ferdinand's Saar Dry Gin
1oz Martini Rosso
1oz Campari

Add all of the ingredients to a chilled glass and stir with a swizzle stick, to mix.

Ferdinand's Negroni - glass by Toasted Glass

I was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed the Ferdinand's Martini, as I am not really a Martini drinker - I tend to prefer cocktails that slip down a little more easily, generally aided by something sweet and sour - but I think I may just have found the best Martini gin, ever. As a result, I am inclined to save it solely for this purpose, although I might be tempted to try a few cocktails of my own at a later date, so watch this space.

To the best of my knowledge, Amathus Drinks are the sole importers for Ferdinand's Dry Saar Gin so if you fancy giving it a try (and I highly recommend that you do), you can order it online or pop in to one of their London outlets (full details are on the website) where you may just find you leave with far more than you intended....

Martin Miller Gin

G&T with Martin Miller Gin

This week, we have been mostly drinking Martin Miller Gin which is always a pleasure. I have written about this marvellous spirit in previous posts - Peacock Cocktails and Taste of London 2013, but felt that after having focused on some excellent gins with a twist, such as Pinkster (raspberry) and Bloom (chamomile), it was time to get back to basics and revisit a spirit with a more traditional list of botanicals. That said, there is plenty to distinguish this gin from the pack, not least of all, the fact that the grain spirit at it's heart, is blended to strength with incredibly pure and soft, Icelandic water. As water constitutes over 50% of the liquid volume, this, frankly crazy sounding idea, starts to make sense. Much like Björk, the Icelandic chanteuse who made London her home, the slightly bonkers Anglo-Icelandic collaboration creates something positively exquisite.

Martin Miller GIn

Sadly, the founder, Martin Miller, died at the beginning of this year at the age of 67. His death was a sad loss to all, but his legacy continues and his ethos is upheld by the company he founded in 1997. Martin Miller Gin is already a worldwide brand and will continue to go from strength to strength despite the gin sector becoming an increasingly competitive arena. Martin Miller remains the gin of choice for bartenders across the globe by sticking to it's core values and creating a traditional, but exceptional gin with a strong citrus aroma and flavour that gives way to juniper notes and a clean, soft finish thanks to that pure Icelandic water.

So, what to create with my Martin Miller Gin that I haven't already covered in previous posts? Well, I decided to take my inspiration, in part, from the Savoy Cocktail Book, first published in 1930 and enjoying a bit of a renaissance as tastes shift from elaborate concoctions to the simpler, boozy beverages of yesteryear. Personally, I am partial to a cocktail that reads like a recipe from a Nigella cookbook, but am also beginning to appreciate the simplicity of the Savoy style when a cocktail was undeniably hooch laden rather than disguised as an alcoholic smoothy.

The Frankenjack cocktail was first published in 1927 book, 'Here's How!', a publication from which many recipes were directly taken for use in the illustrious Savoy Cocktail Book, which is where I found it. The unusual monicker comes from an amalgamation of two names, Frank and Jack, who were apparently the proprietors of an infamous New York speakeasy. It takes the classic martini as its foundation, comprising gin and dry vermouth in equal measure, but is made sweet and fruity by the addition of a little apricot brandy and Cointreau orange liqueur. Although the two liqueurs are added in equal quantities, the apricot brandy is definitely the dominant flavour.

Apricot brandy, rather than tickling the tastebuds with a purely fruit flavour, tends to hit the tongue like an apricot sledgehammer. Because the liqueur is made using the whole fruit, the strong flavour of the kernel pervades the brandy. Apricot kernels have an incredibly intense flavour and are at the heart of Amaretto liqueur and amaretti biscotti which gives some idea of the taste. However, the dry vermouth helps to temper the flavour and if you are a fan of Amaretto, then the flavour will probably taste quite subtle to you. For my personal taste, I would prefer the cocktail made with a few dashes of lemon juice to balance the sweetness, but it is pleasant and a fairly effortless crowd pleaser.

