Tequila comes in two main types: Mixto (blended) and 100% agave. The former is the type you’re likely to find at a college party. It’s cheaper than 100% agave and can leave you with a nasty pile of regret in the morning. The latter, on the other hand, is as pure as tequila gets…
That said, here are three reasons you should always reach for 100% agave tequila…
#1: No hidden surprises:
100% agave tequila is pure agave and nothing else. Mixto, on the other hand, contains up to 49% non-agave ingredients. These usually consist of sugar cane, or other distillable products, but can include additives such as flavourings and colourings.
What makes things worse is that producers are not required to tell you what they use! So you’re never going to know, completely, what is in your bottle. If you’re the sort of person who likes to know what they’re drinking, always choose 100% agave!
#2: No hangovers:
When you drink a mixto tequila you’re literally mixing your drinks from the very first sip. With only 51% agave, mixto tequilas have a range of other ingredients, including various distillates. That means you’re consuming more than one type of alcohol at the same time, which is why mixto tequila has earned such a bad reputation.
However, if you choose 100% agave tequila, your hangovers will be a thing of the past. This is because they are made using only the Blue Weber Agave and nothing else!
Responsible drinking clearly speaks for itself; but if you were to swap your mixto tequila for 100% agave tequila, you’d notice the different immediately – especially when you have work in the morning!
#3: Better taste:
There are more premium tequilas than ever before and for good reason: It simply tastes better than its mixto counterpart.
Each brand has their unique flavour profile, which creates a vast array of great tasting tequila. Whilst the species of agave used in tequila has to be the Blue Weber by law; the location of the distillery in which it is made will drastically affect its flavour.
Whether you prefer yours fruity, spicy, or earthy, there’s a 100% agave tequila out there for everyone!
As outlined here, premium tequilas are superior in taste and quality, but that doesn’t mean mixto brands haven’t played an important part in the 100% agave boom coming out of Mexico. This boom has been made possible, in large part, thanks to the path laid down by mixto brands, with the industry rethinking its method and creating some truly stunning premium products.
There are strict regulations in relation to both Mixto and 100% agave tequilas. If you’d like to know more about these, information can be found here.
The year is 2013. It was a summer of love and torrential downpours – what do you expect? I live in England!
On one rainy afternoon (or two) I sat down and went through some great cocktails that all had one ingredient in common: Cointreau.
This delicious liqueur, seen below, is a stunning, zesty little number that has been used to create some of the most celebrated cocktails ever imagined.
Cointreau, in a grasp at a perfect USP that is craved by most spirit companies these days, created their own style of cocktail: The Cointreau Fizz. The idea was to show the world the versatility to this rather fragrant French liqueur.
I worked. So brilliantly that 3 years on people are still enjoying Cointreau Fizz’s out and about. However, this post, first published by me 3 years ago, aimed to celebrate all that
However, this post, first published by me 3 years ago, aimed to celebrate all that was is classic about this traitionally out of the box liqueur…
So summer is on its way, albeit in the traditional British ‘stealth mode’ way. As I write this it’s a slightly overcast day. The trees are rustling and yet my hand is cold… It’s because I have a fantastic “Cointreau fizz” cocktail (see below) in it! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, summer is here and that can mean only one thing: Cointreau cocktails rule supreme!
The following are, in my opinion, the best Cointreau cocktails you can order:
10. Kamikaze
20ml Cointreau
10ml Lemon Juice
40ml Vodka
Strong and volatile in the wrong hands, this cocktail should be feared as well as enjoyed. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
9. Daiquiri
15ml Cointreau
15ml Lime
45ml Mount Gay Rum
10ml Agave Nectar
A slight tweak on the classic recipe. The Mount gay rum lends its golden hue to this delicious drink. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass for the best results.
Combining Cointreau & Chardonnay; this cocktail is a little more refined…
8. Cointreau Cobbler
50ml Cointreau
80ml Chardonnay White Wine
2 orange slices
1 lemon slices
Shake all the ingredients and strain into a wine glass. Top up with a bit of Prosecco if you fancy a touch of class.
7. Sidecar
30ml Cointreau
30ml Lemon Juice
30ml Remy Martin VSOP cognac
Pure class in a glass; Shake and strain the ingredients into a martini glass and enjoy thoroughly.
