Re-Blog: Cointreau Summer Cocktails

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…

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

Cointreau – Revisited

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.
• Strain into a well-chilled rocks glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist.

March Cocktails: 3 For Spring

It’s March… The month of my birth, the peak of spring, and the start of the summer solstice. I thought I’d start my return to this blog with some classic ‘me’ cocktail. So below you’ll find 3 long, fruity and rather gorgeous looking cocktails. All of which will naturally be sweet.

I have been looking for a cocktail that really matches how I’m feeling this march. I’ve been off alcohol for so long that I just want something to really hit home. I looked for cocktails with a well-balanced yet complicated cacophony of flavours and, where possible, cocktails that had a little something special.

I eventually settled for a Tropical Tequila Cocktail: The White Peach Tequila Cocktail, a Pisco sour flavoured with thyme: The Pisco Thyme, and finally a favourite I’ve yearned to make myself: The Canon Cocktail.

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Cocktail #1: White Peach Tequila Cocktail

Recipe:

2 ripe white peaches

60ml silver tequila

60ml peach liqueur

60ml lime juice

2 tbsp. sugar syrup

Garnish: Sliced Peaches & mint sprigs.

 

Method:

• Pit, peel, and chop the peaches before blending them and then sieving the puree into a bowl.
• Combine the puree, and all other ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Serve over ice in a large rocks glass and garnish with the sliced peach and mint sprig.

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Cocktail #2: Pisco Thyme

 

Recipe:

60ml Pisco

30ml Lime Juice

30ml Thyme Simple Syrup

Method:

• Shake all ingredients over ice until well chilled. Around 20seconds.
• Double strain cocktail into a coupe glass and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

 

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Cocktail #3: The Canon Cocktail

Recipe:

1 measure Rye Whisky

½ measure sweet vermouth

½ measure Ramazzotti Amaro

Cointreau Foam

Bitter Truth old time aromatic bitters

Method:

• Stir first 3 ingredients over ice.
• Strain into a chilled rock glass and top with a Cointreau Foam
• Using a dropper, place a few drops of bitters on top of the foam.

This final cocktail is the signature cocktail of the Canon Bar, Seattle. Canon is a bar owned and run by a legend in the bartending world: Jamie Boudreau. It’s a great cocktail I’ve always wanted to try. Sure it’s a whisky cocktail, and whisky is not my favourite, but this Manhattan-old fashioned style hybrid cocktail really has an air of class about it.

To give some idea of how the legend himself makes this cocktail please refer to the attached video below:

Jack Daniels – through the seasons: New Years

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?

Spring Cocktail

Summer Cocktail

Autumn Cocktail

Winter Cocktail

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!

Jack Daniels – Through the Seasons: Winter

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…

Recipe:

• 1 measure Jack Daniels
• 5 measures Hot Apple Cider
• Cinnamon Stick
• Lemon Slice

Method:

• Simple build in a mug (or coffee glass).
• Garnish with the cinnamon stick and lime slice.

 

Jack Daniels – Through the Seasons: Autumn

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…

 

Jack Daniels – Through the seasons: Summer

So continuing with the Jack Daniels Through the seasons cocktails we’re now onto summer!

Yes, it might be a tad pre-mature to start thinking about summery cocktails but the weather here in the UK is on its way down. Into the –^OC – shock, horror!

And as the temperature plummets we all look for ways to warm ourselves up. Not only does whisky do this perfectly, this very refreshing Jack Daniels cocktail will have you dreaming of sandy beaches and cocktail bars made of bamboo…

Summer: The Peach Muddle

About the drink:

This cocktail is slightly different to the others on this list as it contains some extremely seasonal fruit. Like the fruit this drink uses, it can vary in taste year to year. This makes it an extremely difficult drink to create year-to-year. There’s always someone who preferred last year’s slightly different taste.

The best way to make this drink is to use the best quality peaches you have available and then tweak the already small amounts of Cointreau, simple syrup and lemon juice to taste.

The beauty of this drink, really, is in its ability to be tweaked year upon year and yet still resemble that of the original concoction.

The Jack Daniels melts fantastically into this very summery mixture of high-quality triple sec, lemon juice, and peaches…

The thyme sprig garnish simply adds a final flourish and an air of savoury fragrance about this already stunning summer cocktail.