The recipe as stated in the Savoy Cocktail book lists the quantities in 'parts' rather than giving precise measures. I have kept to those ratios, but have put suitable amounts to them to make one cocktail.

Frankenjack

1oz Martin Miller Gin
1oz dry vermouth
1/2oz apricot brandy
1/2oz Cointreau

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard until the outside frosts over.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve.

Frankenjack Cocktail - Glass by Toasted Glass

A further trawl through the hallowed pages of the Savoy Cocktail book unearthed this classic that dates back to at least 1930. The Journalist cocktail which is essentially a Perfect Martini (one with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth), is given a little more depth with addition of a dash of this and that. It's amazing what a difference such small additions can make, but this drink really does have a flavour all of it's own. For anyone who enjoys a classic Martini or Martinez, this will hit the spot. It's unashamedly boozy and will appeal to the hard drinking, hard working hacks it earned its name from as well as traditionalists and hipsters alike.

Journalist

2oz Martin Miller Gin
1oz sweet vermouth
1oz dry vermouth
2 dashes lemon juice
2 dashes curaçao
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard to mix the drink.

Journalist Cocktail - Glass by Toasted Glass

Last but not least is a little creation of my own that was inspired by the competition on the Martin Miller website. The brief was to create a Martin Miller Gin cocktail that uses at least one locally sourced ingredient from the region where it is being served and as a denizen of Essex, I chose Tiptree jam and Maldon sea salt - two things my kitchen couldn't be without.

Maldon sea salt is renowned for its exceptional flavour and has particularly close associations as the children are learning how to sail on the estuary at Maldon. I have personally ingested more Maldon sea salt than I care to, by virtue of being an atrocious sailor and now leave it to Mr TG and the boys. However, I am more then happy, however, to use Maldon sea salt in my cooking and have used a pinch or two when making a Puro Margarita. Strange as it may seem, it actually helps to balance sweet and bitter flavours, just as it does in cooking and needn't be reserved just for margaritas.

My other ingredient - Tiptree Little Scarlet strawberry jam, is a conserve with a serious pedigree. Little Scarlet is an old fashioned variety of strawberry that has changed little in 200 years. It is extremely small and intensely flavoured, but needs to be consumed immediately, making it unsuitable for mass production. However, it continues to be grown on Tiptree farms in Essex where it is harvested and immediately made into this flavoursome jam and as if that wasn't enough, it is even the favourite conserve of archetypal suave spy, James Bond. Not only does he drink vodka martinis and vintage champagne, but according to 'From Russia With Love', his daily breakfast consists of a boiled egg and two slices of toast with a choice of marmalade, honey or Little Scarlet strawberry jam - I kid you not...

The most famous cocktail to date that contains a conserve, is the Breakfast Martini by Salvatore Calabrese (The Maestro), which uses marmalade to great effect and is a favourite of Mr TG. Similarly, I went for a martini style drink, partly because it seemed more Bond-esque and mostly because the Martin Miller Gin would be the main event. To prevent the drink from becoming too sweet, like Calabrese, I added lemon juice, but brought in another level of flavour with the addition of  bittersweet Campari. Added to that, a pinch of Maldon sea salt and I had a drink that hit every tastebud and yet blended seamlessly together. Bloody marvellous, if I say so myself...

Little Scarlet

2oz Martin Miller Gin
3/4oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Campari
1 rounded teaspoon Tiptree Little Scarlet
pinch of Maldon sea salt

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and whisk with a Hawthorn whisk or dry shake (without ice) to ensure the jam is properly mixed (tip - do not use the conserve straight from the fridge as it causes it to set too hard)

Add a handful of ice, shake hard and strain into a chilled martini glass.

The ultimate garnish would be a couple of Little Scarlet strawberries, but as that is practically an impossibility, a tasty variety, sliced and placed on the rim will suffice.

