Brown Derby

BROWN DERBY

"The classic bourbon Brown Derby cocktail is named for the eponymous hat-shaped Los Angeles diner. " 

- Liquor.com

So I decided to give this one a go. The recipe looked interesting enough and it's always fun to play around with different syrups. The cocktail Brown Derby itself is an old classic so I reckon there are numerous ways to twist this baby up!

• 6 cl bourbon

• 4.5 cl pink grapefruit juice

• 1.5 cl honey syrup (1:1 ratio)

Shake everything with ice, strain and garnish. I loved how balanced this cocktail was and also its incredible freshness! Especially with the grapefruit aromas. I like!

Mudslide (shooter)

MUDSLIDE 

(SHOOTER)

Beautiful 3-layer-shooter

Evening everyone! It's time for a shooter! :D

Here's a good o' classic called the Mudslide. There is a longer version of this out there, but I decided to try out the shot-style Mudslide since I conveniently had the ingredients and time to do it.

Easy to make and ingredients readily available, the Mudslide is, in hindsight, a delightful shot!

• 1/3 Kahlúa (coffee liqueur)
• 1/3 Baileys (cream liqueur)
• 1/3 Vodka

Layer in given order with the help of a (bar)spoon. As you can see from the picture above, they layer quite beautifully on top of each other.

Taste-wise, I enjoyed it so much! Keep in mind that using a low-tier vodka WILL yield poorer results. Fine, I went all-in and went as far as using Russian Standard Platinum :D Also what I always suggest when doing shooters especially like this one (layered), keep the drink a bit in your mouth and swirl it around so you can taste more than just the last one from the glass, usually Kahlúa!

Well balanced, tasteful and yummy! I give it my approval!

Virtanen (Koskenkorva-energydrink)

VIRTANEN

The classic in the snow

Hey! Happy weekend everyone! Here's a Finnish classic from waaaaaay back, I introduce you to the Virtanen! Virtanen is the most common surname in Finland, it is said that every 250th Finn is a "Virtanen". The drink essentially is Koskenkorva mixed with energy drink (most famously with Battery).

• 4 cl Koskenkorva viina (or any local "neutral grain spirit")
• energy drink (Battery)

Fill a glass with ice, add your spirit and top it off with energy drink. Add a straw, gently stir and enjoy!

I did make second version using vodka (Finlandia in this case). The difference was noticeable as well but positively speaking, even with Koskenkorva you could clearly taste the spirit in it, though "faintly". Moreover, if one were to use vodka in this, my 2 cents is

1. Don't use the most expensive luxury vodka
2. Don't settle for the cheapest spirit either

And you'll do good :)

Tootsie Roll Shot

TOOTSIE ROLL SHOT

Happy 2018 everyone! We start off the year with a shot I made with a friend of mine! Well, we actually made three different versions of it (keep reading) because quite frankly, so many variations exists of this shooter!

Before we dwell upon this shot, I was busy working through Christmas and New Year's Eve, so yeah, that took its toll. Luckily my family escaped up north (my wife's family lives there) for the holiday season.

That being said, this shot is called the Tootsie Roll. A candy exists by the same name. Three different versions were made based on the recipes I found online. I tried to look up pretty consistent ones and here are the TOP3 versions:

• 1.5 cl kahlua OR creme de cacao (dark if you have it!)
• 1.5 cl orange juice
• 1.5 cl vodka

- Build in a shot glass and shoot!

OR

• 1.5 cl kahlua
• 1.5 cl creme de cacao (dark preferred)
• 1.5 cl hazelnut liqueur (frangelico)

Quick shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.

So what ended up happening was us (me & friend) making all three versions. Our ranking:

1. creme de cacao + oj + vodka
2. kahlua + oj + vodka
3. kahlua + cacao + hazelnut shaken

For me personally, the cacao version tasted kinda like cointreau, amazingly enough!

Suomi 100 - Sour

SUOMI 100 - SOUR

A toast to Finland's 100-year anniversary!

Happy independence day Finland! To celebrate this event, I picked up a recipe from the newest cocktail - magazine made specifically for this. The Suomi 100 - Sour. The recipe looked fun enough so of course I want to make it myself as well. For readers abroad, this cocktail can still be made there, since you don't need any super rare ingredients to pull this one off!

