Minttufernet

MINTTUFERNET

(Peppermintfernet)

A Finnish bar classic

Hey everyone! Today's cocktail is a short, powerful, robust drink, the Minttufernet. It literally translates to "Peppermintfernet" due to its two ingredients you'll need:

• 2 - 2.5 cl Fernet-Branca (an Italian bitter liqueur)
• 2 - 2.5 cl Cremé de menthe, green
• (1:1 ratio nonetheless)

In a tumbler filled half way with ice, add both ingredients in the glass. Gently stir and serve.

It's quite the cocktail! With a powerful peppermint aroma to it, the sweetness from the menthe goes along nicely with the aromatic and bitterness of Fernet-Branca creating a balanced drink. Moreover, as the ice melts, it mellows the drink even further. One could argue that you could use even 4-4 cl both, but with this one, less is more.

The Minttufernet also warmths one's body quite well :D

Stinger

STINGER

IBA cocktail. Despite the weird combination...this stuff works!

Hi everyone! Here's an IBA cocktail, that I decided to make. Two ingredients, simple enough, right? But when you take a closer look to what they are you might think "aaww hell naow!" Okay, let's see what a Stinger has in it:

• 5 cl cognac
• 2 cl créme de menthe (white)
• (mint sprig garnish)

Stir the alcohols with ice and strain into either a cocktail glass or on ice into a tumbler. If you want to, garnish with a sprig of mint. I suggest garnishing especially if using a tumbler glass.

So how does cognac and peppermint liqueur work together? I must (to my surprise) say, wonderfully! The Stinger is fresh, smooth and balanced. And it is devious, as its name suggests; this stuff goes to your head fast.

PS. If you don't have white créme de menthe and instead use green, the Stinger is called a Green Hornet.

Irish Flag Shot

IRISH FLAG SHOT

Good evening everyone! Although it is not close to St. Patrick's Day, I might as well present you with probably the most well-known shot during that time, the Irish Flag Shot. It is a layered drink, similar to the B-52, Sprinbokkie, Brain Hemorrhage or so and most likely being drunk, as mentioned before, on St. Paddy's.

If you check the ingredients below, you'll notice it almost 100% identical to the B-52 version with two "twists":

• 1/3 part cremè de menthe (green)
• 1/3 part baileys
• 1/3 part gran marnier

Layer in the given order but don't light it up (like you would a B-52). Shoot! As for the visual part, looks like the Irish Flag sideways. Taste-wise? Well the biggest problem with layered shots in general is that they tend to taste to whatever is the last liqueur in the glass. These shots have that visual aspect to them and that's pretty much it. For instance, this shot tastes pretty much like green peppermint liqueur with a hint of baileys and orange-cognac. Of course, on the correct theme day these are naturally more fun to drink. Not necessarily better tasting, just more fun :)

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.

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!

Fallen Angel

FALLEN ANGEL

Every now and then there comes a cocktail that just doesn't cut it. The Fallen Angel is one of those cocktails. I could guess the cocktail truly lives up to its name. Okay let's go through the ingredients first:

• 1 dash of angostura bitters
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 4cl gin
• few dashes of creme de menthe

In a shaker, combine the lemon juice, gin and angostura bitters. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Finally, add a few dashes of creme de menthe which will sink to the bottom.

For my taste, this cocktail's sourness level made me grinch with the power of over 1000 lemons. Pretty much like drinking lemon juice in general. The grande finale, lemon flavored peppermint liquor...no. Didn't work then and it will not work later either. This cocktail I wouldn't do again, so horrible it was! Esthetic-wise, looked fancy enough. But don't let the looks fool you!