Bellini

BELLINI

sorry about the foam part, I have an excuse explanation for that

A little while back I had my opened bottle of Prosecco at my disposal. In addition, I've always wanted to make a Bellini cocktail. An Italian classic, one might say. Rather simple (according to the recipe) to make, but practice was something...different.

• 5 cl peach pyrée
• sparkling wine (traditionally, Prosecco is used)

First put the pyrée in the glass and then gently pour in the wine. I had difficulties with the massive amount of foaming that occurred. Given, the sugar makes sparkling wine foam but this went totally berserk. I had difficulties (or lack of skill) getting a gentle pour and without my gentle pour that Bellini went cray-zayh! But after struggling I finally got it...somewhat right.

I finally gave this drink a gentle stir and set it aside for this picture. I must say though, this cocktail is not as good as I thought it would be. Somehow it tasted...stuffy. The berry cocktail before was totally more refreshing than this one.

Berries and bubbles

BERRIES AND BUBBLES

A summery greeting to you all! Albeit we're already going on August, it doesn't matter, the sun is shining, it's ridiculously warm outside so why not grab a perfect summery cocktail? Called the Berries and bubbles, I picked this up from a website (Smallscreen Network) and thanks to my wife who picked up some fresh raspberries I had the ingredients to pull one off. Note that any seasonal berry will do just fine. If you like strawberries or blueberries, go straight ahead! This cocktail is not specifically made for raspberries!

• depending on size, 8-10 large or 15-25 smaller raspberries
• 4.5 cl quality vodka
• 2 cl fresh lemon juice
• 2 cl simple syrup
• a good sparkling wine/champagne
• raspberries for decoration

In a mixing glass, add in the raspberries, vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup. Add plenty of ice, shake and (double)strain (for a clearer cocktail) into either a coupe or a flute. Top it off with your choice of sparkling wine and add a few raspberries (you can freeze a few if you wish) for the garnish.

Wouzaa! A sweet drink with a strong taste and aroma of raspberries. Especially towards the end it got even stronger; as you can see the sparkling wine (I used Prosecco) floated on top of the rest of the ingredients but nonetheless, a super refreshing and summery cocktail!

I could easily imagined this being done with blueberries, that would probably make one helluva cocktail as well...or any berry, for that matter!

Since I opened the bottle of Prosecco...I think it's time for the long waited Bellini...

The Old Fashioned

THE OLD FASHIONED

"That's like Don Draper in a glass."

Tonight we're doing the most classic cocktail of them all, the Old Fashioned. You might remember me doing a somewhat similar drink earlier this year (The bacon-infused bourbon Benton's Old Fashioned), but here is the cocktail that 

1. is a true classic
2. is my favorite cocktail of all times and
3. is friggin' good!

First things first. There are numerous "different" recipes out there. Moreover, even more different ways to make it (controversy ensured). I will explain to you how I make this cocktail and then let you decide. Just remember that the base for an Old Fashioned goes like this:

• sugar (1 cube or ~1.5cl simple syrup)
• angostura bitters (a few dashes)
• ice cubes
• bourbon at least 4 cl (1½ fl oz), preferably 5 cl (1 3/4 fl oz)
• (garnish)

As mentioned, some use simple syrup (1:1 ratio) and some use a sugar cube. I usually do the latter. It takes a little bit more time to do, since you have to "manually" dissolve the sugar but it doesn't bother me.

So what you want to do is to pour a few dashes on the sugar. You can either do this OR put a small napkin on top of your tumbler, put the sugar cube in the middle and then pour the dashes on top. This way you won't get angostura bitters all over the sides of the glass, because you don't have to be 100% precise with your aiming. Let is soak for a while, then drop it in the glass.

Using the end-part of your bar spoon (or a muddler for that matter), muddle the sugar into small bits. Take your bourbon and pour in a small quantity (not all of it, say a quarter of what you have) into the glass, stir it for the sugar to dissolve, drop 1-2 ice cubes in and continue stirring. More bourbon, more ice.

