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!
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!
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!
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.
Damn you Jeffrey Morgenthaler! Damn you to hell! This is so delicious! :D
The video from where it all started from:
Wow. So...using Jägermeister in a margarita style of cocktail? Who would've thought of that?! Just watch the clip and enjoy :D
I decided to make this drink as well. Most people don't like Jägermeister for its...nature, but those in doubt, try this one out!
4 cl Jägermeister
2 cl cointreau
2 cl lime juice
1 cl 2:1 simple syrup (two parts sugar, one part water)
Shake with ice, strain and garnish with a lime wheel.
I had my doubts as well, but this cocktail proved me wrong. It is absolutely dandy like candy. In the future, if someone comes to me and says "Eww jägermeister, gross!" I'll say to them "FUCK YOU TRY A JÄGERITA AND YOU'LL LOVE THIS SHIT!"
...this cocktail is that good. You can count on that.
Hoya everyone! It's been almost a month since my last update, but this time I got FOUR (4) new updates, in a row! (wow-za!)
If we turn back time a bit, I spent a week in Bremen with my sister (4th July - 11th July). On Friday we went to Lemon Lounge (@ Am Wall 164 like I did in 2015 with my two good friends and 2014 with my oldest brother :D) and asked for my good friend's Tomasz Gutowski for a(ny) signature drink the cocktail bar has. He introduced me with his concoction, the Basilowski. He was kind enough to share the recipe with me and gave the last drops of their peach bitters this cocktail needs. COOL!
So as I got back from Germany (still enjoying my last weekend of summer vacation), I made his drink. Here's how to do it:
2 cl lime juice
2 cl mango pureé
4-6 basil leaves
2 ds peach bitters
5 cl grasowka/zubrowka
soda water
Smash the basil leaves in your palm and add them in your glass. Add the rest ingredients (over ice), give it a good stir and top with soda water. Garnish with a beautiful basil bunch and serve.
This cocktail is fresh and seriously, you can hardly taste the alcohol :D On a warm summer's day...deceitful I say, deceitful! The aftertaste is a bit sour-ish, which compliments this fruity cocktail's overall taste just fine.
Hello everyone! Today's cocktail is more or less of a classic. It's a daiquiri popularized (or coined) by Ernest Hemingwaywho spent a part of his life in Cuba. According to the internet (it never lies by the way), he used to have many of these in a bar called "El Floridita". Also, the internet states that since Hemingway was a diabetic, he preferred a different kind of daiquiri (a less sugary one); legend has it that he loved this version so much that he always ordered a double, lending the cocktail its nickname of Papa Doble.
In its essence, the Hemingway Daiquiri is a more robust, dry version of the regular cocktail. If feeling manly enough, give this one a go and see for yourself!
6 cl white rum (prefer Cuban, e.g. Havana 3 años)
2 cl lime juice
1.5 cl maraschino liqueur (the sweetness to this cocktail derives from this ingredient)
1.5 cl grapefruit juice
lime wheel (or maraschino cherry) as a garnish
Shake all ingredients except for the garnish with ice, strain, garnish and serve.
US citizens can't really use Havana rums because of the trade embargo that prohibits the selling of Cuban rum, but luckily for the rest of us, there is still hope :D But any good quality white rum will suffice.
For me, it had that oompf. Since my experience of daiquiris have always been sweeter, it was nice to experience the "other side" of this classic cocktail group. Moreover, there are so many different variations of the daiquiris out there, having a few different recipes in your back pocket doesn't hurt you at all. I give this cocktail a 3.5/5. Those who like their daiquiris dry and strong, it's a solid 5/5.
Hello again and good evening! It's been quite a while since my last post, but have no fear, another great cocktail is here! I present to you the Veracruzana!
I start by saying this drink has tequila in it. Personally I'm not the greatest fan of said alcohol and quite frankly, I don't think the Margarita is really that good of a cocktail. Of course the tequila brand will make a difference and those that aren't 100% agave = shit. So if you happen to make a tequila cocktail out of "blue agave" or "fresh agave", but it isn't 100% agave, don't be surprised if that drink didn't taste as good as you might've expected.