6. Cosmopolitan
Classic Cosmo:
20ml Cointreau
10ml Lime Juice
20ml Cranberry Juice
40ml Vodka
Cointreau special: Cointreaupolitan
50ml Cointreau
30ml Cranberry Juice
20ml Lemon Juice
Whichever recipe you choose one thing is certain: Enjoyment. Shake and strain the ingredients into a cocktail glass. Add ice if you wish.
5. Margarita
20ml Cointreau
20ml Lime Juice
40ml Silver Tequila
A classic cocktail for a classic liqueur; Shake and strain the ingredients into a coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
4. Cointreau Caipirinha
50ml Cointreau
Half a lime (quartered)
Crushed ice
A slightly sweeter take on a Brazilian classic; shake and strain all the ingredients into a small ice-filled rocks glass and drop in a couple of lime wedges for garnish.
3. White Lady
Mixing gin with Cointreau; this cocktail is strong but fragrant…
20ml Cointreau
20ml Lemon Juice
40ml Gin
This classy little cocktail is extremely simple: shake and strain into a cocktail glass. For added class garnish with an edible flower (Try some different coloured rose petals).
2. Sunkiss
40ml Cointreau
50ml Pineapple Juice
30ml Yellow Grapefruit Juice
A deliciously sweet Caribbean cocktail; perfect for those summer evenings. Shake all the ingredients and strain into a long glass filled with crushed ice.
1. Cointreau Fizz
The reason this is my number one is for the pure versatility of the drink. If you head over to the Cointreau website, you’ll find a list of cocktails both famous and lesser known. If you look carefully you’ll find 9 different recipes for ‘Fizz’ cocktails. The only difference (generally at least) is the garnish. As many of you know the garnish is extremely important to the taste of some cocktails, and none more so than with the Cointreau Fizz.
With recipes such as; Strawberry & Mint, Mint Tea, Cucumber & Basil and Passion & Pepper, the Cointreau fizz is, literally, a cocktail for all tastes.
Here are my 3 favourite recipes:
Cointreau Fizz – Simple but stunning…
50ml Cointreau
½ fresh Lime Juice
100ml Soda Water
Cointreau Fizz, Passion & Pepper – Spicy, with a splash of passion…
50ml Cointreau
15ml fresh lime juice
2 fresh passion fruits
1 thin slice of thai chilli pepper
50ml soda water
Method: add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker (only use the juice of the passion fruits). Shake until the metal is frosted and then strain over ice into a glass. Top up with soda water.
A refreshing combination of mint and strawberry; this drink is one of the most refreshing drinks you’ll ever try…
Cointreau Fizz, Strawberry & Mint
50ml Cointreau
15ml Lime Juice
4-5 fresh strawberries
3 fresh mint leaves
50ml soda water
Method: Muddle the strawberries and mint leaves in a Boston shaker. Add the Cointreau and lime juice and shake until the metal becomes frosted. Strain into a glass, over ice and garnish with a strawberry slice and a fresh mint sprig.
Hopefully, these cocktails help you enjoy your evenings, summer or no. If you have a penchant for Cointreau then why not take a peek at my other Cointreau related posts? Click here to see more!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions on this post are my own and have not, in any way, been influenced by Cointreau or any other party.
A selection of the recipes in this post (as well as much more) can be found under the ‘cocktails’ section of the Cointreau website.
I’m now a published writer! Congratulations to me!
This month marks a very important moment for myself and this blog. As of June 1st, 2016 I am officially a published cocktail writer. Thanks to Sainsbury’s Magazine.
In this month’s issue, I have a two-page feature on summer drinks. These include 6 drinks, 3 alcoholic & 3 non-alcoholic – all of which are my own recipes!
The recipes include a non-alcoholic Ice tea, a beachside-themed rum cocktail, and several others.
The picture below show all the colourful cocktails and their recipes. But if you want to really enjoy these drinks, you should head on down to your local Sainsbury’s and get your very own copy. The Magazine is only £2 and inside you’ll find an abundance of food and drink recipes.
Left to Right: Beachside Rumba, Green Breeze, Berry-Basil Frosty, Ice & Peachy, Gin Cooler, Summer Lake Punch, Strawberry-Mint Mimosa.
Most importantly, though, you’ll find my recipes on pages 82-83!
I’m extremely proud of this as it shows that you can make it if you keep trying. Never give up and you’ll eventually reap the rewards of doing something you’re so very proud of!
