Fazerina

FAZERINA

Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker!

Hey! Here's another great example how different flavors work magic with coffee and resemble, in this case, a truly iconic Finnish candy. The Fazerina. Based on the chocolate that carries the same name, the Fazerina has a orangy-chocolat-y taste to it and when you combine it with coffee and & cream? Nice.

• 2 cl cointreau
• 2 cl creme de cacao (white)
• coffee
• loosely whipped cream
• (garnish)

To a well pre-heated glass, add the liqueurs and coffee, stir gently and carefully layer the whipped cream on top. Garnish if liked. Serve.

I actually went so far that I used both the white and dark creme de cacao's to see if there's a real difference or not. Given one does not make marginal errors with measuring...let's put it diplomatically this way; with the white liqueur the cointreau shines a bit more (in a positive way) :D

That said, the Fazerina is an excellent coffee-based drink!

Toasted Almond (cocktail)

TOASTED ALMOND

(COCKTAIL)

Ever wanted to make the White Russian Great Again? :D Well, here's a fun "twist" nonetheless, with great flavors! I introduce to you the Toasted Almond (cocktail). Apparently everything in the States is BIG so I had to cut the measures in half to make mine, explained soon why. This creamy drink has easy-to-find ingredients, well-balanced and super easy to make:

• 1 part DiSaronno (amaretto)
• 1 part kahlúa
• 1 part cream

I used 3 cl each, seems that the friends abroad use 2 fl oz so that'll be 6 cl! :D Anyways, I shaked everything with ice and without straining poured the content into a tumbler. Feel free to add roasted almond chips to garnish.

I have to say, I prefer the shaking over building so every ingredient gets mixed well with each other. Needless to say, it worked. sweet-ish almondy-coffee taste is mellowed by the cream. Weightwatchers note, this is not a drink for you! For others, highly recommended!

Italian Latte

ITALIAN LATTE

Evening everyone! Here's one helluva treat for you all! A friend/colleague of mine dubbed it as an Italian Latte. Just wonderful in taste, this cocktail receives a special place in my heart. You'll soon find out why.

• 4 cl Molinari Caffe liqueur
• 4 cl cream
• 8 cl milk
• (grated vanilla as garnish)

Fair enough, I used 5-5-10cl, but a simple 1:1:2 ratio and you'll do good. Briefly shake everything with ice and pour the content into a tumbler, no straining needed. Especially if using larger amounts of liquids remember to have a larger glass (duh). You could garnish the drink with grated vanilla or say, coffee beans. Serve.

The flavor...magic. Molinari Caffe is such an exceptional product (sambuca based coffee liqueur with a reasonably high ABV at 38%), I will warn you and say that if you don't like sambuca, then you won't like this one either. But the Italian Latte's texture is full-bodied, smooth, strongly coffee-flavored with clear anise in the background and with the ~half-and-half dairy products it still isn't too hard to drink ie. it's not too heavy.

Moreover, this is super easy to make. Always a plus :D

Minttukaakao p.2

MINTTUKAAKAO

(part 2)

(The first one made ~3 years ago, here)

Back with a winter classic, the Minttukaakao, now looking extra pretty! :3 One of the great peppermint drinks available, using proper ingredients yields proper results:

• 4 cl Minttu schnapps
• self-made hot chocolate (with full-fat milk!)
• lightly whipped cream on top

In a pre-heated glass/mug, add the peppermint schnapps, the cocoa and finally layer some cream on top. In addition, feel free to garnish with grated nutmeg, chocolate or anything you feel like.

This is truly a magnificent hot chocolate cocktail! 

New York Coffee

NEW YORK COFFEE

Hey! Here's a nice touch on mixed coffee drinks! Many have had an Irish Coffee before, sure but if that sounds boring, why not try a New York Coffee? A liquorice twist with excellent taste that'll sweep your feet right away :D

• 2 cl kahlúa
• 2 cl sambuca
• hot coffee
• loosely whipped cream
• grated nutmeg to garnish

Preheat the glass. Pour excess hot water away, add in the alcohols followed with the coffee. Stir gently and layer the cream on top. Garnish and serve.

Easy and delicious! In addition, if you still want to pimp this one up, before layering the cream, add a few pinches salt in the drink and stir. Then you have a Silvertaffee Coffee, based on the Finnish "Hopeatoffee" - candy since they taste the same :)

Piña Colada

PIÑA COLADA

A Piña Colada (without the garnish)

Good morning everyone! Today I made a cocktail...well, it certainly has made its way to the mainstream but this is the second (!) time I've had one (the first time was back in 2006 in Cologne when I was an au pair)! (and immediately made two versions of it :D)

For us Finns at least (if someone knows better, do correct me!), the Piña Colada is a cocktail you've had abroad during happy hours and then expect to have the same drink "back home". Honestly speaking, sure, every now and then a person asks me at work "can I get a Piña Colada?" The problem arises when you look at the ingredients of this now-classic tiki cocktail. Let's take a look. The recipe was acquired from THE BONNEVILLE COLLECTION: TIKI COCKTAILS.