• 4 cl Finlandia vodka
• 4 cl blueberry juice/soup
• 3 cl fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp caster sugar

Dry shake everything, add ice, shake again. Strain into an OF-glass and garnish. The original recipe called for blueberries, but this time of the year they're not available and using frozen ones is questionable due to their small size. So instead I used a lemon twist.

How does the Suomi 100 - sour taste like? Smooth, very smooth and a very clear blueberry flavor boosted with alcohol. Not too sharp (the citrus-y notes) and well balanced. It doesn't have too much depth to it, so IMHO it's an overall ok drink to enjoy. On a side note, it is pretty as can be!

This said, I too want to raise a toast for Finland's 100th independence day! Cheers!

Chocolate Cake Shot

CHOCOLATE CAKE SHOT

Those with eagle eyes can see the sugar on the lemon :D

Oi! Shooter time! Gosh, I can't remember the last time I made a SHOOTER! :D But since it's the last of November (read: Movember; in Finnish), I decided to pull one off and not just one, but THREE versions of it! I introduce you to the Chocolate Cake Shot. Apparently some version include a different kind of vodka so I thought, screw it, let's try them all...at once! Moreover, scientists say that black magic is involved in this shot (how the ingredients make it taste like a chocolate cake), so I absolutely had to give it a try. Here we go:

• 2 cl Frangelico
• 2 cl vodka* (see notes)
• lemon
• cast sugar

So according to different recipes, either use *regular, vanilla or citrus - flavored vodka. No need for shakers, since it's supposed to be a party shot. Add the ingredients to a shot glass and rim the lemon wedge with sugar. Shoot and bite in the wedge! MAGIC!

I tried with all three different styles of vodka and IMHO the order of tastiness goes like this:

1. regular
2. vanilla
3. citrus

Also, some recipes call for rimmed shot glasses and what-nots, but I believe the above way is the easiest, especially when having this as a party version. The Chocolate Cake Shooter is. De-li-cious.

Root56

ROOT56

A pleasant upcoming weekend to y'all! Here's a drink, from which I made actually three different versions (here's just the promopic :D). The Root56 (Route56 get it, also Jäger with its 56 roots/spices)

I tried with the original of course and then with Manifest and Spice (winterspice).

• 5 cl Jäger (4 cl for Finnish restaurants)
• ginger beer (instead of ale)
• 1-2 slice cucumber, lime wedge
• (fresh ginger)

In a high ball glass filled with ice. Add the jägermeister, ginger beer (ale) and garnish. The "official" mentions 1 slice of cucumber and a wedge of lime but feel free to experiment (fresh ginger or e.g. muddle lime wedges). Ginger beer gives a more zesty taste to it and I have to admit even one slice of cucumber gives enormous smoothness to this drink! Overall, the original version was the best as the winter spiced didn't taste other than ginger beer (it's also 25% ABV). With Manifest you have a much distinct, drier taste to it. Eventually it is up to you, which you prefer the best. But I recommend trying the basic one first.

Jallu-Plörö

JALLU-PLÖRÖ

Part of the Finnish UNESCO World Heritage list 

Jallu-Plörö. It's more than just a name. It's a legacy. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage list and a truly Finnish cultural act! Coffee spiked with Jaloviina*. Here is how you can make your own delicacy:

• 4 cl Jaloviina*
• Coffee
• milk (separately)
• (cigarette)

Add the Jaloviina* to your coffee and go outside with your cup & smoke a cigarette (if you are a smoker). Enjoy.

Jallu-Plörö to Finns is what feng shui is to the Japanese. Cherish it.

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!

Italian Sunset

ITALIAN SUNSET

Hey everyone! If Tequila Sunrises are getting boring (like 15 years ago :D), here's a fun little twist on it. I introduce you to the Italian Sunset. Based on the Italian almond liqueur (DiSaronno), this cocktail is to the sweeter side. Let's take a look:

• 6 cl amaretto
• pulp-free quality orange juice
• club soda
• grenadine
• (garnish)

I actually made two versions of it, in one using OJ that had pulp in it just to see why it was originally mentioned that specifically pulp-free should be used. Fair enough, the result looks better, with no chips of fruit sticking on the side of the glass after you've drunk some of it.

