Cocktails O’ Clock: Whisky Wednesdays…

Eclipse

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times; I do not like whisky. But recently I’ve been finding some that are quite bearable, including the one that happens to be the focal point of this post…

The book in which I found this recipe: “Pink Drinks” (published by Hamlyn) was a present from my sister, who thinks she is funny with Christmas presents like this, and is annoyingly full of some rather good cocktail recipes (hence this post).

Recipe:

2 measures Jack Daniels

½ measure Chambord Liqueur

½ measure fresh Lime Juice

Dash Agave Nectar

1 measure cranberry juice

1 measure raspberry puree

Garnish:2 Raspberries and a Lime wedge.

Pink over ice. Perfect for those nights in with friends…

Method:

1. Combine the whisky and other ingredients over ice and shake until ice forms on the outside of the shaker.
2. Fill a highball glass with crushed ice and strain in the mixture.
3. Garnish with the raspberries and lime wedge (use a skewer for the berries – it helps) and stick in two straws.

Combining a relatively sweet whisky with some lime juice and berries this drink creates a sweet-sour combination that really tingles on your tongue. The crushed ice both lengthens the drink and cools down the whisky.

“if you’re dreaming of that sparkly something that could take a long time in coming, then this is the drink for you. A divine mixture of raspberry puree, Jack Daniels and lime juice – it could be a long night” – Pink Drinks; Hamlyn books.

The best thing about this drink is that by tweaking two of the ingredients you can change the ‘girly’ pink hue of the drink whilst keeping the basic idea of the drink whole. Instead of using the raspberry ingredients try using a collection of darker berries:

–          Replace the Chambord with Crème de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur)

–          Replace the Raspberry Puree with a Blackberry & Blueberry puree.

–          Replace the Cranberry Juice with Pomegranate & Blueberry Juice.

This will result in both a darker shade of red, a deeper flavour thanks to the summer berries and a drink the men in your group will not mind (as much) being seen holding. Failing that just make them some whisky sours with the left over Jack Daniels…

Using Blackberries will darken the drink making it less girly; for all you blokes out there…

So there you have it, no excuses male or female, shake a few of these up for you and your friends and chill out with a good film or even a pizza.

Advertisement

Cocktails O’Clock: Rum Runner

RUM! ALL OF THE RUM!

This Old Rum Runner was not so lucky, courtesy of the http://www.USCG.Mil

I haven’t posted a rum cocktail for a little while now, and it’s a shame really as I do rather love a good old rum cocktail. So I thought why not do one today? After all we could do with a little tropical rum kick, especially with the weather we’re getting here in the UK right now (not to mention how you Americans have had it recently – oh and not to mention all those not fortunate to live on a tropical island!).

Anyway the Rum Runner is a small cocktail sized portion of a rum punch, tweaked in ways to better suit it to the smaller vessel of a highball glass…

Recipe:

25ml light rum

25ml dark rum

1 small lime, juiced

15ml sugar syrup

150ml fresh pineapple juice

Here are a couple of Rum runners a bit luckier than the last one…

Method:

1. Shake all of the ingredients vigourously over ice.
2. Strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice.
3. Garnish with a pineapple slice and a maraschino cherry.

So there you go a tropical drink with a bit of a rum kick.

This cocktail has several tweaks available, some of the best I’ll note down below, but as always you should prepare this drink how best suits your tastes. I always use a small lime, but some of you might prefer more lime juice (or less! – just use ½ lime instead for a good scale back).

Fervent Shaker Top Tweaks:

–          Instead of sugar syrup (its pretty bad for you) try Agave Nectar or a mild runny honey. Or even make your own Demerara sugar syrup.

–          Try a dark rum float. Sure it says shake them all, but for a bigger rum hit at the end of your drink; shake everything up EXCEPT the dark rum and then float it on top of the cocktail at the end. It will make the drink taste very different indeed.

–          Why not try using a different combination of rums? Instead of the white & Dark combo, try either white with gold, or gold with dark. The former results in a lighter taste.

 

And finally, a link to a blogger who also enjoys the odd Rum Runner:

Rum Runner in the USA! courtesy of: skinnydecadence.blogspot.co.uk