• 6 cl rum
• 6 cl pineapple juice
• 2 cl creamed coconut
• 2.5 cl half & half (a mixture of half cream, half milk)
• (tiki garnish)

Both the pineapple juice/coconut stuff is something that doesn't hold for many days. I believe the Piña Colada is one of those cocktails you can't really get from Finland...well perhaps in Helsinki during summer time from one specific/certain cocktail bar. Stocking the above mentioned products is not worth their price when you might have 1 request/week. So better just make these at home.

The Bonneville recipe used Appleton 12yo for their rum of choice. I made two version; in the first one I did as per recipe and the other one with Malibu (coconut flavored caribbean rum). The reason for this was a request by a person who isn't allowed to buy strong spirits yet and Malibu being 21% ABV, so perfect for this occasion.

Shake the ingredients with ice, strain into a proper glass (tiki/hurricane, large-ish wine goblet) and garnish. I didn't have any pineapple or proper tiki garnish for that matter, so I left those out.

I have got to say, when I made the two versions, the Malibu one tasted better! It had that Piña Colada feel to it; the Appleton 12yo version tasted...well, not only more boozy but as if it lacked body. Were I to make this cocktail again, I would totally use Malibu. Otherwise the measures were great; the cocktail was creamy and pineappl-y :)

Some recipes use a blender but to heck with those.

Cafe Nero

CAFE NERO

Hot Stuff!

Hey everyone! Here's a coffee-based cocktail a customer (while back) ordered from me! At that point, I had no idea what the hell it was so the kind (wo)man showed me how to make one! In hindsight, I would make this drink into a much smaller champagne flute/glass so the proportional amount of Galliano would be much higher. Nonetheless, here's how to make a Cafe Nero.

• 4 cl Galliano (vanilla)
• sugar + citrus wedge (for coating the inner glass)
• coffee
• loosely whipped cream
• vanilla / nutmeg / essential oils from an orange as garnish
• some fire (remember safety!)

First things first, prewarm the glass. Dump the hot water and with the help of the citrus wedge, coat the inside rim of the glass. Pour some sugar on it to create a nice sugary rim.  Add in the galliano and set it on fire. Let the flames caramelize the sugar a bit, after which pour in the coffee. Layer some cream on top and garnish.

As I mentioned in the beginning, since I used a much higher volume glass to make this one, taste-wise it had gentle vanilla notes to it and I liked its smoothness. Moreover, this drink can easily be twisted by using another alcohol and garnish appropriately. 

(Galliano) Hot Shot

(GALLIANO) HOT SHOT

Hey!

Here's a shot, that has become notorious in the Finnish bar culture. I'm not quite sure how often these are ordered abroad, but in Finland there's a somewhat love-hate relationship with the Hot Shot.

The (Galliano) Hot Shot is a layered shot and has become famous for one reason: Many of these are typically ordered in the same time and we all know how layering a bunch of these is the most absolute fun :D

• 2 cl Galliano (vanilla)
• a small amount of coffee
• a small amount of cream

Put the galliano in the shot glass and carefully layer (with the help of a spoon) the coffee first and then the cream on top. Some like to sip it, some shoot it. Either way, it's a very vanilla-creamy shot and easily drunk. As...no-one doubted, right? Right? 

Rum Cola Fizz

RUM COLA FIZZ

A good and a summery evening to y'all! Tonight I present you with a cocktail that makes good use of the classic version of the Ramos Gin Fizz. I picked up the recipe from a cocktail community I currently belong to and extra went to the local shop today to get a few ingredients I was short of! So here it is, the Rum Cola Fizz.

• 4 cl dark rum
• 2 cl lime juice
• 2 cl simple syrup
• 2 cl heavy cream
• 1 egg white (as fresh as possible)
• 1 dash angostura bitters
• cola to top

Except with the cola, add everything in a cocktail shaker, dryshake firmly first, then add ice and shake again very vigorously until super cold. Strain into a tumbler and top the drink with cola. No garnish needed.

The taste was quite funky indeed! The cola addition had a slight nostalgic touch to it making the whole drink remind me of those childhood cola-popsicles.

Grasshopper

GRASSHOPPER

Good evening y'all! Tonight's cocktail is a true classic! A colleague of mine once said and quote:

"This is just a Marianne made with cream!"

No. A Marianne is a Grasshopper made with milk! Done properly, this cocktail is a rather sweet and super pepperminty/fresh (!) pre - or after dinner drink. Not to mention how easily it is done. What you need is to remember the simple 1:1:1 ratio;

• 1 part crème de menthe (green peppermint liqueur)
• 1 part crème de cacao (white!)
• 1 part fresh cream

Don't use non-fat/low-fat cream.