Anyhow, using a bit larger glass than normally, fill it with crushed ice. Add in the amaretto, carefully pour in the OJ and then top it with slub soda. Drizzle some grenadine to create the sunset effect, add a straw but don't stir it! Garnish if you please (I used a twist) and enjoy.

Since the amaretto lays at the bottom, it is sweet. Using the straw and going the up-down motion will help enjoy this cocktail way more better, getting all layers of flavors (since the cocktail should layer in three separate...layers :D)

Zombie

ZOMBIE

Here's where's the rums gone!

Do you have many different styles of rums in your cabinet waiting to be used? Well say no more, here's a cocktail you can well spend those rums of yours! I introduce you with the Zombie cocktail. Probably one of the most famous tiki styled drink (among with the Mai Tai), the Zombie is just a bunch of rums mixed with fruit juices and made delicious as fudge!

So first things first. This is a modified recipe made by my friend and truth to be told, there are numerous different recipes out there. We didn't find it appealing to even try with the original but instead wanted to make a version easily made at home! So use rums you have at home, twist it as you please and hopefully you will find the one that suits you the best!

• 5 X 2 cl different styles of rums
• fruits (orange, lime, citrus)
• 1-2 ds bitters
• 1-2 ds grenadine

Muddle the fruit, add the rum and rest, shake with ice and single strain into a bigger glass roughly ~70% filled with crushed ice. Garnish with fruits and add a straw. Enjoy.

Results? Rum-based, fruity, strong. I would recommend mixing spiced rums with aged rums and just fly with it. Worth the try? Definitely.

Cheerhattan

CHEERHATTAN

My input for the international competition!

Hey! Here's a cocktail and actually my input for the international Heering classics, which made it to the 2nd round! Since I love proper Manhattans, I wanted to make (as the rules were) a delicious twist to it (a classic). I call it the Cheerhattan. My train of thought went like this:

- Cheer (cocktails are a cheerful thing)

- heer as per "Heering"

- hattan as per the end of Manhattan

Funny and well-thought, eh? I thought the same :D Anyhow, I've made this drink a few times now and everytime it surprises me with deliciousness! Here's how it's done:

• 3.5 cl quality bourbon (I used Old Virginia 6yo)
• 2 cl Heering cherry liqueur
• 1.5 cl sweet red vermouth
• 1 bs chocolate-syrup (coffee-syrup)
• 1-2 ds bitters
• (1 ds cocoa bitters)
• orange twist

Excluding the garnish, stir everything with ice and strain into a well-chilled coupe/cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

BOOM!

If you think of it, what could go wrong? We have good bourbon, cherries, chocolate, spices...it's all there! If all else fails and I won't make it further down the competition, at least I've had a good run with this cocktail.

Blood and Sand part deux

BLOOD AND SAND

REVISITED

"The bull is not the beast! Look at the crowd! That is the real beast!"

- Garabato, Blood and Sand (1922)

So here we are revisiting an old cocktail buddy of ours, which I made roughly 5½ years ago, the Blood and Sand - cocktail. As we can clearly see from back then, I made a piss-poor job with it. But I've come wiser ever since :D Now using proper ingredients and more know-how, let's see how a GOOD Blood and Sand is done!

• 2 cl scotch (I used JW 12yo black, for my upcoming video I will try the Balvenie 12yo)
• 2 cl heering cherry brandy
• 2 cl sweet vermouth
• 2 cl (blood)orange juice, fresh

Shake everything with ice, strain and garnish with an orange peel. So after five years now and using proper vermouth, proper scotch, proper orange juice and proper cherry brandy, what do you think of the results? A proper cocktail. Mild-ish, sweet with distinct cherry flavor to it. At least a thousand times better than back then :D The best part? Change the scotch to something else (non-smoky!) and let the twist make wonders to your 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!

Boulevardier

BOULEVARDIER

Finally. FI-NAL-LY! So here's truly a classic from the 1920-30's (citation needed :D), which IMHO lives up to its name. The Boulevardier (IBA) cocktail. Story goes, I wanted to make this drink for a long time now, but I was lacking quality sweet vermouth! After a long search, the Finnish retail store had three 375ml bottles in their web shop. I snatched them all! SCORE!