You should now have used all of your bourbon and the drink looks somewhat the same as in the picture above.

Now here's the part that many of us do differently. There are no true right's per se, but one wrong; just one rule of thumb; as long as you don't muddle any of the garnish in the drink, you're doing fine! I've seen one youtube clip where the guy muddles the cocktail cherry and orange wedge and every fruit imaginable in the glass before proceeding in the bourbon part! Oh why?!

Whatever you like, a slice of lemon, a wedge of orange, a cocktail cherry, any combination (I've rarely seen limes used, and to be honest I would skip that fruit altogether), that is very acceptable and if anyone tells you different, tell them to go F - themselves. What I recommend is using a peel of lemon and flame it.

Cut a peel of lemon, light a fire and press the peel close to the source of flame. The essential oils will burst on top of the glass. Rub the peel around the rim and drop it in. Of course the flaming part is very optional (remember fire safety!) and if you don't have a flame close by, powerfully pressing the peel only will release those oils as well. Give your drink a refreshing touch!

There it is, the classic, the one and only, the Old Fashioned. Enjoy.

The herbal-liqueur blind tasting

THE BLIND TASTING

And now for something completely different.

I decided to make a herbal-liqueur blind tasting and have five of my friends attend to it. To see whether they make similar notes of a tasted liqueurs...and for fun, most of all. Unfortunately I had to recuse myself from this event for reasons explained later on so I worked out the paper work. Nonetheless, I had three different herbal liqueurs at my disposal:

1. Unicum Zwack, from Hungary
2. Jägermeister, from Germany
3. Killepitsch, also from Germany (a local product from Düsseldorf)

I later realized that this tasting could've-should've had Underberg and Fernet Branca as well. Excluding the Killepitsch, the rest are well-known across the globe. But this sufficed well. 

I figured out how to maximize the most "realistic" results:

1. The subjects tasted these liqueurs by themselves (to minimize the influence of others' opinions) whereas I wrote down whatever they said
2. The subjects never saw any of the bottles used (to minimize the influence and associations of the bottle/label)
3. Only 1-2 cl (roughly ½ fl. oz.) / liqueur
4. The order for each subject was random (this probably had less/no meaning after all)
5. The subjects were to review smell and taste
6. The subjects gave points to each liqueur from 0-100

Before each tasting, I told my friend(s), that this was no competition, they didn't need to guess which was what and that they try to be as open as possible. I would write down everything and later compile a spreadsheet of the results. There are no right or wrongs nor any winners here. This blind tasting is for purely entertaining purposes and heck, maybe we discover something extraordinary from these samples!

Oh and I mentioned earlier I couldn't take part in this. The reason: Because I should have done this experiment first. I only realized after my first friend did the tasting that his opinions subconsciously (would) affect mine as well. Next time I do something like this I have to remember to first do it myself before letting my friends taste anything, this way the results are not affected by others.

So after I had my five sheets of results, I started compiling them together...and here are the results! 

(sorry about the picture stretching so far right, but otherwise you can't read sh*t! :) )

Killepitsch won and one thing that was actually pretty astonishing is that Jägermeister was reviewed the worst! To think of it, in the end were we really that surprised? Jägermeister to herbal-liqueurs is like Smirnoff to vodkas, Jack Daniels to whiskeys, Bacardi to rums or J.P. Chenet to wines; they're well branded and better known but when it comes down to "quality", they just might not cut it in the big boys' league. Don't get me wrong, I, for instance like Jäger but Killepitsch is better. Bacardi rum is great for mixing and Jack Daniels does work good with cola, but yeah, there are many better bourbons or wines than JD or Chenet. Personal preference, people...personal preference. If you enjoy your JD on the rocks, who am I to judge?