In other news, I’m working on some spicy cocktail posts just in time for BBQ season and also working with a PR rep over at Monin to bring you all some posts that include some of their new products, as well as some of their lesser-known products… Keep your eyes peeled!
I wrote a plethora of posts about Cointreau in my very first year of blogging, and even revisited the spirit when I attended a garden party back in 2013, further to that I also wrote a collection of summer cocktails themed on the orange beauty of a spirit.
Those posts have held their own with the latter mentioned consistently hitting high daily views. Because of this I thought I’d revisit one of my favourite liqueurs once more. This time I’ll share several collections of cocktails that are based on, or use as a focus, Cointreau.
With this post, I’ll aim to look at several original Cointreau cocktails, the new collection of Cointreau official cocktails, new summer cocktails, Cointreau classic cocktails, as well as a few little single recipe posts.
So with the above in mind, let’s look at 3 original, or different, Cointreau cocktails…
1. Winter Sun Cocktail
Recipe:
45ml vodka
15ml Cointreau
60ml Clementine Juice
15ml Fresh Lemon Juice
Garnish: Sprig of Rosemary, Lemon Zest & Sugar
Method:
Moisten the rim of a large rocks glass with the lemon.
Grate the zest of a lemon into some sugar and mix. Upturn the glass and dip into the lemon sugar to garnish the glass.
Fill the glass with ice, add the ingredients and stir well.
Garnish, finally, with the rosemary sprig.
2. Awaiting Grace
Recipe:
25ml Cointreau
50ml Absolut Vanilla
1 Tsp Brown Sugar
Top up Cloudy Apple Juice
5 basil leaves
Method:
Muddle the basil with the sugar in the bottom of a Collins glass.
Add a lime wedge and pour in the spirits.
Add ice and stir well.
Top up with the apple juice.
Stir once more and serve with a straw.
3. Bourbon Sidecar
Recipe:
1m Cointreau
1m Lemon Juice
2m Bourbon
Method:
Shake ingredients, for around 10-15 seconds, over ice.
The last cocktail in my Jack Daniels through the seasons themed gift was one of my very own creation. It’s a cocktail that will be at home on any cocktail menu throughout the year but, due to the nature of some of its ingredients (specifically the cranberries), is better utilised during the new year period…
Please note that I use fever tree ginger ale in my cocktails, almost exclusively, so it may taste different to what I intended if you use other brands (just tweak it a little to better compliment the brand you use).
New Years’: The Fervent Shaker Tennessee Mule
About the Drink:
Created in a top secret laboratory hidden away in an underground bunker, this cocktail has been slowly tweaked and re-tweaked for months. Like a strain of the cold virus, no two versions have ever been the same. Until today.
This cocktail has finally come to fruition and the depth in flavour is superb when compared to other similar mixtures. Its moderately simple combination of Jack Daniels Tennessee whisky, apple juice, lime juice, our in-house cranberry simple syrup, and a top of ginger ale, results in a well-balanced yet slightly sweet cocktail that should take the bite out of the whisky whilst keeping all of the flavours intact. The joy of this cocktail is, of course, its depth in flavour.
Using an in house cranberry syrup recipe we can control the flavour balance that is integral to the core of this drink. Thus the measurements are strict in that this recipe relies on the delicate balance between sweet and dry.
This cocktail is perfect for your new year celebrations but also for almost any other special occasion. Just bear in mind that the use of cranberries may restrict this to being a more seasonal tipple.
Tweak note: The Ginger ale can of course be substituted for a lighter flavoured soda although please be aware that doing so can impair the intended flavour profiles.
Recipe:
1 ½ measures Jack Daniels
1 ½ measure Apple Juice
¾ measure in House Cranberry Simple Syrup
½ measure Fresh Lime Juice
Top-Up Ginger Ale*
Handful of fresh/frozen cranberries
Method:
Combine the all of the ingredients, except for the ginger ale, in an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
Shake until well-chilled or until the tin ices over. Around 15-30 seconds.
Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice until ¾ full.
Top up with the ginger ale and garnish with a skewer of fresh/frozen cranberries.
Serve with a straw and enjoy!
This was a really fun and interesting gift to create and put together and should be something you can all emulate for your friends and family!
Disclaimer: All of the pictures used across the previous four posts i’ve shared with you (links below) are from the Official Jack Daniels website and when you’re done here, why not check out their other recipes for a little inspiration?