Anyhow, for the Veracruzana I did have 100% agave and with fresh fruit in the drink...what could go wrong?
60 ml tequila (100% agave)
22.5 ml agave syrup
30 ml lime juice (fresh)
4 chunks of pineapple
2 basil leaves
pineapple/basil for garnish
First, muddle the pineapple and basil leaves in the cocktail shaker. Add the rest and shake with plenty of ice. Strain into your tumbler and garnish with a pineapple slice/basil sprig.
This was a very pleasant surprise for me! Fresh in both taste and aroma (the wonderful basil aroma coming up your nose when you take a sip from the drink), it's also visually aesthetic. I got to say, it's a very refreshing summer-ish cocktail that gets my approval, 4½/5!
Hello again everyone! First of all...FINALLY, FINALLY I made the truly classic cocktail Mai Tai I've wanted to do...for over a year now! Thanks to my sister who brought me a bottle of orgeat syrup(or orgeat) I finally didn't let me dreams just be dreams and just did it.
When I went to Bremen last summer I got to taste two Mai Tais (okay just a sip from the first one); now I had the ingredients I needed to make my own! A big shout out to CHOW's Mai Tai recipe!
20 ml fresh lime juice (½ lime pressed)
7.5 ml rock candy syrup (2:1 sugar syrup where 2 parts of sugar and 1 part water)
7.5 ml orgeat syrup
15 ml gran marnier
35 ml El Dorado 15yo rum
25 ml Appleton Estate 12yo rum
One point at the start. Orange Curacao is called for in this drink; I substituted it with Gran Marnier because "Grand Marnier is a blend of cognac and triple sec, so although it's not a traditional curaçao, it's a similar product. Cointreau, on the other hand, is straight up a triple sec."
I had no curacao so I did that one change. Shake everything with crushed ice and pour the content into a double old fashioned glass (or a tiki mug if you have one). Use the pressed lime shell as a garnish and add a sprig of mint (you've slapped before to express the essential oils) to make it look "like an island and a palm tree".
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.
Hello everyone and welcome back! Today I came to realize that in the past years I still had not made the Moscow Mule. Given, it's a well known drink and when done properly, tastes a-mazing during the summer time.
As you already see, I did not use the traditional Moscow Mule cup (I don't have one), so any good sized tumbler will do. What you'll need is:
½ of a lime + 1 lime wheel
5 cl vodka
ginger beer, not ale. BEER.
The reason I have to stress the importance of using ginger BEER is that it is a completely different product than the ale one. Ginger ale, in all its fairness is just carbonated water with ginger flavoring, but ginger beer uses real ginger, has that spicy kick and just overall tastes about...I don't know, a thousand times better.
So what you want to do is the following: Squeeze the juice of the ½ lime into your tumbler, you can drop the shell in the glass as well. Add 5 cl of vodka and fill the glass with cracked ice (not blocks nor totally crushed). Add your ginger beer and garnish with a lime wheel. Serve.
Extremely refreshing during the summer periods, if you ever get a hold on to some ginger beer, try this cocktail!
A good and jolly evening to each and everyone! Tonight I made a classic I should've done ages ago! I introduce you to the Cosmopolitan. But before we got to the core basics of this classic, a bit of history if you don't mind.
I've post-poned the making of this cocktail for a long time. Probably the biggest reason being the fact that I have actually made this before, a few years back but wasn't really satisfied with the result. It could've been the lack of my artisanship, poor recipe (I get to that soon) or both. Moreover, this cocktail uses a very small amount of cranberry juice in it and a whole carton of it for the sake of an amount less of a standard type shot, I felt justified of "not-making-this" cocktail.
Nonetheless, I have grabbed the bull by its horn and here we are. No excuses, just cocktails!
