Cocktails are often associated with white sandy beaches, parasols, neon signs, sunshine and handsome bartenders called ‘Jack’. Thanks to the Quickten team you don’t have to wait until summer in fact you don’t even need Jack. Try some of these tasty tipples to melt away the chill of winter:
- The Godfather – 1 measure Amaretto, 2 measure whisky. Serve in a tumbler over ice.
- Mulled wine/gluhwein –750ml bottle merlot, 2/3 cup of Demerara sugar, juice and rind of 1 orange, 2 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, rind of ½ lemon, large pinch fresh grated nutmeg. Put everything in a pan, heat until the sugar has dissolved. Don’t boil.
- Boston Sidecar – 1 measure brandy, 1 measure light rum, 1 measure orange liqueur, and 1 tsp lemon or lime juice. Mix in a shaker with ice, strain and serve.
- The Sazerac – 1 ½ measure bourbon, 3 dashes bitters, ¼ measure absinthe, ¾ measure simple syrup*. Chill a tumbler with ice. In a separate glass mix the simple syrup with the bitters, add the bourbon and ice stir. Discard the ice from the tumbler and rinse with the absinthe to coat the glass. Strain the bourbon and bitters into the chilled absinthe coated glass, discard the ice. Squeeze a lemon twist over the top off the glass.
- Irish coffee – 1 measure Irish whiskey, hot coffee, whipped cream.
- Brandy Sangaree – Simple syrup, 2 measures brandy, splash of port, fresh ground nutmeg to garnish. Mix the simple syrup in a glass, add the brandy top with port and sprinkle nutmeg on the top. To make a longer drink add soda water after the brandy, top with port.
- Brandy Alexander – 1 measure cream, 1 measure brandy, 1 measure of crème de cacao, nutmeg to garnish. Mix the brandy, crème de cacao and cream in a shaker with ice. Strain and serve with fresh grated nutmeg on top.
- Tom and Jerry – 1 egg, 1tsp icing sugar, 1 measure brandy, 1 measure dark rum, hot milk, freshly grated nutmeg to garnish. Separate the egg white from yolk beat them separately. Fold eggs together and put into a heart proof glass. Add the sugar, rum and brand. Top with hot milk and stir.
- Moscow Mule – 2 measures vodka, 1 measure of lime juice, fresh mint, ginger beer, Demerara sugar, 3 drops of bitters. Muddle the sugar and mint in a tall glass, add the vodka and lime. Then ice, ginger beer and bitters. Stir and serve.
- Vodka Martin – 2 measures vodka, 1 tsp vermouth, olive, lemon rind twist. Chill martini glass with ice. In separate glass chill vodka with ice. Empty ice from martini glass and rinse with the vermouth. Strain the chilled vodka into martini glass. Add lemon twist and an olive.
Summer time where you are reading this or off to the islands? Watch out for the top ten summer time cocktails coming soon.
*Simple syrup: 1 tsp powdered sugar (icing or fine sugar), dissolved with 1 tsp water
For the purpose of this post I have used a 25ml/1oz jigger as 1 measure.
Drink responsibly.