Please note: this post is in no way endorsed or supported in any way by Jack Daniels or any of their affiliates. This is all my own thoughts and words people!Go me!
The fourth cocktail in the Jack Daniels through the seasons is a Winter themed special.
You’ve all tried the Lynchburg Lemonade served at your local weatherspoons right? It’s a cocktail so easy to make and so refreshing that a lot of cocktail bars/pubs will serve it throughout the summer.
Well this next cocktail is similar in that it is refreshing and a great cocktail utilising the warmth of Jack Daniels but adds a nice seasonal twist to an otherwise standard cocktail…
Winter: Lynchburg Cider
About the Drink:
Perfect for the winter months, especially the colder ones, this cocktail is a simple yet highly effective concoction suitable for most affluent drinkers.
The cider can be of any type but stick to your favourite or research which types work best with which types of whisky. This recipe is best followed by utilising your favourite hot cider mixture – if only so you know what to expect from the cider itself.
The cinnamon and lemon are purely for aesthetics and fragrance, although given enough time they’re sure to add their own imprints to the mix.
The Lynchburg Cider is a hard cocktail to get right but if you used the flavours you love and a good quality cider, there’s not much that can go terribly wrong…
The third cocktail in the Jack Daniels through the seasons is, of course, autumn.
This refreshing cocktail is perfect for the autumn, but tastes so good you can be sure to enjoy it all year round… Especially for those looking for an American escape sometime soon…
Autumn: New York Sour
About the Drink:
A classic sour cocktail is as simple as it can get: Spirit + Lemon Juice + Simple Syrup + Shake = Sour Cocktail. The spirit used can be anything from Vodka or Rum to Melon Liqueur or Limoncello (and everything in between).
When it comes to the New York Sour the classic whisky sour was taken, added to and sold on as an improvement, so to speak. Some see confusion and a strange muddle, whilst others see the genius in adding further depth of flavour. It’s an odd idea for sure, but once you’ve tried a whisky sour with the wine topper, no whisky sour without it will ever taste the same!
Arguably the most versatile aspect of this drink is its ability for tweaking where needed. When using different types of whisky (Scotch, Tennessee, Rye, Bourbon etc.) you can use different types of red wines to compliment the whisky and get the most out of the cocktail.
Recipe:
1 ½ measures Jack Daniels
1 measure Lemon Juice
½ measure simple syrup
½ measure Red Wine (Shiraz or Malbec)
Method:
Combine the Jack Daniels with the lemon juice, sugar syrup, and ice.
Shake until well-chilled or until the tin ices over. Around 15-30 seconds.
Strain into a small rocks glass.
Using the back of a spoon, layer the red wine on top of the sour-mixture…
Escape from the cold this winter with 5 Exotic tasting treats, courtesy of our dear old friend: Alcohol…
Christmas is literally days away now (possibly hours if you’re a day or two late reading this) and in no way am I feeling festive.
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the time spent seeing family members but it’s not the same when you grow up. The excitement goes and the headaches set in (siblings having kids will do that to you).
But one thing I’ve always enjoyed, of course, is the alcohol. I love to experiment with Cranberry sauce every year, last year was simply Cognac laced Cranberry Sauce. This year however I’m going for something a little more adventurous: Grand Marnier Orange & Cranberry Sauce.
I will share that recipe after Christmas as I would like to make sure I get it right before sharing with you all (egg and face and all that).
Until then I will be wishing my days away fantasising about being on a desert island somewhere, with an endless supply of rum and fruit juices…
To help me I’ll be sampling a few summer-style cocktails to help me with my isolated fantasy of a tropical Christmas.
Here below are 4 cocktails, all different to the usual Christmas themed drinks you’re all fully up to date on, but all of which will still add touch of Christmas spirit on your festivities… Enjoy them my friends…
#1Palm Beach
Recipe:
1 measure Rum
1 measure Gin
1 measure Pineapple Juice
Top up with Soda Water/Prosecco (both optional)
Ice
Method:
Combine and shake ingredients over ice.
Strain into a chilled rocks glass.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge and serve with a straw!
This drink calls for an optional top up with Soda water. This is purely to lengthen the drink and make it last a little longer on those long summer nights. However this time of year a slight dash or two of Prosecco in place of the Soda wouldn’t go amiss… I’m saving this one for the evening!
#2Sunny Bay
Recipe:
1 ½ measures Vodka
½ measure Midori
2 measures Pineapple Juice
Ice
Method:
Add to a shaker full of ice and shake well – for around 30 seconds.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a cherry.