So shake these up with plenty of ice, double strain into your chilled cocktail glass/coupe. Optionally grind some fresh nutmeg on top and serve. This is a really delicious drink. Like its Finnish counterpart Marianne (2 cl peppermint liqueur, 2 cl crème de cacao [brown] and milk built in a tall glass), the Grasshopper is just a much more richer cocktail in general. Not drunk too many a night, they make excellent cocktails for everyone to enjoy.

Coco Jambo

COCO JAMBO

Now with sexy-wow effects! It's totally rad!

Welcome back to the summer drinks! First of all, here's the drink's title as an epic 90's song! But let's get started with this cocktail. So basically the Coco Jambo goes down as a (surprise, surprise), coconutty drink. But it's also a frothy, creamy cocktail, which in my opinion will be regarded as AWESOME! I got this recipe from a fellow cocktail-lover and the name I just made up. I mean, it has Coco in its name, so it must be great, don't you think?

• 5 cl fresh cream
• 1 egg white
• 1 tea spoon sugar
• 4 cl Malibu coconut rum
• 2 cl Irish cream
• (a cherry)

First things first, put the cream, egg white and sugar in a shaker and dry shake vigorously for a lengthy amount of time. After this pour in the alcohols, add plenty of ice and shake again for about 20 seconds or even more. Take your high ball glass and without straining pour in everything you have into the glass. Garnish with a cherry and add a few straws!

I was amazed how well Malibu worked with Irish cream! It's a "heavy" drink but easily enjoyed during any summer day.

Midori Splice

MIDORI SPLICE

Booaaaah!! Luxury at hand! Well, almost, but fair enough, let's get busy with the Midori Splice! History goes Splice was some sort of ice-cream-brand in Down Under (mate) so yeah, let's just make an alcoholic version of it! Before getting into the details, though, I must say I now understand why the Piña Colada is totally famous. Pineapples + cream = profit! But enough of that, let's break down the Midori Splice!

• 3 cl Midori (melon liquer)
• 3 cl Malibu (I used coconut rum from DeKuyper)
• 9 cl Pineapple juice
• 3 cl fresh cream
• a maraschino cherry

In a tall, ice filled high ball glass, build the cocktail in the given order and finally layer the cream on top. Add the cherry and enjoy.

A few words I will say about this cocktail. First of all, a truly fruity drink, the creamy-pineapple mixture was yum, so good! As I got further down the drink, the pure alcoholic content was a tad strong and not quite appealing per se. A straw or a bit of stirring would be recommended for an overall more pleasant drink. Now it felt like drinking mixers first, then the alcohol. To be honest, the first time after I drank the first two layers, I mixed the alcohols together and then added another layer of pineapple juice + cream just to enjoy this again :)

The Midori Splice, I like it!

Ramos Gin Fizz

RAMOS GIN FIZZ

The legendary Ramos Gin Fizz, originates from the year 1888 and has served many customers ever since. Today I'm taking a better look at this cocktail that has at least exceptional ingredient in it.

• 4.5 cl gin
• 1.5 cl lemon juice
• 1.5 cl lime juice
• 3.0 cl simple syrup
• 6.0 cl heavy cream
• 1 egg white
• a few drops of orange blossom (flower) water

With all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, dry shake with pride for at least a few minutes. Then add ice and shake for a good 12 minutes. Yes, you heard me, 12-long-minutes. Well at least according to the original recipe you were supposed to shake it for that time. Back in the days when you made this the shaker was going around the bartenders, being shook by everyone for a long enough time. In my occasion I settled for ~2 minutes of dry shaking and ~3 minutes ice shaking.

Now strain your cocktail into a tall glass with no ice and top the drink of with some soda water. Stir and optionally garnish (I kind of forgot) with...say an orange slice, or a cherry speared between an orange slice. But something orangy, that's for sure :)

The texture of this cocktail was extremely frothy. Notes of orange clearly noticeable. Taste was smooth as fu*k. Tasted a bit like orange-milk, aftertaste a tad bitter. It's like a cousin for a Piña Colada! That's the taste! But...this cocktail did not give me a "wow" - effect. It's a good cocktail, but not that good. Was an interesting one, nonetheless.

Brandy Alexander

BRANDY ALEXANDER

Back in the days

Greetings again! It has been almost two months since my last update but there's a good explanation for that; moving to our new house + I haven't had internet for over month after we moved.

Anyhow, let's get back to business. I present you with one of the more classic cocktails, the Brandy Alexander. If used with gin, it's called an Alexander. What you need to create this superb cocktail:

• 3 cl cognac (I used Hennessy VSOP)
• 3 cl dark créme de cacao
• 3 cl fresh cream
• grated nutmeg to decorate

Combine all of the ingredients (except for the nutmeg) in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake vigorously (due to the cream). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and sprinkle some grated nutmeg to garnish. Serve.