Little Scarlet Cocktail - Glass by Toasted Glass

Think Pink

Pinkster Gin and Fever Tree Tonic

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

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

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

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

Pinkster Gin

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

Belles of St Clements

1oz Pinkster Gin

1oz Triple Sec

1/2oz lemon juice

1 small egg white

1/2 tsp grenadine

1oz cava or champagne

Orange wheel to garnish

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

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

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

Belles of St Clements - glass by Toasted Glass

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

Pinkroni

1oz Pinkster Gin

1oz Chase Elderflower Liqueur

1oz Campari

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

Pinkroni Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

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

Pink Martinez

2oz Martini Rosato

1oz Pinkster Gin

2 dashes Luxardos Maraschino Liqueur

2 dashes orange bitters

3 raspberries to garnish

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

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

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

Pink Martinez

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

Pinkster No.1

1 part Pinkster Gin

1 part Creme de Framboises

1 part Creme de Peche de Vigne

3 parts Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic

Handful of mint leaves

Handful of raspberries

A few lemon slices

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

Pour in the alcohol and tonic and stir to mix.

Pinkster No.1 - glass by Toasted Glass

Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea

Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea

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

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

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

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

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

Lavender in London

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

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

Lavender in London - tumbler by Toasted Glass

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

Brompton Peach Tea

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

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

Brompton Peach Tea-glass by Toasted Glass

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

Harry in the Kasbah

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

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

Harry in the Kasbah-tea glass by Toasted Glass

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

Harry Brompton and the Goblet of Fire

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

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

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

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

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder...

Absinthe Espresso Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

Not many drinks can lay claim to their very own faerie manifestation, but the iconic image of 'La Fée Verte', popularised  in the 19th century and reinvented in the form of the preternaturally pert, Kylie Minogue in the film Moulin Rouge, is synonymous with Absinthe. Legend has it that the anise flavoured spirit is imbued with hallucinogenic properties and that given the right circumstances (vast amounts of alcohol and a copy of the aforementioned film), the green fairy will appear. Tosh and poppycock of course, but it doesn't stop people trying...

Absinthe is a curiously mouth numbing concoction that derives it's colour and flavour from the botanicals that it's distilled with; the most notable being 'wormwood' or 'artemisia absinthium', to give it, it's Latin name. Wormwood, apart from sounding like a character from Tolkien, is also credited with giving absinthe it's mind altering capabilities due to the presence of Thujone, a ketone that was erroneously thought to act on the brain in much the same way as THCs in cannabis. However, this turns out not to be the case as in fact, Thujone is most likely to cause muscle spams and convulsions - yikes! But you needn't worry, because the levels of Thujone are so minuscule that you would have long since died from alcohol poisoning before you could possibly consume enough Absinthe for the Thujone to kick in. The most likely explanation for the accounts of it's hallucinogenic properties are down to a combination of things - mainly, it's high alcohol content (it's distilled at anywhere between 45%-75% ABV) and perhaps the copper stills that it was originally made in. Poor maintenance, lax standards and highly unregulated production could have resulted in contaminated Absinthe that may have led to sightings of green fairies and goodness knows what else. Sadly, Absinthe's reputation is largely unfounded, but it is certainly a drink to be reckoned with.

The history of Absinthe dates backs to the 1790's when French Doctor, Pierre Ordinaire absolved himself of his inauspicious monicker and created his 'cure all' tonic by distilling the bitter  leaves of the wormwood plant with other herbs, local to his home in Switzerland, such as anise, lemon balm and hyssop. Rumour had it that he obtained the recipe from a pair of sisters who had been making this tonic for years, but whatever the truth, it remained the medicine of choice for the jolly Swiss locals until it hit the big time in 1797 when the Pernod brothers opened their distillery in Couvet, Switzerland and began production on an international scale. Distilleries opened all over France and the success of the Pernod brothers encouraged less conscientious producers to get themselves a cut of the action, resulting in unadulterated and frankly dangerous 'Absinthe'.

