I was meandering home the other night which is usually boring and uneventful journey. But sometimes, just sometimes, the walk pays off because at the end of my road (it is situated just off a main-ish road) there are no street lamps. There are a couple of wall-mounted lights about 20m down the road, but at the very beginning there are none.
I’m not a criminal so I don’t use the lack of lighting to steal cars or rob old people – that would be strangely out of character for me – but I am an avid stargazer and do love looking at the wonders above our very heads.
So when I stumbled upon the picture below the other night I had a sudden burst of inspiration, after making me think about how amazing it would be to have seen what we all could see without the pollution caused by light of course…
The inspiration led me to seek out 5 cocktails I feel would be perfect when sipping on your own, with friends or a loved one whilst watching the universe and all of its glory drift by…
4 have been researched and 1 is my very own creation:
- Red Sky at Night
Recipe:
1 measure Calvados
½ measure Goslings Black Seal Rum
½ measure fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ measure Rosemary Syrup
Ginger Beer/Ale
Cava
Garnish: Rosemary Sprig
Method:
- Into a cocktail shaker filled with ice add the first 4 ingredients. Shake until ice forms on the outside of the shaker (around 5-10 seconds max).
- Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
- Fill half way with ginger ale/bee (your choice). Then fill the other half with Cava.
- Serve with a straw and garnish with a large sprig of Rosemary.
This cocktail takes something pretty good (the rum, lemon & ginger ale/beer) and elevates it into something a little special with the addition of just two ingredients (and a few tweaks to the others).
Mixing the apple flavours of calvados, Cava (sparkling wine) and the savoury splendour that is rosemary with the other sweeter ingredients in this cocktail is a master stroke. Whilst at first it may seem complicated and unnecessary, it does actually result in a rather well-balanced and exciting drink. This cocktail is perfect for most other occasions as well as stargazing. It’s also a rather special drink to share with someone special should you have the opportunity…
- Bison Punch
Recipe:
25ml Zubrowka
25ml Cointreau
10ml Passion Fruit Syrup
10ml St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
10ml Fresh Lime Juice
Champagne to top
Garnish: Passion Fruit
Method:
- Shake all the ingredients (except the champagne) over ice until well chilled.
- Fine strain into a chilled sling glass.
- Top up with champagne and garnish with passion fruit.
This cocktail was created at the Aviator by tag Hotels’ Sky bar. Mixing light yet flavourful liqueurs with an exceptional grass-flavoured spirit the Aviator Bar has created this pungent yet subtle mix of tropical flavours and earthy quality. The Sky Bar itself is located within the hotels’ striking yet alluring building in Farnborough (London).
Boasting great signature cocktails has become a must for most hotel bars these days and the Aviator is no different; with cocktails this good it’s no wonder many a cocktail drinker make them a must visit. For more information on The Aviator by tag Hotel & their Sky Bar click here. For more information about their signature cocktails click here.
- Sazerac
Recipe:
1 ½ measures Sazerac Rye Whisky
¼ measure Herbsaint Liqueur
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 sugar cube
Garnish: Lemon Peel
Method:
- Fill 1 old fashioned glass with ice and leave to chill.
- In a second old fashioned glass (or mixing glass) add the sugar cube & bitters and then crush the sugar cube.
- Add the whisky to the sugar/bitters combination and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Going back to the 1st glass: Discard the ice and lace the now chilled glass with herbsaint liqueur.
- Pour the whisky/bitters/sugar combination into the now laced glass and garnish with the lemon peel.
- Garnish: After slicing off the lemon peel place it between the thumb and forefinger of both hands and gently squeeze the peel so it sprays its oils over the top of the drink. Wipe the rim of the glass with the now oiled lemon peel and drop it in the centre of the filled glass.
The Sazerac is a cocktail is considered one of the heavy weights in the cocktail world; it was created in New Orleans and to this day is the States’ favoured and most loved local cocktail.
Made using simple, but flavourful, ingredients this cocktail became one of the original American classics and is considered America’s 1st ever cocktail.
Make it the classic way (as shown in the above method) and then sip it in a not-so-classic way whilst stargazing and satellite spotting! – To learn more about New Orleans & The Sazerac cocktail then click here.
- Captain Palmers Cocktail
Recipe:
75ml brewed Tea
50ml Captain Morgan’s Gold Spiced Rum
12.5ml Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey (or agave nectar)
Garnish: Lemon Wedge
Method:
- Combine all the ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake well (until tin ices over).
- Strain the drink into a tall ice filled glass and top up with a splash of soda if you want.
- Garnish with the lemon wedge.
A refreshing twist on a lemon iced tea; this cocktail packs a light, yet refreshing, kick along with its quite obviously chilled out nature. This cocktail is perfect for reminiscing on the summers’ events on a cold winter evening.
- New York Sour (Whisky)
Recipe:
2 measures Bourbon
1 measure Lemon Juice
1tsp Caster Sugar
½ measure Red Wine
Garnish: Single maraschino cherry in an Orange Peel Wrapping.
Method:
- Mix the bourbon, lemon juice & sugar in an ice filled shaker and shake vigorously (until the tin ices over).
- Double strain into an old fashioned glass with a couple (or one large) ice cubes in.
- Top up with the red wine by layering it on top of the sour.
- Garnish with the cherry wrapped in an orange peel.
- Serve and enjoy.
This cocktail has been the butt of many a turned up nose but the general taste and overall stability of the drink is relatively well balanced. This cocktail takes a classic Whisky Sour and drags it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. As with the last few drops of red wine, the doubts you have about this drink dry up completely. As it does your thoughts about the oddness of this drink are erased by the curiosity of the gently floating layers created by adding the red wine.
Give this cocktail ago as its striking nature and general blasé attitude to the world of classic cocktails goes down surprisingly well. Next time you fancy a strange and slightly exotic drink make one of these up and stargaze to your hearts content… – Check out Liquor.com for the original recipe & post.
All cocktails are perfect for winter evenings, parties, nights out and, well, they’re just good for drinking so pick one and try it out. Better yet: pick 5 and try them all out!
As a final note: If you’re also an avid stargazer then why not check out this stunning night sky post from my science fiction based blog? Check it out and you might have some deep-seeded epiphany about the creation of life and everything OR, at the very least, you’ll come away with a new screensaver!
The Fervent Shaker 