Recipe:

• 1 measure Jack Daniels
• ½ measure Cointreau
• ½ measure Simple Syrup
• ¼ measure Lemon Juice
• ½ pitted peach (skin on and cut into slices)
• 1 sprig of thyme

Method:

• Muddle peaches with the simple syrup in a mixing glass.
• Add in the Cointreau, lemon juice and Jack Daniels and fill glass with ice.
• Shake vigorously until the tin ices over.
• Fill a mason glass with crushed ice.
• Strain mixture into the mason glass and garnish with the thyme.

 

Jack Daniels – Through the Seasons: Spring

I recently worked on a gift for a couple of friends who love their Jack Daniels.

It was a simple collection of cocktails, presented in menu form and then a collection of recipe cards to help them through the creation process.

These cocktails were set out in a specific way: 1 cocktail for each season of the year and then one extra cocktail especially for new year’s. The latter one being a cocktail of my own creation!

The seasonal cocktail were simply taken from the Jack Daniels official website (it’s hard enough coming up with 1 brand new recipe, and perfecting that – let alone another 4 as well!).

It might seem a bit of a cop-out but I made sure I picked 4 cocktails that my friends would not only like but cocktails that fit their chosen season well. They’re also quite different from each other – that way they could taste the various flavours Jack Daniels works well with…

The gift itself comprised of the following:

1x 70cl bottle of Jack Daniels

2x Limes

75ml (ish) homemade cranberry simple syrup

100g cranberries, whole

2x mason mugs

And the menu + Recipe cards.

This was a small collection of things to make a nice little hamper.

The cocktails are all extremely refreshing so I’ll be sharing them all over the next few days starting with the Spring Cocktail below…

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Spring: The Tennessee Breeze

About the drink:

A surprisingly refreshing combination of Jack Daniels, Cranberry Juice, Orange Juice and Tonic water; this cocktail is simple to create yet easy to get wrong.

The balance between sweet and dry is so perfectly poised that the slightest deviation threatens to completely sink this titanic cocktail.

Jack Daniels is a perfect example of American freedom in that The whisky is simple unique in nature. This cocktail appreciates that fact and aims to elevate the spirits’ natural flavours and pepper them with various levels of sweetness. The sweetness is tapered somewhat by the tonic water but the drink in its entirety is one to really get you excited about a summer that is, very nearly, right around the corner!

Recipe:

• 2 measures Jack Daniels
• 1 measure Cranberry Juice
• 1 measure Orange Juice
• Top-up Tonic Water
• ½ tsp Honey
• Ice

Method:

• Using a blender combine all of the ingredients, except the tonic water, and blitz until the right consistency (try for a slushie-style consistency).
• Pour into a chilled rocks glass until ¾ full.

Top with tonic water and garnish with a cranberry skewer or cherry (with stem).

Seasonal Escapades: A Winter Vacation

Escape from the cold this winter with 5 Exotic tasting treats, courtesy of our dear old friend: Alcohol…

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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…

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#1 Palm 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!

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#2 Sunny 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!

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#3 Bajan 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!

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#4 Ocean 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…

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#5 Risky 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…

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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!

Rum Diarys: Best Rums For Tiki Cocktails Part I

Show me a Tiki Cocktail and I’ll show you a good rum…

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Tiki cocktails have, traditionally, always used rum in some form or another. The thing is; rum doesn’t just come in 1 style. Just go to your local supermarket, find the alcohol department and you’ll see just how many brands there are.

Whilst you can split rum up into the 4 main types: White, Gold, Dark & Spiced; the complications for choosing one to make your tiki cocktail arise when you look a little closer. Whilst the branding of a rum will be the easiest way to determine a difference, there are also differences in styles.

The style of a rum is determined by several factors. These can include the type of still used, the type of sugar-base* used even the area of which thee rum is distilled can affect the style, and therefore the taste, of a rum. Just like with the difference between different Whiskies there is an equal difference between any two rums.

*All rum uses sugar as a base for the alcohol, but some use molasses (a thick black liquid) and others use sugar cane. The results are often significantly different – with the processes using molasses usually resulting in a darker more viscous end product.

So with this in mind let’s look at 5 of the best rums for your Tiki cocktails, all can be found in the UK although not all can be found in your supermarket (website links can be found at the bottom of each post), and all of the bottles [at the time of posting] are under £40 (around $60)…