In the 1840's, Absinthe was used by the French army in North Africa, ostensibly as a water purifier (one assumes the bacteria were too inebriated to be bothered causing dysentery) and as a malarial preventative (again, rendering the mosquitos incapable of action...). Upon returning home, the soldiers brought with them a taste for the green stuff and it's popularity spread with such intensity across France, that the time between 5 and 7 in the evening when bourgeoisie hit the cafés for a post work beverage became known as 'l'heure verte' (The Green Hour'. From then on, Absinthe became very much associated with bohemian Paris and it's artists and poets such as Lautrec and Baudelaire which all helped to fuel it's seditious reputation.

Several years of reduced wine production in France due to weather conditions meant that Absinthe began to outsell it's vine grown rival and the country's annual consumption grew to a mind boggling 21 million litres, which made it's subsequent ban all the more shocking... So what went wrong? How did the French fall so badly out of love with Absinthe?

Well, no doubt it was due in part to pressure from the very rich and powerful wine producers who were unable to compete with low price of Absinthe and put added pressure on the government to find fault with the drink. Lurid tales of licentiousness and crime caused by drinking Absinthe, abounded and were much played upon by the press. The presence of Thujone which was considered a dangerous neurotoxin was grossly exaggerated and there was growing popularity for the Temperance movement across the whole of Europe which called for the ban of all types of alcohol. The final nail in the coffin for Absinthe was a terrible murder case in which the main protagonist had murdered his entire family whilst bombed out of his brain on vast amounts of alcohol. Much was made of the Absinthe he had consumed, although it was but a drop in the ocean of all the types of alcohol that had passed his lips before he raised the gun to his family. Nonetheless, a scapegoat was required and the whole debacle was labelled the Absinthe Murder by the gutter press. A nationwide ban ensued and many other countries took up the cause, although not Britain as we were probably too drunk on cheap gin to care.

Around the 1990s the myth and legend of Absinthe began to re-emerge and brave, young hedonists set forth on a quest to get annihilated on Absinthe in the hope of seeing 'La Fée Verte', but sadly, most were only to discover Le Green Sick and Le  Big Headache. Finally in 2002 the ban was lifted and production began in France once more and by 2007, even the US were allowing Absinthe back on their shores.

The traditional way to drink Absinthe is to place a sugar cube atop a slotted spoon, above a glass of Absinthe and drip cold filtered water through the sugar until it reaches the desired sweetness and dilution. There is a pleasing element to the rigmarole of this old fashioned routine, but it is of course, entirely unnecessary; a dash of simple syrup and a little water would produce the same results, but where's the fun in that?

As for Absinthe cocktails, well, the list is extensive; the Savoy Cocktail Book lists 108 cocktails containing Absinthe, the majority of which, use the spirit in minimal amounts. This is because the overriding flavour of anise and aforementioned mouth numbing property tend to destroy all other flavours in it's path. Many other absinthe cocktails from the book sound like the deranged and dangerous concoctions of a hormonal teenager left in possession of their parent's cocktail cabinet, containing nothing but hard liquor with an ice cube chucked in. (Note to any rooky Absinthe pilferers; do not attempt to top up the bottle with water to cover your tracks - also applies to Pernod and Ouzo as I discovered when I was 13) However, there are a few drinks that I would like to share, that you will hopefully enjoy whether or not you are already a fan of Absinthe.

The first is a classic cocktail with a name that has quite a history… The Monkey Gland cocktail was apparently named in reference to the experiments of much ridiculed and frankly, bonkers scientist, Serge Voronoff who, in the 1920's believed he could enhance male libido by grafting the tissue of monkey testicles onto human ones. The cocktail, one presumes, was supposed to do much the same job, although my findings, unfortunately, do not bear this out. Neither Mr TG or myself were overcome with lust after sharing a Monkey Gland, but we did agree that it was a pleasant enough drink with perhaps, just a hint of Benylin Cough Mixture to it.