The psychology behind this experiment (or blind tasting in general) is very interesting. Although I only had three products and five tasters, reading the sheet gives us valuable information. But one point I have to highlight to you. Two of my friends noticed cardamom from Unicum Zwack. I found this extremely satisfying. Also, Killepitsch was clearly the sweetest of them all (4 out of 5 tasters) and Jägermeister was considered very alcoholic-like.

All in all, this blind tasting experiment was a great success and I would like to do it again, with different products of course.

The power of feedback

THE POWER OF FEEDBACK

(sipping a cocktail at the Lounge24 bar @ RadissonBLU Hotel, Tallinn)

Brace yourselves, because now I want to take a moment and discuss the power of feedback. People give feedback about restaurants, bars, places, whatever. Sometimes they tell it straight away when able and/or sometimes they send it via email after the given event. Be it good or poor service, food, drink or anything for that matter, I've noticed it's hard to speak up (at least for us Finns) when we really should. Only after the restaurant trip we complain to our friends "how poor the food was." When the waiter comes and asks if everything is/was fine, it's common to just say "yeah it was good." without really meaning it.

It's probably (most likely) a Finnish thing. There's a saying "You tell a few friends about a good (restaurant) and 50 about a poor one." That's hard facts right there for you.

But let's go back a few weeks time. The picture above was taken at Lounge 24 Bar at the RadissonBLU hotel in Tallinn, Estonia. It was one of the three cocktail bars I visited during my three day stay in Estonia. When I find a new cocktail bar there's one specific drink that I usually order to estimate the quality of the said bar. This drink needs enough technique and know-how to make good + I like the cocktail. It's the Manhattan. Like a good friend of mine told me how he can estimate the whole restaurant's quality by the eye fillet they prepare (if it's a good steak, it is likely that they know how to make good food in general), I can estimate a cocktail bar depending on how they make a Manhattan.

That said, the first place (wasn't a "pure" cocktail bar per se) I visited made me cry from the inside. I mean, if you take a tumbler with ice, drown that sum'bitch with angostura, then pour 4 cl (1½ fl. oz) of Jack Daniels and the same amount of sweet vermouth, give it a little stir and serve...wait, what? It was a horrible, utterly horrible Manhattan.

The other place was really meant to be a cocktail lounge, but they also served food. Having to wait 10 minutes for a Negroni ? Also, the said they haven't had angostura bitters for two months now (I first ordered an Old Fashioned). Two months? Really now? Hell, send a man on the first boat to Finland and get some!! A cocktail bar without angostura is like a McDonalds without BigMacs! Shameful what it is! The Negroni was as expected, good, but the atmosphere was bumming me out.

The last place...The best one I visited. It had its flaws (explained later), but clearly a cocktail bar I can easily recommend for my friends, the Lounge24 bar at the RadissonBLU hotel, not close from the Old City. Firstly, location. A rooftop cocktail bar? Rad.

Secondly, our waitress was very proficient; I asked something out of the list (twice) and although the Japanese Slipper wasn't as good as I expected, she went through with my order with pride. I had a long chat with her later on.

But there was one flaw, pretty much their only flaw they had. Their choice of vodka I mean liquor. As many might know, Estonia's national "vodka" is Viru Valge. Let's be honest. It is not vodka by any standard. It is booze. And the cocktails that had Viru in them (such as the White Russian I ordered) weren't as good as...anyone would've expected. Booze has a sharp taste to it where proper vodka is smooth as a baby's bottom. The waitress told me that the hotel has a contract with Viru Valge so they have to use it. Fair enough no that's not cool this has to change! A place like this must be saved!

Despite all of this, I had my best experiences regarding cocktail bars at Lounge 24. When we got back home I took the time and effort and wrote a lengthy feedback at 4 am. It had to be done. I explained them pretty much everything I am telling you now. But mostly I stressed the fact that if you use quality ingredients, you make quality products. And this can be applied to everything!