Oh and regarding the recipe. Keep in mind that the one I just represents only one version of the Cosmo. There are literally countless amount of different versions of this cocktail (I went through a lot before going for this one) and let's be honest here. There are good ones and there are bad ones out there but there is no "right" one. But basically, this is a "pimped out" Kamikaze, if you so gently put it. I remember the first time I made this I used the rule "one shot of everything (2.5 cl / 1½ fl oz)."
4.5 cl (citron) vodka (I used absolut citron)
3 cl cointreau
1.5 cl fresh lime juice
~1.5 cl cranberry juice
READ THE UPDATE WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THE ORIGINAL TEXT
The cranberry juice is mainly used for the color but it has a tart taste to it as well. Vodka for the power and lime juice to even out the sweetness of cointreau. Again, where I work I would make it differently, with more cranberry juice and less liquor (silly laws).
Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake hard and double-strain into your chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with either a lime or if feeling "uuh adventurous", take a zest of orange, light it up and rim the glass with it/twist the essential oils of it into your drink & drop it in (as seen in the picture).
Result? A gorgeous cocktail with a lovely orange aroma to it. But...the unlimited versions of the Cosmo has made me doubt myself to the point that I ask myself "How should a Cosmo taste like?" I've tasted quite a few ones (the most horrible being in Estonia where they used booze instead of vodka oh my the memories!) and I'm still not convinced.
Feel free to comment a recipe you prefer and I might as well make it. I seriously feel torn here!
And now that we're at it, I had the opportunity to meet my god-daughter today and that KICKED ASS! CHEERS TO THAT! :)
UPDATE 26.01.2016
THIS is the shit!
So here's an update. A WELL-DESERVED update on this now-modern classic! FINALLY a recipe I can stand behind to! Robert Hess from Small Screen Network made this cocktail and given, with the recipe he provided...THIS is a good Cosmopolitan!
4.5 cl Absolut Citron (or any citron-flavored vodka)
And right away another cocktail! Just like with the Jupiter One I created yesterday, I wanted to take use of my glass set I bought from a flea market some time ago. I introduce you to the Admiral Cocktail.
Interestingly enough, it seems that there are a few version that hold the same name but are completely different when it comes down to what's in them. I checked a few references and if you do the same, you will probably find one cocktail with rye in it and a bunch of what-not.
Anyways, this is one version of this cocktail (not to mention the fact if you have a cocktail named something very general, it bounds to create a situation where in different countries you have completely different cocktails under the same name and especially when you even take a sneak&peek in the world of internet it'll just dumbstruck you :D):
3 cl cherry liqueur
4.5 cl gin
juice from ½ a lime
a cherry for garnish
Shake with ice the ingredients (save the cherry) and strain into a coupe. Garnish and serve.
In the nose, almost scentless with a small trace of cherry essence. An orange-like color with hues of red and the garnish cherry gives "depth"; a proper cherry even more. In the palate, a strong gin and later an even candy-like sweetness to it. Aftertaste a tad bitter. Presentation-wise, 3½/5 and the same goes to the taste, 3½/5.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I actually should've posted this some days ago but laziness got into me so I kind of postponed this until the dark hours some call "midnight". Nonetheless, here is a very interesting cocktail based on gin but tastes just like grapefruit. I introduce you to the Pegu Club Cocktail. I could link all kinds of wiki articles regarding the history of this cocktail, but apparently this is a very traditional/well-known cocktail in...Latin America was it? Moreover, there's one rather "special" ingredient that you might look for in order to make it:
5 cl gin
2 cl triple sec
1 cl fresh lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters
1 dash angostura bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I wanted to use my rather less-used tulip-glass (just for fun's sake) but a small coupe would've done the trick more nicely. As for the garnish, the "traditional" garnish is a peel grapefruit or so (to implement the taste of it) but a lime slice/wedge will do the trick.
But I got to say, it does taste like grapefruit! It's a rather interesting mixture this Pegu Club Cocktail. Also for those not fond of gin, I doubt you would have problems drinking this. I give it a solid +1!