So the Boulevardier. Basically a Negroni with bourbon replacing gin. More to the sweet(er) side, spices, texture, aroma, the whole nine yards. Easy to make as well! One equal part of each ingredient!

• 1 part bourbon
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• 1 part campari
• 1 orange twist to garnish

Style 1: Stir with ice, strain into a chilled OF - glass, garnish and serve

Style 2: Build into a OF - glass filled with rocks, garnish and serve

I like the first style since it cuts the biggest edge and balanced the drink out perfectly. Moreover, this drink can easily be twisted by changing the ratios if one pleases. Taste-wise, oooh boy, this is the s¤%t! Delicious! My bourbon of choice was the Old Virginia 6yo, which fitted well since the bourbon itself isn't too sweet.

Highly recommended!

The Rum Pickle

THE RUM PICKLE

(Eetu Topo)

Good evening everyone! This cocktail is...wow, something truly special in its own kind. I had my doubts. I really did. Moreover, I've also wanted to make this cocktail for some time and today it happened. Before we discuss this drink more, I give credit where credit is due. This cocktail is made by Eetu Topo, a bartender working (assumably) in Helsinki. He made this...it's not really just a cocktail but a category of cocktail, which in my sincerest opinion in all its craziness works.

"I especially want to bring out this new drink category and Nordic cocktail culture and not so much myself as a bartender."

- Eetu Topo

To make a long story short, he made it to the Bacardi Legacy finals (2017) with this drink and I am here now to re-create it to the best of my ability. Also very noteworthy is the fact that Eetu mentioned this cocktail can be twisted and even highly recommended for other bar(tender)s so one needn't be 100% precise as long as the concept is grasped. So, without further ado. I present you Eetu Topo's masterpiece, the Rum Pickle. No, NO RICK! :D

• 45 ml Bacardi Carta Oro
• 20 ml Chablis
• 5 ml white wine vinegar
• 5 ml sugar
• 1 pickled olive

Stir to dissolve the sugar, add ice, stir and chill, strain, garnish and serve.

Simplified for your pleasure:

• 2 parts spirit
• 1 part lengthener
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 pickled garnish

Courtesy of the Rum Pickle corporation...or something :D

So, what I did was exactly the same expect using Bacardi 8yo since I was out of...well I never have had Carta Oro rum. But nonetheless. Taste. Okay, let's discuss taste. Where do I start? As I mentioned in the beginning, I was very doubtful of how this cocktail would taste like but HOT DAMN, Eetu you S.O.B. you made magic! Delicious as fudge, reminded me so much of riesling wine. Sweet, that acidity and flavor profile of the rum just hit the spot. I can just imagine what wonders one could make by switching the vinegar (say, raspberry vinegar or so), or using a different lengthener (instead of Chablis, which I even got extra from the liquor store just to make this :D).

Good stuff!

Rob Roy v2

ROB ROY

(RE-VISITED)

Hey everyone. Here's a cocktail I made over five years ago, so now it's time to re-visit this splendid drink. I introduce you to the Rob Roy. I've come a long way since 2012 and if you checked the picture from back then, wow was it ugly :D Also the measures have changed, but just a little bit.

As the IBA official cocktail stands for 4.5cl/2.5cl scotch and sweet vermouth, here is a more oompfier version:

• 6 cl scotch (blend)
• 2 cl sweet vermouth
• 2-3 ds angostura bitters
• maraschino cherry/orange twist/curl/etc...

A long stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish. Serve.

I can't even remember what scotch I used back then, but now I used the Johnnie Walker Black label, aged 12yo. The cocktail was spicy, well-balanced, had a strong flavor profile and well...it's a Scottish version of one of my favorites, the Manhattan. So what could go wrong?

The beauty of this drink is that you can easily modify it by using different scotch where as with the Manhattan you only change the bourbon. So you could say this is a more versatile cocktail, but not as sweet as its American cousin.

A.M.F drink

A.M.F DRINK

(ALPHA MIKE FOXTROT)

ALPHA! MIKE! FOXTROT! OR

ADIOS MOTHERFUCKER!

