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!
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!
A Kiwi Kutee cocktail, not to be confused with this Cute Kiwi Bird… Picture courtesy of jobryantnz.wordpress.com/
Although you might think ‘Kiwi = New Zealand’ but this cocktail is surprisingly versatile. It is primarily a summer cocktail, yes, but it works so well for those chilly autumn evenings or calm spring days, even on family afternoons during the winter; this cocktail is fantastically versatile and to prove that here are some great examples of themed events you could use it at…
Of course you can use it at Weddings, birthdays and other celebratory events, but more so; the tropical elements in this cocktail allow for the use in any of the following themes:
– Tropical
– Beach Party
– Caribbean
– Hawaiian
– Summer
– Garden Parties
– BBQ’s
Kiwi Kutee Cocktail Recipe:
(2 measures) 30ml Lime Juice
(3 measures) 45ml light rum
(2 measures) 30ml Pineapple Juice
(6 measures) 90ml Guava Juice
(2 measures) 30g freshly chopped guava
(1 measures) 1 whole kiwi (skinned & diced)
A wonderfully fresh cocktail, that even gives you 2 of your 5 a day… kinda… Picture courtesy of Food Network.
Method:
1) Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
2) Pour into a tall glass filled with crushed ice.
3) Garnish with a Lime & Kiwi wheel.
Top tip: This cocktail is perfect for scaling up to pitcher (punch bowl) sizes… The best way to do this is to use the above recipe but look at 15ml as 1 measure, so use the ‘measures’ above to create your perfect pitcher…
This cocktail is rather light on alcohol, but tastes amazing. The guava gives it a real fruity overtone, blending with the soft rum flavours. The pineapple juice adds a little tang, the Kiwi adds its nicely balanced sweet & sour mix and the lime juice ties it all together.
Really this cocktail is perfect for those chilly summer evenings, but resilient enough for any time of the year. You can make it for your close friends during the Sunday football sessions or for your girls instead of a wine evening… But if you ever want to relive those summer afternoons on the veranda this has to be the cocktail for you…
This cocktail celebrates a great mixer with the classic addition of Rum & Lime.
A refreshing drink on a summers evening, rain or shine, this cocktail really will help you chill out…
Recipe:
60ml Anejo Rum
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 Lime wedges (1/4 of a lime)
Top up San Pellegrino Aranciata (Orange Soda)
Delicious and addictive this cocktail boasts a healthy dose of rum… Picture courtesy of http://www.marthastewart.com
Method:
1) Fill a highball glass with ice and squeeze in a lime wedge (be sure to drop it in after, you’ll want the flavour the oils in the skin provide).
2) Add in the Angostura and Rum.
3) Stir well and top up with the Aranciata.
4) Garnish with the other Lime wedge (wipe the glass’ rim and sit either just inside the glass or on the rim itself).
This cocktail is a great summer spritzer, and is part of the ‘family’ of Cuban style drinks. That is the pool of rum, lime and soda family of drinks. Refreshing and rather crisp (lime will do that for you) this cocktail is perfect for the family members wanting to try something a little new, but it isn’t too strong as to ruin the experience for them.
Should you like Blood Orange, try San Pellegrino’s Aranciata Rossa (Red Orangeade), it’s slightly bolder in flavour but combine with a really flavourful rum like Kraken or Lambs Navy, it’s pretty special…
Combine in a shaker over ice, and shake until the tin ices over on the outside. Then strain into a small glass filled with crushed ice. Gently position the ginger slices around the outside of the inner glass (between the ice and the glass). Then top up with ginger ale and drop in a lemon wedge for garnish…
9. Beefeater Almond Iced Tea
60ml Beefeater 24 Gin
90ml Sencha Tea (chilled)
20ml Almond Syrup (Orgeat)
10ml Sugar Syrup
10ml Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Build all the ingredients in a tall ice-filled glass and then stir well before serving… Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Beefeater Almond Iced-Tea
8. Gin Fizz
45ml Gin
20ml Lemon Juice
15ml Sugar Syrup
Top up Soda Water
Shake the Gin, Lemon & syrup and strain into an ice filled glass. Top up with the Soda water and garnish with a wedge of lemon.
7. Citrus Crush
60ml Gin
30ml Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 dash sugar syrup
Add all the ingredients to a glass filled with crushed ice and stir. Serve immediately. For a longer version; top up with the soda of your choice.
6. Damascan Punch
60ml Gin
60ml Pomegranate Juice (Use POM Juice)
30ml Lemon Juice (FS)
30ml Sugar Syrup
60ml Bitter Lemon(ade)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Mix all of the ingredients by adding them to an ice-filled glass and stirring well. Garnish with a sprig of mint, fresh pomegranate & a wedge of lemon (all of these are optional).
Damascan Punch
5. Classic G&T
60ml Gin
90ml Tonic water
Build over ice in a tall glass, garnishing with a lemon/lime wedge.
4. Tom Collins
45ml Gin
20ml Lemon Juice (FS)
15ml Sugar Syrup
60ml Soda Water
Add all the ingredients into an empty glass and stir. Add ice and then top up with the soda water, Garnishing with a lemon wheel.
3. Summer Breeze Punch (will serve 2-4)
60ml Beefeater Gin
30ml Lemon Juice (FS)
30ml Lillet Blanc
15ml Curacao (triple sec)
15ml Grenadine Syrup
120ml Vervain Tea (chilled) – Mint Tea also works well here!
Mix all of these ingredients over a large slab of ice in the serving bowl. For the fruit: Add Mint sprigs, lemon & lime wheels and your preferred selection of soft berries (I strongly suggest using strawberries).
2. Singapore Sling
40ml Gin
20ml cherry heering (cherry Brandy will suffice)
5ml Cointreau
5ml Benedictine
10ml Grenadine
80ml Pineapple Juice
30ml Lemon Juice
1-2 dashes angostura bitters
This drink is a bit of a legend. The above recipe is, as far as I know, the original. Any Singapore sling recipe without Benedictine is wrong. With that in mind, you can (if you do not have any at home) substitute it with 5ml of any other orange liqueur; Grand Marnier is a good call, so is mandarin napoleon, but adding another 5ml of Cointreau is acceptable.
Shake all the ingredients and strain into an ice-filled hurricane glass. Garnish with a pineapple chunk and maraschino cherry.
Singapore Sling
1.Vesper
60ml Gordons Gin
20ml Stolichnaya Vodka
10ml Lillet Blanc
Stir* all the ingredients over ice and strain into a martini glass, garnishing with a lemon-peel twirl.
*for a more 007-esque experience you can shake this cocktail, but as most bartenders know; shaking a drink like this will dilute it and thus weaken the drink’s flavours… Stirring the drink cools the alcohol just the same, but does not dilute the drink as much…
Inspiration for these cocktails, including the pictures where taken from these websites (as well as my own mind in the case of recipes i created):
The Fervent Shaker 