Good evening again ladies and gentlemen! It's time for this week's cocktail!
The Margarita. This is the cocktail everyone's heard if not in the actual world, then in numerous movies to say the least. Essentially a Sidecar with tequila instead of brandy, I've always had a rather love-hate relationship regarding this drink. The love being, I mean, it's a Margarita. I've hardly ever made one in my life and it's one of those cocktails you just got to make or at least drink once in your life time.
The hate that the few time's I've made it, they've turned out crappy. Or maybe because I'm not the greatest fan of tequila, or the tequila brand I've used is poor (you wouldn't know how rare it is to find quality tequila in Finland) or that the frigging salt rim ruins everything for me.
I've decided to meet my demons by creating two variations of the classic Margarita; the one on the left is a home-based cocktail and the one on the right is the one (usually) served in Finland (alcohol-regulations).
First, the home based variation:
4.5 cl quality tequila (read this if you want to know more about tequilas)
2 cl triple sec (I used cointreau)
4.5 cl fresh sour mix (1:1 ratio fresh lime juice and simple syrup ie. ~2 cl both)
CHECK THE UPDATED VERSION FROM BELOW!
The second is the more common (Finnish) version:
2 cl blanco tequila
2 cl triple sec (usually cointreau though)
2 cl lime/lemon juice
Both recipes, shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass or if at home, you can use a tumbler with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and of course if you prefer, the salt rim; I let the video do the talking for me (it's really educational as well!)
Since I'm more of the sugar-tooth type, I totally liked the home based more. I think the whole existence of that horrible salt rim has given me great traumas over the Margarita. Should I ever make a Margarita to my friends (at home)...I would totally go with the first version. Hands down. If you prefer a more zingy/sourer version, go with the second.
Here's a Margarita that I made today, a good ~2½ years later! I will still stress the fact when making these drinks (or ordering at a bar) that
FORGET any pre-mix stuff! It is SHIT.
Makesure the tequila is 100% de agave! Otherwise you are stuck with SHIT.
The drink is as good as its worst ingredient!
When we have these on the table, here's a solid recipe, it's a bit tweaked since the first time I made it:
6 cl 100% de agave blanco tequila
2 cl cointreau
2 cl fresh lime juice
(1 cl agave syrup)
Agave syrup rounds up the drink nicely + smoothens its. I used it in this version and I will say it worked just nicely! But it is up to you if you prefer a more zzziinggg in your Margarita!
It's a day off so why not have a cocktail? Exactly!
Today I'm doing a Hop Toad Cocktail using this as my inspiration. The result?Read for yourself.
4.5 cl aged rum
1.5 cl apricot liquor (I used dekuyper's apricot brandy)
juice from ½ a lime
a few dashes angostura bitters
Add everything in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake! doublestrain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
This is actually a rather sour drink, having no apparent (duh) sweetening agent,. My first sip and I immediately notice the sourness, then the apricot's sweetness and finally the rum that kicks last, but not least. I must say as much as this looks like a DaquiriI've made and feels like one (perhaps the aged rum - lime combo), this has nothing to do with it.
Not a super cocktail, but if you like sour things, you will love this one.
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.
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!
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.
Another perfect summer drink that has been tested already! Introducing the Cointreau Fizz. A perfect mix of both sweet and sour, getting a bottle of Cointreau just for these is worth the trouble!
5 cl Cointreau (triple sec)
half a lime
10 cl club soda (carbonated water [not mineral water])
Cut the lime half into four pieces and muddle them in the glass. Then fill the glass with crushed ice, pour in the Cointreau and soda. Give the drink a few gentle stirs so the ingredients properly mix and top the cocktail with more ice, if needed. Add a straw and if you want to garnish this, a lime wedge will do just fine.
I didn't have a soda streamer so I had to get myself a bottle of fancy-ass carbonated water...you could substitute it with mineral water (pellegrino for instance), but the cocktail will soak in flavors from it. Thus if all able, prefer club soda.