Here's a big-ass drink. I mean really. Belongs to the series with Irish Trash Can or Long Island Iced Teas, the A.M.F - drink is "oh one of THOSE!" - styled cocktails, which I would recommend making at home if at all. With a beautiful and tropical color, this drink is very very deceitful! Let's take a look:

• 1.5 cl vodka
• 1.5 cl rum (white)
• 1.5 cl tequila (100% de agave)
• 1.5 cl gin
• 1.5 cl blue curacao
• 6 cl sweet & sour mix (I just used 3 cl each fresh lemon juice and simple syrup mixed together)
• 6 cl (or to top) sprite/7-Up lemonade
• Orange/lemon/lime/cocktail cherry garnish

Super easy to make! With a big glass filled roughly half-way with ice, just pour in everything, give it a little stir and top it with lemonade. BOOM! Done! I did make two variations to it, using regular sprite and the now-only-available -30% less sugar sprite and I have to say, the latter tasted better. The first version was overly sweet, which isn't really surprising if you look at the list, three of them being sugary products (curacao, sugar syrup, lemonade). Otherwise, as my friend noted, it's the "alco-pop of spirits" :D Easy to down and gets you drunk fast. Which, in accordance to this cocktail's name is quite right.

Sierra! Echo! November! Delta!

November! Uniform! Delta! Echo! Sierra!

:D

Rye Old Fashioned

RYE OLD FASHIONED

Hey! Today as I was waiting for my good friend to arrive (so we can make a cocktail video), I prepared myself a Rye Old Fashioned. Similar to any OF for that matter, I happened to have a little bit of simple syrup left so why the hell not? :D

• 5-7 cl Rye whiskey (I used Rittenhouse Rye 50%)
• ~1.5 cl simple syrup
• 2-3 ds bitters (I used creole + old decanter)

A long stir with ice, strain into a tumbler filled with ice and garnish. I used a cocktail(:D)cherry + the essential oils of a lemon peel. This cocktail is more to the sweet side, but damn was it good.

Jäger Sour

JÄGER SOUR

Here's yet another sour - styled cocktail, now from Jägermeister's official site. The Jäger Sour. Just like the Averna Sour I made with my colleague or the Drambuie Sour, here's a similar drink that incorporates orange juice.

• 50 ml Jägermeister
• 25 ml orange juice
• 12.5 ml lemon juice
• 12.5 ml simple syrup 1:1
• 1 egg white

Shake everything with ice (a bit longer) and strain into your prechilled, ½ with ice filled tumbler. Garnish optional, but a lemon slice/peel would look nice. So I had to use clementine juice, because my local shop ran out of oranges :D but nonetheless, this drink was absolutely wonderful! The Jäger's aroma, the freshness, the balance. All there.

Moreover, I used MANIFEST to make another drink with the exactly same recipe just to figure out the differences. It had so much more of an oompf to it, but it was good too. Not quite AS good, but still delicious.

This is a kick-ass cocktail, hands down!

BaBe Gimlet

BaBe GIMLET

Hey again! It's been such a long time since my last post! Well, I've had my summer/parental vacation through May-July, I've been abroad/away and quite frankly haven't had much time to create cocktails per se. But today I had the time as my family left the house as well :D

I present you with the BaBe Gimlet. Apparently it is from their (Becherovka's) official site, so let's take a look:

• 3 cl Becherovka (Czech liqueur)
• 2 cl gin
• 2 cl lime juice
• 1-2 cl simple syrup
• 3-6 basil leaves

Shake everything with ice, double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a sprig of basil.

When I made this, I only use 1.5 cl simple syrup and with the gin I chose a London Dry - style, so it can enhance the flavors of everything else. The BaBe Gimlet was refreshing and had a nice taste to it. Wasn't overly sweet (because of the lesser amount of syrup). One suggests using an orange to garnish would work too. I don't doubt that at all!

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

Paloma

PALOMA

"La Paloma" or "little dove"

Greetings again long time no see! Busy with life & work but thankfully my vacation starts after this week! To kick-start our week here's a Mexican specialty, the Paloma. Super famous over there, I've had two of these already and can admittedly say this is going to be my this summer's next favorite!

• 6 cl 100% de agave tequila
• ½ lime (juice)
• a pinch of salt
• grapefruit soda
• lime wheel garnish/etc.