Being super full of myself, I even quote a part I wrote them:

"I don't expect things to change overnight or that you even agree with me, but I sincerely hope you see my point. About the larger picture I give you feedback about."

I meant that to the fullest. Even I have underlined the fact of quality ingredients when creating cocktails in this blog (right, right??)! Always use fresh ingredients and don't settle for crappy shit!

I received an answer some days later. You know, it felt so good to read that email. Without going too much into the details, just a quick quote:

"You gave us a very serious thing to think about and we will consider if and how we can change anything about this."

 I can't tell now whether anything has happened or even will. But be assured, the next time I will visit Tallinn, you bet your ass I will visit Lounge 24 again. And if I were to see and taste a quality brand of vodka in my cocktails...

...the power of feedback can be powerful indeed.

Thanks for reading this "rant", if you may.

Celestino

PS. Any thoughts? Is giving feedback really that hard, whether positive or negative? Has anything really changed afterwards? Or is everything just in vain? I'd like to read/hear your thoughts/comments.

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.

The Godfather

THE GODFATHER

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"

- Michael Corleone

That's right boys and girls. Here's a sweet-ish short cocktail that in its essence has no actual reference with the Godfather film/novels, except that the liquer used in this drink has Disaronno in it, which is Italian made:

• 2.5 cl Scotch
• 2.5 cl Amaretto Disaronno 

Pour both ingredients in a tumbler with ice and enjoy. The ratio with these two may and can be varied as the drinker sees fit. I liked the 1:1 ratio, it was both strong and sweet and when the ice melts it smoothens the sweetness of amaretto, I approve of that. I could understand the use of more scotch but having more amaretto probably won't cut it in the big boys' league.

The Godfather drink has a close relative, the Godmother, which will be introduced to you later!

Springbok

SPRINGBOK

"The springbok is a medium-sized brown and white antelope-gazelle from southwestern Africa."

But in the cocktail world, the Springbok (or Springbokkie, meaning "little springbok") it is a gold and green layered shooter originating from South Africa:

• ½ shot of Amarula
• ½ shot of cremè de menthé

First pour the cremè de menthé in a shot glass and carefully layer the amarula on top. Consume. This cocktail tastes like strong mint chocolate! 

If you want to impress yourself (or your guests) even more, use ice-cold products and keep the shot glass in a freezer for a while for maximum effect. Be warned, though...you'll fall in love with these ones!

The Heart Eater

THE HEART EATER

This is a story about a young man that ventured in the Great Plains of North America on a cold December night, 1841, in hopes of great adventure and fortune. It is purely fictional.

"To travel is to live."

- Hans Christian Andersen, 1805-1875

The winter breeze was strong tonight. Like any other night, Jedediah was walking in the woods with his companion, Jasper, in the middle of practically nowhere, finding shelter from the incoming storm. They had traveled for some time already and with the help of the North Star he was hoping to find Cheyenne, their next stop.

Hours after hours but still no sign of civilization. Jedediah was calm in mind. Their rations were close on ending but he was strong of will, and ammo. And no matter what they said, tonight he would hunt his very first bison.

Finally a glimpse of light in the horizon. A glimpse of hope for both of the travelers. They climbed the foothill and it felt like the highest mountain they've ever climbed so far. Jasper was getting weary. Jedediah on the other hand felt like a victor. 

They opened the front door, that made a heavy cracking sound. They were welcomed with a warmth that radiated from the interior. But not a single soul could be seen. They both quickly closed the door shut and gasped silently; here they could rest for a while, albeit Jedediah knew he would soon go out again.

                                                    

A man shows up from a room close to the counter. He smiles at Jedediah and Jasper and greets them; "Welcome, kinsmen. What brings you two here? Rest? Food? I can provide you with both. Then again, the storm is closing in on us, please, have a seat." The men sat down and dropped their gear on the ground. "You're hunters, aren't you?" He continued.

