Well met once again! It's been quite the pause since my last update (okay, two weeks) so I thought "now it's time to make a cocktail again!"
Fair enough, this is more of a shooter and if you look closely, you might note the similarities with a shooter I made back in the days (or this)! Instead of going all "alien", I present the Brain Hemorrhage. (the US Halloween is knocking at our doors so I found this fit for any Halloween party whatsoever)
It's very simple to make. All you need is (love):
½ shot peach schnapps
½ shot Irish cream (or any cream liqueur)
~a tsp of grenadine
First pour in the peach schnapps, then carefully layer the Irish cream on top and finally with a tea spoon drop the grenadine the in the middle. The effect should look somewhat as in the picture above.
Taste-wise semi-good. During the middle part, where the Irish cream has "curdled" a bit has a rather yucky feel in the mouth but that's a diminutive detail.
Good evening again ladies and gentlemen! It's time for this week's cocktail!
The Margarita. This is the cocktail everyone's heard if not in the actual world, then in numerous movies to say the least. Essentially a Sidecar with tequila instead of brandy, I've always had a rather love-hate relationship regarding this drink. The love being, I mean, it's a Margarita. I've hardly ever made one in my life and it's one of those cocktails you just got to make or at least drink once in your life time.
The hate that the few time's I've made it, they've turned out crappy. Or maybe because I'm not the greatest fan of tequila, or the tequila brand I've used is poor (you wouldn't know how rare it is to find quality tequila in Finland) or that the frigging salt rim ruins everything for me.
I've decided to meet my demons by creating two variations of the classic Margarita; the one on the left is a home-based cocktail and the one on the right is the one (usually) served in Finland (alcohol-regulations).
First, the home based variation:
4.5 cl quality tequila (read this if you want to know more about tequilas)
2 cl triple sec (I used cointreau)
4.5 cl fresh sour mix (1:1 ratio fresh lime juice and simple syrup ie. ~2 cl both)
CHECK THE UPDATED VERSION FROM BELOW!
The second is the more common (Finnish) version:
2 cl blanco tequila
2 cl triple sec (usually cointreau though)
2 cl lime/lemon juice
Both recipes, shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass or if at home, you can use a tumbler with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and of course if you prefer, the salt rim; I let the video do the talking for me (it's really educational as well!)
Since I'm more of the sugar-tooth type, I totally liked the home based more. I think the whole existence of that horrible salt rim has given me great traumas over the Margarita. Should I ever make a Margarita to my friends (at home)...I would totally go with the first version. Hands down. If you prefer a more zingy/sourer version, go with the second.
Here's a Margarita that I made today, a good ~2½ years later! I will still stress the fact when making these drinks (or ordering at a bar) that
FORGET any pre-mix stuff! It is SHIT.
Makesure the tequila is 100% de agave! Otherwise you are stuck with SHIT.
The drink is as good as its worst ingredient!
When we have these on the table, here's a solid recipe, it's a bit tweaked since the first time I made it:
6 cl 100% de agave blanco tequila
2 cl cointreau
2 cl fresh lime juice
(1 cl agave syrup)
Agave syrup rounds up the drink nicely + smoothens its. I used it in this version and I will say it worked just nicely! But it is up to you if you prefer a more zzziinggg in your Margarita!
It's a day off so why not have a cocktail? Exactly!
Today I'm doing a Hop Toad Cocktail using this as my inspiration. The result?Read for yourself.
4.5 cl aged rum
1.5 cl apricot liquor (I used dekuyper's apricot brandy)
juice from ½ a lime
a few dashes angostura bitters
Add everything in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake! doublestrain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
This is actually a rather sour drink, having no apparent (duh) sweetening agent,. My first sip and I immediately notice the sourness, then the apricot's sweetness and finally the rum that kicks last, but not least. I must say as much as this looks like a DaquiriI've made and feels like one (perhaps the aged rum - lime combo), this has nothing to do with it.
Not a super cocktail, but if you like sour things, you will love this one.
Today's "episode" is a rather special one! In honor of my 20th time donating blood I decided to make up just a perfect cocktail for the event, the Bloody Mary! Everyone's heard of it, some have tried it. I have one memory of drinking this some years back. Today I'm about to tackle this drink the second time.
I made some studies before getting really into this drink. As some might know, the base for any Bloody Mary consists of:
vodka (some might use gin and I see no objections to this)
tomato juice (salt free!)
lemon juice
Worcester sauce
tabasco
(white/black) pepper
celery salt
a traditional decoration; a celery stalk / lemon wedge
Wow, that's a lot of stuff. Nonetheless, that's the base. After that you can easily make your own little mini-meal buffet and add ingredients that you find interesting, worthwhile or otherwise awesome. I looked up a few different recipes and found out that many use horseradish in the mix.
Nonetheless, here's the recipe I used:
6 cl vodka
12 cl tomato juice
juice from one lemon wedge
2 dashes tabasco
2 dashes Worcester sauce
a pinch celery salt
a pinch dried dill
a pinch ground white pepper
a teaspoon prepared horseradish
Poured everything in my mixing glass and rolled it. Meaning, I poured the content in my tin cup and then poured it back in the mixing glass. Repeated this a few time. This way I got all of the ingredients properly mixed without getting too much dilution. If you have a pint glass, pour your mixture in there (I used my mixing glass). Decorate with a celery stalk and/or lemon wedge. Optionally you can use a lime wedge and even a strip of fried bacon is okay (sounds amazingly good!)
I...just...can't say I'm a big fan of this drink. I don't know what it is, but in my opinion this drink is too heavy for cocktail consumption. But we all like different things. Perhaps you like this or perhaps you don't. Like the Laphroaig whiskey, you either like it or you don't. There's no in between.