Build into a high ball glass, add the lime juice, tequila and mixer, drop a little bit of salt in the drink and stir gently. Garnish and serve.

Wow, just nice. Fresh, smooth, balanced with a very nice after taste to it, I frigging loved this! Note to self though, "use high quality tequila and careful with the salt!"

I used Jose Cuervo's Tradicional tequila, which IMHO is super smooth and balanced by itself! A sipping tequila! As for the grapefruit soda, I didn't use the "traditional" ones, instead our Finnish brand Jaffa Greippi, which did its job just as planned.

This drink...I have to share with my friends, they deserve it!

Wildside

WILDSIDE

Close enough :)

Hey everyone! It's been quite a long time since my last update...well, I have a good (?) reason for that, explained later. But now let's do some cocktailing! The recipe is not mine but instead by a chap called Tero Räisänen working at Olympiakortteli (in Finnish). I asked him about this legendary drink and permission to re-create (also in video) and he said yes! So here we go!

On a sidenote, this cocktail was created by him back in 2012 and legend goes, where ever he works, he introduces the Wildside to his staff. For a good reason I say! Let's take a look.

• 4 cl (blood)grapefruit vodka
• 3 cl lemon juice
• 2 cl sugar syrup
• ½ kiwi, muddled + some for garnish
• crushed ice

Muddle half a kiwi in a high ball glass. Add the crushed ice, the rest of the ingredients and spoon shake everything. Basically with a (bar)spoon mix everything in the glass. Add more ice and garnish with a kiwi slice + add two straws.

There you go! One fresh drink with a superb kiwi-taste to it! Moreover, I used my own blood grapefruit infused vodka and here's how to make that:

1 large blood grapefruit, washed and peeled

1 tbsp plain sugar

1 standard sized bottle (0.7L) of vodka

Let everything infuse for ~24h, stirring occasionally. Strain into a sterile bottle.

So those who live in Finland (or plan to make a trip), visit Tampere and Olympiakortteli for Tero's Wildside. Totally worth it!

Porto Flip

PORTO FLIP

Evening everyone! Here is a classic flip style of cocktail, which I wanted to make since a long time. I introduce you to the Porto Flip. For some reason I've never gotten around this one but finally, finally I had the ingredients to do it! It's definitely a small-ish cocktail so don't use your largest cocktail glass. A coupe will do just fine:

• 1.5 cl brandy
• 4 cl port wine (ruby/tawny)
• 1 egg yolk
• grated nutmeg for garnish

Shake the first three ingredients in a shaker and strain into your glass. Garnish, and serve. My thoughts on this. Well first things first, the yolk should be fresh as fuck. Secondly, the Porto Flip is definitely a dry, "adult-like" cocktail. The egg gives a smooth and nice frothy texture and overall the port wine definitely comes out, with a nice strong after taste. Honestly, this cocktail is close to the Alexander, at least I had these weird chocolate-y sensations in my mouth!

Nonetheless, I rate this cocktail 3 out of 5. Sure, I know my ratings vary from 1-5 stars to 1-100 points or just verbal, but to give you guys some "heads-up" if needed. Perhaps a teaspoon of sugar could enhance this drink...?

Averna Sour

AVERNA SOUR

Greetings everyone! Tonight's special is a real treat! The Averna Sour! I had the priviledge to make this one with a colleague and friend of mine at my work place and we actually made two versions of it; one with egg white and one without. By slightly altering the ratios you can make a cocktail that'll best suit your preferences!

• 4 cl averna (an Italian bitter liqueur)
• 2 cl sugar syrup 1:1
• 2 cl lemon juice
• 2 ds bitters
• (1 egg white)

If using egg whites, remember as always to dry shake first! Otherwise, just pour everything in the shaker, give it a good shake with plenty of ice and strain over fresh ice onto an OF - glass. Garnish with e.g. a lemon twist. As you can see in the picture, that one was made with egg white, giving the Averna Sour beautiful texture and volume. In addition, we sprinkled the bitters on top of the drink instead of putting it in the mixing glass.

Herbal, sweet and with balanced tartness, it's a great sour altogether! You could also make a slight variation/twist if you want, using different ratios of lemon juice/simple syrup or even Averna. For example, 5-1-2 (as mentioned above the ingredients). Follow your instincts and like Shia Labeouf, just do it! I know we did!