"Yes. And the night is not over yet." Jedediah replied with great confidence.

"Oh really? I know the wilds is flourishing with small game, I'm just not sure whether you should go out now when the breeze is getting stronger by the minute." The man said.

"Yes, really. I'm going to hunt us a bison." Jedediah said and looked the man straight in the eyes.

The man went silent. He then turned and walked towards the counter, grabbed two mugs and poured a honey-smelling liquid from a small-ish barrel on the wall. He sighed: "I don't think that's a good idea. Be assured though, if you ever do kill a bison, make sure to bring me its heart and I will make you a dish you shall never forget. Bring me its soul and I will make you a champion." The man said, brought the mugs to Jedediah and Jasper and lowered his hand on Jedediah's shoulder.

"I promise you that." He continued.

Jasper gulped down the drink and told Jedediah that he would get some rest. Jedediah nodded back with respect and started to clean his rifle. The man watched him closely throughout the operation. After a small while, Jedediah grabbed his gear again, thanked the man for the drink, grabbed his rifle and said:

"Don't you worry. I will be back in a little while."

Jedediah was not to be seen until the following morning.

The morning was perfectly clear. The storm never reached the lodge that was hidden among the trees. Jasper was worried that his companion would not return. The owner of the lodge told him that he saw a fiery passion for hunting in Jedediah's eyes when he said he would go after that bison.

"Don't you worry. He will be back in a little while." The man said.

And Jedediah did. The door opened and inside walked a man with blood on his hands. He laid his rifle on the wall and walked straight to the owner. He then opened his knapsack and inside some linen wraps he presented him the heart of a bison.

"Here, as requested. I complied your deed, now fill our need." Jedediah said following a big smile. The man took the heart and went in the kitchen. The preparation took him a decent amount of time. But what he presented Jedediah with was to be the most extraordinary experience he ever encountered:

Jedediah drank the concoction and immediately felt stronger inside. This is what he needed. This was it. In the afternoon, Jedediah and Jasper left. But before they reached the door, Jedediah turned to the man and said:

"By the way, what is your name?"

"They call me Hendrick's". The man replied with a smile.

The Heart Eater

• 3 cl Hendrick's Gin (1 fl. oz)
• 1.5 cl Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka (0.5 fl. oz)
• 4.5 cl grapefruit juice (1.5 fl. oz)
• 1.5 cl simple syrup (0.5 fl. oz)
• 1 cl Blue Curacao (1/3 fl. oz)
• a cocktail cherry

Shake the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, doublestrain into a ice-cold cocktail glass (put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes or so), then gently pour the blue curacao in the middle of the drink and finally drop a cherry in the middle.

Mojito

MOJITO

2009

2011

2013, fresh mint from my own garden

 Probably one of the most known cocktail of all time, this is the Mojito. It is very nice to see how my skills and abilities as a mixologist have bore fruit. Just look at the pictures from the past years. In 2009 I barely knew how to muddle. The end result, shredded mint leaves and a funny lime wheel on the rim of the glass. In 2011 the glass isn't even filled up. Or then I took a picture of it after I had sipped several times of it. Contrary to 2009, I actually used the mint stalks. Now, 2013 I knew how to muddle and I even had my own mint from my garden. What could go wrong? Nothing I say, nothing. I'm really proud of my work. But let's begin, shall we? Do mind there are countless amounts of different ways to make a Mojito, this was mine.

• 5 cl white rum
• 1 tablespoon simple syrup
• ½ lime cut in four pieces
• ~12 mint leaves and a sprig for decoration
• crushed ice
• club soda

Gently slam the mint leaves on your palm and drop them in the glass. Add the simple syrup and gently press the mint leaves in order to release their oils. Don't shred, press. Add in the lime cuts and muddle them as well. Fill the glass ½ way with crushed ice and pour in the rum. With the help of the bar spoon mix the ingredients in the glass. Fill the glass with crushed again and top it off with club soda. Add a sprig of mint for decoration, pop a few straws in the glass and enjoy.