The long slender glass really lends itself to the aesthetics of this drink. It’s a simple and effective mixture that is perfect for transporting you away on those loud and rowdy afternoons with the kids!
#3Bajan Sun
Recipe:
1 measure White Rum
1 measure Mandarin Brandy
1 measure Orange Juice
1 measure Pineapple Juice
Splash of grenadine
Method:
Shake together everything and do so until well-chilled.
Strain into a tall, well-chilled, glass and garnish with pineapple wedge and cherry.
The only drink on here with an obscure liqueur. The mandarin brandy might be hard to find, but try using a sweet syrup version. here in the UK you can purchase mandarin segments in syrup by the tin. Try mixing some cognac in with the syrup from these tins and you have a wonderful home-made hack!
#4Ocean Breeze
Recipe:
1 measure white rum
1 measure amaretto
½ measure blue curacao
½ measure pineapple juice
Top with Soda water
Method:
Shake together all the ingredients, except the soda water, with ice.
Strain into a well-chilled tall glass.
Top up with soda water.
Serve immediately and with a straw.
Again you can substitute the Soda water with Prosecco but the beauty of this drink is the crisp blue colour it exhumes…
#5Risky Whisky Ricky
Recipe:
2 measures Scotch Whisky
1 measure fresh lime juice
Soda water/Champagne
Method:
Layer the whisky and then the lime juice over ice in a tall thin glass.
Top up with soda water.
Garnish with a lime slice and serve with a straw.
Simple and yet elegant to a fault. This cocktail is so simple it can be built in a glass by your pet dog. Ok so maybe not quite. It is a simple cocktail mind you and its simplicity is what makes it a perfect getaway from the overbearing in-laws. Try a few of these and they’ll seem far less scary…
So there you go 4 cocktails to give you an escapists advantage this Christmas.
Sit back, enjoy, and from me here at the Fervent Shaker; Have a Very Merry Christmas!
So I always end up with half empty bottles. Left right and centre. A lot of them take up space I need and shamefully I’ve been guilty of throwing out more than a few of these ‘casualties’ of war.
So what can we, as responsible adults, do to combat the shameful wasting of perfectly good alcohol? Well let me share with you some recipes that are perfect for using up old ingredients and opened bottles of booze you might have lying around the house.
There are four (4) recipes in this post, all of which make use of the odd amounts of alcohol you may have lying around. Even if you don’t have the particular type of alcohol available you can gather ideas from how the recipes are put together and tweak them to suit your available spirits!
Without further ado, let’s look at those recipes:
#1Homemade Fruity Winter Punch
Recipe:
500ml Vodka
250ml Gin
250ml Lemon
2L Orange
2L Sparkling Wine
Garnish: Citrus Fruits, Winter berries & star anise
Method:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large punch bowl.
Add sliced fruit and chill well.
If serving with ice fill up shortly before serving.
If serving chilled without ice, take out of the fridge at the last second.
#2Winter Pimms
Recipe:
500ml Pimms #1
500ml Brandy/Calvados
1.5L Apple Juice
Ice
Garnish: 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 apples, 2 oranges
Method:
Cold:
Add all one by one and stir well.
Leave for 30 minutes for cinnamon flavour to develop more.
It’s been a while now since i shared one of these offer alerts. Truth be told it’s the first time in months i’ve read the email with enough time left for it to be worth sharing!
As you know i’m an avid fan of The Drink Shop, and they have always been good to me when i’ve ordered from them.
Whilst my stores are full to the brim of Gin, thanks to Shaken Cocktails, and my penchant for cool trinkets (here’s looking at you Hendricks with your little atomiser) there is no reason that any one reading this post in time cannot go forth and save bundles of cash when purchasing your next Gin shipment…
Below is a link, and from that link will sprout a heavens wealth of Gin on offer (at least until the end of the offer period – where i imagine the prices will be back to normal, but no less Ginny!- is that even a word? -I don’t even care).
According to the email i received today (18/9/2015) you could save up to 20% on your favourite Gins and Genever!
Sipsmith Sloe Gin 2013 (50cl) was £23.09 Now only £20.13!
Gabriel Boudier – Saffron (70cl) was £29.98 Now only £26.85!
Martin Millers Gin (70cl) was £23.56 Now only £21.19!
The Fervent Shaker 