Life Updates

LIFE UPDATES

JCVD approved!

Hello and evening everyone. It occurred to me a few days ago, that it would be not only informative but also nice to let you in to a little secret. Well it's not a secret per se, but I'm having a small hiatus in this blog. The reason for this is quite simple; I've become father for my second child (boy!) on the 29th January (!!) and immediately took three weeks of paternity leave from work! So yeah, BIG STUFF going on in my life! As if the clock had reset itself. I'm trying to remember all these life hacks when dealing with babies but at least I have some help ie. my two-year-old daughter :) She's a big sister now and handling it quite well (for now :D)! 

So yeah, naturally that will make me prioritize, no doubt about that. I won't be making new cocktails in a while (doesn't mean I'll stop fetching recipes to try on later) nor videos for my cocktail channel (in Finnish). Instead I'll focus on my son & family, be it with or without much sleep :P

So that's the biggest thing going on in my life now. Huge. I did have some time writing down notes on my beloved "cocktail-journal" (just a handy diary-style book) while waiting in the hospital a week back. Motivations/aspirations for the year 2017? I mean COME ON it IS the year 2017!!

I wrote down a few with ease. Getting (positively) involved with my Youtube - channel, meaning good & fun cocktail/drink clips, guests, evaluation of different products etc. etc.. As far as I know, I'm one of the few (if not only?) Finnish cocktail content producer on Youtube. Don't get me wrong, I've seen a few which are from years back but I really want to make Cocktailnyymi a thing. I love cocktails, I love good drinks and I've had one helluva 1½ years so far doing those videos! Especially with my new camera now (and mic and tripod), I can actually film quality :D.

Secondly, with all the material I've worked on regarding cocktails (here since 2012, in 2013 on the main Finnish imageboard + real-life bartending and finally in May 2015 with my Youtube project), I really want to compile all of this material into one book. The sheer amount of positive feedback with the work I've done for getting home bartenders make better drinks (of course with the help of others; I couldn't have done it by myself) it seems like a natural path. I do recognize there are numerous cocktail books out there be it in Finnish or English and the material is practically limitless with the help of the internet, but I want to chip in my lousy two cents. With the idea of getting people interested in cocktails try and make them at home. The book idea seems like day dreaming but the more I think of it, the more sense it makes.

Thirdly, I want to create my own version of the RumPickle. See more from

https://www.instagram.com/therumpickle/

https://www.facebook.com/TheRumPickle/

So with the whole imageboard community and the whole "Cocktailnyymi" title I have, I want to make a #Nyymipickle and I want it to be a great one. I have worked a few ideas in my head and be assured, I'll let you know when it is in the making :)

These are just a few things possible in 2017, if nothing else than hopefully at least the Pickle :D

That being said, don't worry if there isn't much material popping out in the next week, two or so. I'm enjoying my family life the fullest and on the 11th of February I'll have a "guy baby shower", in its essence me & my close friends get wasted celebrating my new son! In addition, I will be making a video there, already have an idea for the perfect clip!

Be well, have good drinks! I'll see you later! Cocktailnyymi out.

Cointreau Fizz p.2

COINTREAU FIZZ p.2

Version 1 made roughly four years ago

Hey everyone! Exciting things and let us go "back to basics" with another classy high ball - cocktail, the Cointreau Fizz! As you might have noticed, I made this one in 2013 (!) May (as per link above), this time I took a more "professional" way to it, if you may. Pretty much everything has stayed the same, except now with a tad less alcohol (due to national regulations). Let's take a look:

• 4 cl Cointreau
• ½ lime, the juice
• 5-10cl+ soda water
• seasonal garnishes, berries, fruit, whatever you prefer

In a large-ish wine goblet, build this cocktail; add the ice, then the lime juice, cointreau and finally top the cocktail with soda water. Garnish and serve.

Just like four years ago, this cocktail is refreshing! The lime juice cuts the edge of the sweet liqueur and with the fruits/berries you get so much freshness. Albeit being a totally summer drink, the Cointreau Fizz works magic even during winter.

I also made this using a colleague's Cointreau Blood Orange, adding more tartness to the drink. I still preferred the original concoction better.