Between the Sheets

BETWEEN THE SHEETS

Nothing tells the story more vividly than this cocktail. But alas, the action even Between the Sheets can not out-win its cousin, the Sidecar. For me, the B.t.S is a altered version of the Sidecar. Also easily modified to create layers of flavors, the B.t.S has potential but this time it didn't quite cut it.

• 2.5 cl white rum
• 2.5 cl brandy (or cognac)
• 2.5 cl lemon juice
• 2.5 cl triple sec

Shake everything with ice and (double)strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon/lime twist. Like a sidecar, but more complex in flavor. Personally, this cocktail was OK, but with some fine tuning I could probably make a better version of it later on... 

San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO

♫ For those who come to San Francisco

Summer will be a love-in there ♪

- Scott McKenzie, San Francisco,  1967

Summertime is here meaning only one thing. Summery, colorful and fruity cocktails! A true classic from a few decades past here is the San Francisco. Easily made and enjoyed with sheer happiness!

• 2 cl vodka
• 2 cl cremé de bananes
• orange juice
• 1 cl grenadine

In a high ball glass, build up the ingredients in the given order and finally pour the grenadine (slowly) on the drink creating given effect. Garnish with e.g. a strawberry, orange slice/wedge, lemon, cherry or any combination of those mentioned. Pop a straw in that drink and avot!

Looks pretty much like the Tequila Sunrise but tastes completely different. A solid good fruity combo this is! Easily picked up the banana flavors. I must admit though, I used orange-mango juice but that didn't slow me down! Tasted still excellent.

Prairie Oyster

PRAIRIE OYSTER

After heavy partying...you need balancing. Supposedly there is a hangover cure. And that cure has a name, the Prairie Oyster.

Let me take you back a few instances first. Today is Midsummer and yesterday me & my wife had friends come by to celebrate that day. Grilling, gaming, music and overall chilling and relaxing...with drinking. A lot of it.

This morning was a bit different. We needed a cure. My pal told me about this raw-egg drink and quickly looked it up. The Oyster was calling us...

• 1 raw egg
• tabasco sauce
• salt
• pepper
• Worcester sauce

Preferably use a small tumbler, crack open the egg (without breaking the yolk), pour some Worcester sauce, tabasco, salt and pepper and gulp it down. My friend did that first and I couldn't just post this drink without experiencing it myself!

Well this pretty much tastes like it should be. Eggs and a salty hotness afterwards. Either a placebo effect or a true pearl, I did feel better afterwards, though!

Not for the faint-hearted.

Kir Pétillant

KIR PÉTILLANT

Before the official Midsummer celebration we shall celebrate it with a cocktail! A famous variation of the Kir, the Kir Pétillant is an exciting way to start say, a party!

• 1.5 cl cremé de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)
• sparkling wine

Pour the cremé de cassis in the champagne flute (or wine glass) and afterwards pour in the sparkling wine. Enjoy well chilled.

As mentioned earlier, here are the three most used versions of the Kir (in my opinion)

1. Kir (cassis + white wine)
2. Kir Royal (cassis + champagne)
3. Kir Pétillant (cassis + sparkling wine)

A warm and beautiful color, taste-wise plenty of currant but not overwhelmingly. I can still taste the wine. A bit to the sweeter side but nonetheless well balanced. A good combination.

These are easily done at parties in larger amounts so if you ever want to have sparkling wine with a twist but without the hassle, this is your cocktail!

Daiquiri

DAIQUIRI

Well met once again! I am terribly sorry about for not updating my blog for a while, I've been busy...doing...stuff. :)

Nonetheless, it's time to get our shit together and make some cocktails! You're going to love this one! The classic Daiquiri! You've heard about it, I've heard about it, we've all heard about it and its frozen cousin. But this time I have to give a special salute to a cocktail mixologist whose recipe I'm currently using. Just like the Amaretto Sour I made, this one is also inspired by Jeffrey Morgenthaler. He knows his shit.

