Blame It On The Weatherman

I apologise if the title brought back repressed memories of a poor pop song from the 90’s by the exceedingly bad Irish all-girl pop group, B*Witched.  Granted, they did have four consecutive UK number ones, but I think that say more about the taste of the general UK public.  However, given the weather that has been battering the UK (and the US) I thought a few cocktails to celebrate is the right way to do things…. and to help repress the memories of 90’s pop.

Damn The Weather

Sweet vermouth, gin, triple sec and orange juice combine to create a delicious orange drink with herbal notes.

Now I can’t help but feel I mixed this drink incorrectly.  Diffordsguide shows a clear drink and mine is, well, orange.  However, the more I think about it, the more I’m sure I did it right.  If you add fresh orange juice to a clear liquid, it will certainly turn orange.

So you take one measure each of gin and sweet vermouth, half a measure of triple sec and one and a half measures of orange juice.  Shake it all up over ice and fine strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with an orange zest twist.

What you are left with is an orange drink with gentle herbal notes from the sweet vermouth finishing the drink off perfectly on the palate.  It isn’t especially sweet.  Of course, it’s more sweet than dry, but not by much and is a well balanced drink thanks to the vermouth.  It is not as orangey on the nose as one may think.

Dark and Stormy

A simple classic that is a part of the mule family of cocktails.

I like this drink a lot.  It isn’t a winter drink by any stretch of the imagination but it did serve a purpose to remind me of the summer that is allegedly coming…. in six months or so.  It’s also the national drink of Bermuda apparently.

Diffordsguide calls for Gosling’s Black Seal rum, but I opted for Sailor Jerry’s because that’s what I have to hand.  So two measures of Salior Jerry’s, one measure of lime juice and half a measure of sugar syrup.  Shake this up over ice, strain into an ice filled Collins glass, top up with ginger beer and throw in a fat lime wedge to garnish.

This delicious drink is far too easy to quaff.  It’s very smooth and sweet but the ginger and the rum really combine to bring a spiced drink to life.  The lime adds a slight edge, but it cannot stand up to the barrage of flavour the rum and the ginger beer brings.

Forgive me the poor quality of this blog and how short it is, but I am attempting to get back into the swing of a regular posting.  Wish me luck!

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas: Part Two

I love Christmas and I love combining that festive spirit with drinking.  So let’s not waste any more time as I have four delicious drink for you just in time for the big day tomorrow!

Mincemeat Pie

An alcoholic Mince Pie in a glass. This is the type of drink that Christmas was made for.

I think I spoke far to soon when I declared that the Upsidedown Raspberry Cheesecake was my favourite drink of this whole Christmas batch, because this just stormed along in a flurry of Christmas and memories.

Now if you like Mince Pies, this is the drink for you.  I happen to love mince pies so I hardly needed an excuse to make an alcoholic one.  It’s pretty darn easy to make too.  Two measures of Bacardi Eight Year old (which alone is delicious), one measure of apple juice and one spoon of mincemeat shaken over ice and fine strained into a martini glass, with double cream floated on top.  This time, your wonderful author remembered the garnish of cinnamon!

Now if you like mince pies as much as I do, you may add a bit more mincemeat but even the one (admittedly heaped) teaspooon I put in, came through the drink beautifully. The dark rum and apple complimented the mincemeat to create a sweet and very more-ish drink.  It honestly tastes like a mince pie and this just made my night!

Snowball (Posh)

This is a posh Snowball, a far cry from the pub concoction that peaked in popularity in the 70’s.

Now The Snowball has gotten a rather bad clichéd reputation since it’s invention in the 1940’s or 1950’s – the exact date has been lost, but that’s probably a good thing.  It’s also a good thing that it’s popularity peaked in the 1970’s, however, it has somehow stuck around.  To quote Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) in the show How I Met Your Mother: “Ahh A.C [Atlantic City]. Always in decline, never hitting bottom”.

Now most people are only accustomed to the “pub” snowball which is just advocaat and lemonade garnished with a maraschino cherry.  Granted that this is the usual way people will make a Snowball this Christmas (Steph, I’m looking at you), but this recipe is different; this is posh!  Shake two measures of advocaat, one measure of sherry and three quarters a measure of lime cordial over ice.  Fine strain into an ice filled Collins glass, top up with champagne and garnish with a lime twist (Guess what? I forgot the garnish) for a classy take on a very unclassy drink.

Naturally I had to cheat.  I didn’t have any lime cordial so I used the juice of one lime and added one measure of sugar syrup.  The fact I used a lime makes it even more shameful that I forgot the damn garnish.  It all comes in well and gives a sweet drink with a hint of dryness from the champagne and the sherry.  It’s very smooth and it is very easy to drink.

However, it’s still just a snowball.  Not the classiest of drinks but you need a way to use up that advocaat and it’s a damn sight better than the pub version!

Trifle Martini

A deliciously sweet cocktail that actually tastes like it’s namesake.

I liked this very sweet cocktail.  I was sceptical that it would taste like a trifle but it does.  Obviously, you have to take away the custard and cream element of the trifle, but it works so very well.

The actual recipe is half a measure of Chambord, two measures each of Drambuie and raspberry flavoured vodka, shaken over ice and fine strained into a martini glass.  The garnish (which I dutifully forgot) is hundreds and thousands.

Now you’re used to me having to cheat.  And this is nothing new: this is my Lance Armstrong moment (sorry, had to be said – even if the reference is months old).  The drink calls for raspberry flavoured vodka and Drambuie, neither of which I had, so I fudged it.  I muddled a few raspberries in the base of my shaker and added normal vodka to make a replacement for the raspberry flavoured vodka.  As for the Drambuie, it is essentially a honeyed blended Scotch liqueur.  So I used two measures of a blended Scotch with two spoons of honey.

I’m getting very good at this cheating thing, because the drink turned out just like it was described in Diffordsguide.  It tastes like a trifle as I alluded to before.  The raspberries come through strong initially before the honey smooths and sweetens this very sweet, very delicious drink.

Eggnog

A delicious drink that is synonymous with Christmas – for good reason too.

Last but by no means least, we have the drink most commonly associated with Christmas – Eggnog.  This is a very smooth, very addictive Christmas drink that I will be consuming plenty of over the next few days.

The recipe calls for two and a half measures of Cognac, two measures of milk, half a measure each of sugar syrup and double cream and one whole egg.  Give it a dry shake to help emulsify the egg better before added ice and shaking vigorously.  Fine strain into an ice filled Collins glass and dust with nutmeg (guess which bit I forgot…).

This particular recipe is so beautifully balanced, with the merest hint of cognac coming through.  It’s so more-ish and smooth, you could easily drink a few before you suddenly remember they are alcoholic.

The best bit is, it can also be served warm which is great on those bitter winter evenings.  Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently before carefully pouring into a glass and serving.

Merry Christmas everyone and happy imbibing!  Don’t forget the garnishes!