Monkey Gland

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Gin
1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp Grenadine
1 tsp Absinthe
Twist of Orange zest for garnish

Add everything except for the garnish, to a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake hard, until the outside of the shaker begins to frost.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Twist the strip of zest over the drink to release the orange aroma and garnish.

Monkey Gland Cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

Next up is a variation on a variation of a classic, the Corpse Reviver No. 2. The esteemed cocktail writer, Harry Craddock wrote that the Corpse Reviver should be imbibed 'before 11am or whenever steam and energy are needed'. The original hair of the dog cocktail, the Corpse Reviver No. 1 is a fairly unremarkable drink, but the No.2 is really rather wonderful. It's primarily a gin cocktail, but the smallest dash of absinthe gives it a depth and complexity that would otherwise be lacking. My variation was down to a lack of Lilet Blanc, a fortified wine that tends to be grouped with vermouth, but has a flavour all of it's own. In it's absence, I used a sweet vermouth, which, while different to the original, is still a great drink.

Corpse Reviver No.2 #2

Ingredients

1 oz Gin

1 oz triple sec

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp Absinthe

Twist of lemon zest to garnish

Add the Absinthe to a chilled martini glass and 'rinse' the glass- i.e. swill the Absinthe around to coat the inside of the glass and discard the excess (if any).

Add everything except the garnish to a shaker with ice and shake hard until the outside frosts over.

Strain the cocktail into the Absinthe rinsed glass 

Twist the strip of lemon zest above the drink to release the citrus aroma and garnish.

Corpse Reviver No.2 - glass by Toasted Glass

Moving away from the classics, this next cocktail is one of my own creation. It combines the heat of ginger and smoke of tequila with green tea, lime and a hint of absinthe. The flavour is complex, earthy and warming with the heat of the ginger, blending with the spirits to tame their flavours. 

The naming of this cocktail turned up an interesting little story that seems oddly appropriate. I was searching to see if I could find a colloquial name for a Mexican fairy and whilst that search proved to be fruitless, I came across an amusing news story from 2011 concerning an out of work brick layer from Guadalajara who claimed to have found a real live fairy. And what do you think he did with this momentous discovery? Why, he pickled her in formaldehyde and charged people to come and see. I like to think that our Mexican Fairy would have a happier end…

Mexican Fairy

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Tequila Resposado

1/4 oz Absinthe 

2 oz chilled green tea

1-2 tsp freshly, finely grated ginger root

1 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Slice of fresh ginger to garnish

Prepare the green tea ahead of time and allow to cool. The best green tea is made from loose leaf, infused for about 5 minutes using water that has cooled slightly from boiling point.

Add the spirits and fresh grated ginger to a shaker and muddle (squish) to really release the fieriness of the ginger.

Add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the garnish, with a handful of ice and shake hard until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty.

Double strain the cocktail into a tumbler filled with ice, to ensure the fibrous ginger is left behind and pop in the slice of fresh ginger.

Mexican Fairy cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

As the name suggests, this next cocktail has a real kick, provided in the main from the chilli infused Campari, details of which you can find here - Chilli Infused Campari. Add to that, triple sec, a little Absinthe and Champagne and you've got yourself quite the little pick me up!

The Kick

Ingredients

1 oz triple sec

1/2 oz chilli infused Campari

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 tsp Absinthe

Champagne to top up

Add everything apart from the Champagne to a shaker with a little ice and give a quick shake, just to chill the contents.

Strain into Champagne flute and top up with Champagne or Cava

The Kick cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

There's no messing around with this final cocktail - it contains a full shot of Absinthe and it's flavour is pure anise. What I like about this is the way it combines with the coffee and syrup to taste like liquorice for grown ups. However, if liquorice isn't your thing or you were planning on using your taste buds for anything else within an hour of drinking it, then it's probably not for you.

Absinthe Espresso Martini

Ingredients
1 oz Absinthe
2 oz chilled espresso coffee
1/2 oz simple syrup

Add everything to a shaker filled with ice and shake hard until the outside becomes frosted and then shake some more.
Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass.