No, we don't use white rum. Instead, we use premium aged dark rum!

• 7 cl aged rum (I used El Dorado 12yo)
• 2 cl fresh lime juice (=half a lime pressed)
• 1.5 cl simple syrup

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add plenty of ice and shake it baby yeah! Double strain into a well-chilled cocktail glass and serve.

This cocktail has definitely become my all-time favorite rum-based cocktail there is! Deliciously strong, sweet and sour. I fell in love immediately.

This is the daiquiri recipe you want to use. Trust me.

American Belle

AMERICAN BELLE

2013

2018, using Heering as the cherry liqueur instead of DK

Let's continue with some shooters! When it comes to shooters, layered ones are always the most fun ones. Not only do you get a visually astonishing "drink", the true beauty is that when gulping down one, you actually get to taste every flavor in it (at least usually)! The American Belle is a minor exception to this:

• 1.25 cl (or 1.5 cl if your shot glass is large enough) cherry liqueur
• 1.25 (1.5) cl amaretto
• 1.25 (1.5) cl bourbon whiskey

Layer in the given order in a shot glass or alternative build over some ice in a small-ish tumbler. I made a shooter out of this one (very obvious, isn't it?).

Sweet cherry, hardly any almondy flavor and finally the bourbon. The combination is the whiskey (I used Jim Beam) and cherry is actually a very interesting one, sadly the flavors of amaretto were completely hidden.

Not a classic drink, not a five-star shooter either, but visually a good one and tastewise...well, was okay, I guess...

!EDIT 2018!

So I made this one again, now using Heering Cherry liqueur instead of a pink bright (cheaper) cherry version and the results were completely different. Much more balanced and distinctively better tasting as it was five years ago!

The Perfect Day To Get Drunk

THE PERFECT DAY TO GET DRUNK

without the cola...

...and with it

Today I'm completing a friend challenge! A co-worker of mine challenged me (after I introduced her to my blog). This is what she wrote and quote:

"Alrighty then! So I want a cocktail called "The Perfect Day To Get Drunk. It has to have coca-cola in it (unless I have a killer idea that doesn't involve it) and this cocktail is drunk from a wine glass. Not many other requirements, although as a guideline, I like caipiroskas, strawberry margaritas etc. I don't prefer whisky, beer, cognac etc. Oh and it needs to be fresh! Oh and bring me the recipe in Finnish at work, because I'm too lazy to read English :D"

Too bad, I don't work anymore and this is ALL in English! So my brain started working. I definitely wanted to have some sort of fruit in it, muddled. Then it struck me...peaches! Almonds! Lime! Cola! And they all work together just dandy! So I came up with the following (first edition) recipe:

• 3/4 of a peach, skin peeled and fruit chopped
• 4 cl amaretto
• 2 cl peach schnapps
• 1 cl vodka
• the juice of one lime wedge
• (a dash of cola)

First, peel the peach and cut three quarters of it into semi-small chunks and put it in the mixing glass. You can muddle them at this point, if you please. Add the amaretto, peach schnapps and vodka (for that little kick) and squeeze the juice from the lime wedge. Add ice (or muddle the fruit pieces now, if you haven't already) and shake vigorously.

Now take you chilled wine glass (I used a white wine glass, a bit smaller in size) and without straining pour the mixture in the glass. The result as seen in the first picture. Alternatively, you can top the drink with cola and finally, add a lime wedge for decoration and a couple of straws. Enjoy!