I found this cocktail to be elegant, sweet-ish and rather heavy due to the cream's consistency. Taste-wise plain amazing. One could taste the different flavors from the cognac, cocoa liquor and cream. The nutmeg had a surprising taste, since I haven't tasted it before per se.

All in all, this cocktails deserves a solid 5/5. It's bulky consistency only prevents me from having more than one at a time.

Brandy Alexander vol. II, 2013

Smiley Face

SMILEY FACE

Another amazing shot! You have probably noticed how many of the shots I have shown are layered. That is because I like making ones! I get many good flavors in one glass, what's there not to like?!

Anyhow, here's how it's done:

• 2 cl of Kahlúa
• 2 cl créme de bananes
• 1-2 cl of fresh cream

Layer the ingredients and shoot! Tastes just as it should; a creamy coffee-banana mix at your service! The Kahlúa is a tad dominating but in my opinion it doesn't hurt the cocktail per se. I liked it.

Jafar

JAFAR

Inspired vaguely from the Disney cocktail Esmeralda my friend challenged me with, I present you with Jafar, a shot I invented.

Jafar being all bad-ass

This shot consists of three parts:

• 2 cl Jägermeister
• 2 cl Strawberry liquor
• 1 cl fresh cream

I used ice-cold Jäger, poured it first, layered the strawberry liquor and topped it off with a layer of fresh cream. What I had in mind that the Jäger would've been much darker and layered with the liquor make a more distinctive "black-red" shot, but this'll do just fine. 

Tasted surprisingly good! Sweet and creamy, the Jäger didn't give its usual edge to this shot at all, that was the "surprisingly" part. I give it a solid 4/5. I can imagine changing the liquor to any "flavored" one, blueberry, apple, you name it...

Chocolate Baileys Martini

CHOCOLATE BAILEYS MARTINI

To all of you chocolate-drink lovers, here's a real treat! Given this drink is not a martini per se, but it sure tastes good! What you need:

• 4cl Baileys Irish Cream
• 2cl creme de cacao (white)
• 2cl vodka
• 2cl fresh cream
• chocolate powder for decoration

Put the cocktail glass in the fridge (or freezer) beforehand. In a cocktail shaker, combine the first four ingredients, add plenty of ice and shake it but don't break it! Double strain the drink into your chilled glass and lastly decorate your cocktail with chocolate powder. Optionally, chocolate flakes work perfectly as well!

Tastes strong, creamy and extremely chocolately! A perfect after dinner drink or with your favorite dessert. When I had a friend couple over for a pleasant evening the other day, I served this with some crème brûlée. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Irish Coffee

IRISH COFFEE

2011

2013

2015

Here it is, the famous Irish Coffee. I admit right away, I did this cocktail wrong; I did whip the cream a bit, according to the original recipe heavy cream is indeed used, but it is not whipped per se. Plus I didn't have the Irish Coffee glass either...(editor's note; now I do!:D) Yeah and the chocolate flakes were extra, but I think it gave the drink a nice touch. Well now that we're at it, adaptability with even cocktails is okay, right? Right? :)

Not being the biggest coffee (in cocktails) kind of guy, I gave this all time classic a go and managed to pull a decent cocktail. Ingredients as follows:

• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 4cl Irish whiskey
• 8cl hot coffee
• fresh cream

Add the brown sugar in the bottom of the glass (remember to heat up the glass before!), add the whiskey + coffee and stir. Float the cream on top of the drink with the help of a spoon. Serve immediately.

Personally, as mentioned before I can't say this is a truly amazing cocktail. Lies all lies! During the past year or so I've come to appreciate this cocktail so much more!

But I could now do understand its effect on a cold winter's night with good friends with good music in the background. That said, the next time I would make this...definitely for friends.

White Russian

The White Russian

Back in the days

Here it is, the White Russian. Unlike the (bad) Finnish version of this great drink, here it is how it should be. What you need is:

• 2cl quality vodka
• 2cl Kahlúa
• 2cl fresh cream

Just pour the vodka, the Kahlúa and finally the fresh cream into a tumbler filled with a few ice cubes. Stirring is not necessary. Now here you have an excellent drink. The Kahlúa really gives a very deep and aromatic coffee taste to it with a side note of cocoa. I could easily drink a few of these at a time, but due to the drink's "heaviness", less is more.

An another White Russian in 2013. This time my proportions were as follows:

• 5 cl vodka
• 4 cl Kahlúa
• fresh cream

You could add a straw and sip it slowly and if you necessarily want to use a garnish, consider a cocktail cherry (color-wise looks fantastic). Altering the proportions can make different-tasting cocktails as per personal taste.