Absinthe Espresso Martini - glass by Toasted Glass

Just for the record, the Absinthe used in all these cocktails was Nemesinthe and the Gin was actually Aldi own brand, Oliver Cromwell Gin. I had read in the Guardian that it had received various awards, following blind tastings and felt obliged to try it. I can confirm that it's not bad at all and at around £13 for a litre, it's worth getting a bottle to stock up your cocktail bar.

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....

Winter Spice

Rum Toddy - cup by Toasted Glass

In nature, winter is a time of hibernation, conservation and storing of energy, ready to burst forth and be plentiful again in the spring. Sadly, in the kingdom of men, there is no such respite. We may be top of the food chain, but with great power, comes great responsibility and apparently, it is our responsibility to buy vast amounts of Christmas gifts and eat our way through the rest of the food chain. So no rest for us; while foxes, badgers and squirrels snuggle up until spring, we must pull on our woolly hats and soldier on through the cold, battling the the elements and other high street shoppers as we try to find the perfect Christmas gifts. Alternatively, you could take inspiration from our woodland creatures and snuggle up indoors. Bearing in mind the cost of heating our homes this winter, a soft, woolly blanket, a pair of slipper socks and a cocktail that is guaranteed to warm you up from the inside, sound like the perfect accompaniment to a spot of online Christmas shopping....

After infusing Campari with chilli for last week's cocktail - 'Satan's Circus', I decided ( as I often do ) that it would taste even better made with gin, which proved to be the case in my opinion at least. Now this cocktail may be served chilled, but the heat of the chilli infused Campari will have you feeling toasty in no time. The trick is to infuse the Campari for just long enough to give you a glow without getting into ‘vindaloo’ territory. Let the chilli steep for no more than an hour and the resultant drink will warm you deliciously without burning the throat. To get the recipe for Chilli Infused Campari - click here.

This recipe also requires Cherry Heering, a cherry liqueur made from the maceration of real fruit with an intense, but natural, cherry flavour. If you do not already have some, you can buy online or in store from more specialist purveyors of spirits, such as Amathus Drinks. Finally, you will need gin, of which there are literally hundreds to choose from and all with surprisingly different flavours. I used Gin Xoriguer, a small batch gin from the Balearic island of Menorca, which has enough juniper and spice to stand up to the Chilli Infused Campari.

visit the Gin Xoriguer website

Cherry Devil

Ingredients
2 oz Gin Xoriguer
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
3/4 oz chilli infused Campari
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard until the outside develops a frosty bloom.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Cherry Devil cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

This next recipe uses the warming power of ginger to chase away the winter blues and will require making some honey-ginger syrup. To get the recipe for Honey-Ginger Syrup - click here

As the following recipe is a variation of a traditional margarita, it will of course require tequila. It is best to use a ‘resposado’ tequila rather than a young, ‘blanco’ or ‘silver’ tequila as the more aged spirit has an earthier flavour that works best with the honey and ginger.

Ginger Margarita

2 oz Tequila Resposado
1 oz honey-ginger syrup
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Strip of orange zest and slice of ginger to garnish

Add all of the ingredients, apart from the garnish, to a cocktail shaker.
Shake hard for about 20 secs and double strain (to remove the grated zest) into a chilled cocktail glass.
Twist the strip of zest over the glass to release the essential oils and garnish the drink.

Ginger Margarita cocktail - glass by Toasted Glass

Our final winter warmer cocktail is a warm, boozy beverage that can be prepared almost as simply as a cup of tea and in fact, you may wish to scale up the quantities and make a pot for friends.

Rum Toddy

1 1/2 oz dark rum
3/4 oz apricot brandy
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 tsp light muscovado sugar
3 oz boiling water
Cinnamon stick to garnish

Add the rum, brandy and lemon juice to a cup and top up with boiling water.
Add the spoonful of dark muscovado sugar and stir with a cinnamon stick until the sugar dissolves.

Rum Toddy - cup by Toasted Glass