Now to the review. So I used some peach schnapps to compliment the flavor of peaches, the vodka to actually put some strength into this drink and as my main ingredient amaretto. After tasting this I've come to the following conclusion, tweaking the recipe as follows:

• 3/4 of a peach
• 3 cl Amaretto
• 3 cl peach schnapps
• 1 cl vodka
• 2 cl fresh lime juice
• (dash of cola)

The original cocktail tasted good, but the amaretto was a bit too overpowering. After some of the ice has melted the peach flavors come in. With the tweaked recipe, it has less almondy flavor, a bit more peachiness and also more sourness that balances the sweetness from the amaretto/peaches. It is truly a perfect day to get drunk!

Tiki cocktail

TIKI COCKTAIL

Hola! Wow did I excel myself today! Not only did I sent a job application to a store close-by, I celebrated this by finally making a Tiki Cocktail. I figured out this cocktail was a mixture of a Mai Tai and a Zombie Cocktail and a Planter's Punch. One of the craziest things I've done regarding cocktails. A lot of work, a lot of sweat but the result...Hoo-rah!

First things first. You need a pineapple. I used a large pineapple that could hold more than a pint of liquid inside. I used this as a guideline since I didn't have a pineapple corer. Then, in a mixing glass I had:

• 4 cl white rum
• 4 cl aged dark rum
• 2 cl cointreau
• 2 cl cognac
• 3 tablespoons of pineapple pulp
• juice of ½ a lime

Added crushed ice and shook it. Before straining the content in my now hollow pineapple, I added some crushed ice inside it. Strained my mixture into the pineapple, then added

• 8 cl orange juice (quality)
• 8 cl pineapple juice (quality)
• 3 dashes of angostura bitters on top
• a pineapple leaf (yeah I know the top looked kinda bad)
• a cocktail cherry

Stirred the whole thing a bit, added straws and enjoyed.

Visually, well, heh, you can't really beat that. The cocktail wasn't as sweet, the opposite, a bit sour. The cognac's smoothness could be distinguished and overall it had gentle fruitiness. This is a strong cocktail, don't let it fool you. Or maybe my pineapple was just that large...go figure. :)

Melon Ball cocktail

MELON BALL COCKTAIL

Prepping for summer! Another Midori based cocktail at your hands! Fair enough, this isn't quite the "wow-amazing" - type of cocktail. But let's see how it's made:

• 2.5 cl Midori
• 2.5 cl vodka
• orange juice / pineapplejuice
• honeydew melon for garnish

Build in a highball glass with ice, give it a gentle stir and garnish. Finally I could use my melon baller for this! About the OJ/pineapple juice. According to some ancient recipes, it was always made with OJ but somehow during the years it had been substituted with pineapple juice. Or vice versa. Anyhow, I used OJ. 

Not a superb cocktail. Nothing special in this one. The color was a yellow-ish with a slight green hue at the bottom. Tastewise, kind of meh. Had I used pineapple juice instead, I could've notched this cocktail up a bit, even using a different glass might've helped. I mean, shaking the ingredients and straining into a martini glass could've made a difference...we will...never know....

Summa summarum, a slight disappointment this one was.

El Presidente

EL PRESIDENTE

Today we're going presidential style! Straight from Cuba, I introduce you the El Presidente! I realized a while back that "hey, I actually have the ingredients to make this!" so I gave it a try. But unlike the "original" recipe, I slightly modified it making it an excellent cocktail:

• 4.5 cl white rum (I used aged rum)
• 1.5 cl triple sec
• 2 cl dry vermouth
• dash of grenadine
• orange/lemon twist for decoration

Stir the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Decorate and serve.

Two points. One, a beautiful amber-ish color in this one. Really impressive. Secondly, the taste. Since I didn't use white rum (even aged one) but instead I used a rum a good bro brought me, Aniversario Pampero, an aged dark rum. This combined with the others gave this cocktail its much deserved complexity. Its first taste has a tad of super sweetness but quickly evolves into spices and a pleasant orangy zang. The rum compliments the overall taste. The cocktail finishes slightly bitter strong. 

In its essence, the Presidente does not fail me. It's a complex cocktail. It's a good cocktail.

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!