The cocktails page
The Cocktail Bar: Equipment Drinks Adjuncts Techniques Drink of the Month archive Books General Mixing Instructions Recipes

The Cocktail Bar

A total revamp for July 2004 to present the information more clearly and to considerably expand the drinks section, with cross-reference to the Drink of the Month feature to provide further information on a gradually increasing selection of premium drinks.

Equipment

Essential –  ice-making facilities, cocktail shaker, basic glassware:

Tumbler

Shot

Nice to have –  stirrer, wider assortment of glassware:

Martini

Collins

Hurricane

Coupette

Drinks

Now divided into 3 sections to provide a more meaningful breakdown starting with the basics, then generic flavours and finally those strange specialist one-off drinks for which there is no substitute.

Adjuncts

Essential – ice, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, caster or superfine sugar, Angostura bitters
Nice-to-have – home-made simple sugar syrup

Techniques

Floating

Simply hold a shallow teaspoon just above the surface of the drink and pour the drink to be floated very carefully onto the spoon. If chosen correctly (see layering, below), it should sit on the surface like an oil slick on the sea.

Layering

An extension of floating, to achieve this in a narrow shot glass requires a special implement, a disc on the end of a stick. Proceed as in layering - the results can look stunning.

Notes:
- drinks should be chosen for layer order on the basis of density, highest at the bottom
- density is not the same as viscosity (thickness) - a viscous drink may be less dense than a mobile one
- this technique is normally reserved for shot drinks (down in one); for me, this is rather a waste of enjoyment so I never bother with it

Muddling

I would divide this technique into two sub-techniques - applying to less substantial entities (leaves) and more substantial (fresh fruit). The common denominator, though, is the bashing of the ingredient(s) with a blunt instrument in the bottom of a robust container, usually the cocktail shaker itself.

For leaves, these should usually only be bruised in order not to release any bitterness. For fruit, this should be thoroughly pulped (though not so much as to break any seeds/pips).

Ideal equipment is a stainless steel cocktail shaker and a wooden cylinder - I've managed with a rolling pin. As soon as you've 'muddled', add the ice then the remaining drink ingredients then shake and fine-strain into the glass. For fine-straining, a tea-strainer works well though there are proprietary strainers. This is optional - if using citrus fruit with demerara sugar, you may wish to allow a little pulp and undissolved sugar through for textural interest.

Rimming

(Refusing to laugh!) This technique is used to add a coating of the chosen substance to the rim of the glass, thus bringing in an element of immediacy to the mixing of taste elements in the mouth, sometimes even textural interest. Common rimming materials include salt, sugar and cinnamon.

To produce a good rim, gently draw the cut edge of a wedge of suitable citrus fruit around the (empty!) glass rim, coating to about 5mm. Alternatively, use a damp clean cloth or sponge. Then rotate the outside edge in a small pile of the chosen material, then fill with the cocktail and enjoy! Remember to rotate the drinking side to make full use of the rim! Examples:

Bella Donna Daiquiri
Chocolate and Cranberry Martini
Margarita (real deal mix)

Drink of the Month archive

Dec-06: Matchmaker orange

1½ shots Teachers whisky
¾ shot Tia Maria
½ shot Cointreau
¾ shot lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker then strain into glass.

Tastes surprisingly like orange Matchmaker chocolates.

Nov-06: Blackberry Martini - version I and version II

Oct-06: Pink Drink

Sep-06: Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka

A simple one this month: perfect straight up or over ice, this is quite simply the finest vodka I've ever tasted. Want to make something with it? Try shooters with about a teaspoon of either of the following: Sourz apple liqueur, Chambord raspberry liqueur. Or with a half-teaspoon each of peach schnapps, chocolate schnapps and Opal Nera. Delicious!

Aug-06: Almond and Maraschino Cooler

Jul-06: Pink Gin

Jun-06: Pear and Lime Martini

May-06: Orange Daiquiri

Feb-06: CCB

Jan-06: Maraschino martini

Dec-05: Winter warmer selection

A different format for a change, to highlight drinks that fortify the spirit (sic!) against the depradations of the season's inclement temperatures.

The Loch Fyne Liqueur (Loch Fyne Whiskies, 40% abv, 70cl, £28.90), typical of the company, is an innovative twist on tradition, a blend of 12 year old Scotch whisky with flavours of orange and chocolate. Less sweet than many liqueurs, and extremely suitable for a seasonal gift in its decanter bottle, this is fireside drinking at its finest.

Gordon's Sloe Gin (widely available, 26% abv, 70cl, £17.49) is a more-than-adequate commercial version of the well-known rural home-made standby, not cloying and with an agreeable tartness to keep the palate interested.

Nov-05: Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur (16% abv) - 70cl (~£16, specialist)

Deep, deep maroon in colour with a full palate of sweet ripe fruit, this exquisitely packaged premium liqueur definitely justifies its price tag. 3 original recipes:

Chambord Surfer
Coffee and Raspberry Cachaça Kicker
Raspberry Margarita

Oct-05: Sourz Apple Liqueur (15% abv) - 70cl (~£11.50, becoming more widely available)

Bright green in colour and having a nice balance of sweet and sour, this carries the true flavour of mixed apples, along with hints of marzipan and cinnamon. WARNING: made from GM corn. 3 original recipes:

Appletini
Bit of everything
Cranapple Special

Sep-05: Disaronno (Amaretto Liqueur) (28% abv) - 70cl (~£10, widely available)

Running contrary to popular opinion, Disaronno is not made by macerating almonds in alcohol, but from pure distilled alcohol, burnt sugar, herbs and fruits soaked in apricot kernel oil. Its flavour is initially of marzipan with more complex notes reminiscent of Bakewell tart. A little cloying on its own for more than one, its flavour shines through strongly in mixed drinks.

Amaretto Sour (PadleyWood mix)
Bella Donna Daiquiri
Lime and Amaretto Aperitif

Aug-05: La Fée Verte absinthe (68% abv) - 50cl (~£20, fairly widely available)

Perhaps the most widely available brand, this is also widely regarded as a very good example of the infamous liquor. Bright, almost minty green in colour, it has a very clean palate - it's just about palatable on its own! For further information, see the eponymous page. For this feature, I've developed 4 recipes:

Bruiser
NAC
Twisted Orchard
Yellow Peril

Jul-05: Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey (40% abv) - 75cl (~£16, widely available)

Jack Daniels is probably the best known and most popular of the American whiskeys, but contrary to popular opinion, it is not a bourbon but a Tennessee whiskey - it's the charcoal mellowing that makes the difference. I prefer the smoother taste of bourbon and Jim Bean is an excellent example, wonderful on its own but also a great mixing ingredient. 3 original recipes:

Cherry Bourbon Sour
Deep South
Mississippi Schnapper

May-05: Finlandia Lime Vodka (40% abv) - 75cl (~£16, specialist)

Lime is a wonderful flavour, especially in cocktails. This vodka adds some of the flavour without the sharpness, but it also marries well with lime juice to give an extra lime intensity. 3 original recipes:

Chocolate Lime Cream
Lime and Elderflower Martini
Stalky

Apr-05: 'The Cranberries' - Finlandia Cranberry Vodka (40% abv) - 75cl (~£16, specialist), Cranberry Juice (inexpensive, widely available - get the 200ml size as it doesn't last once opened)

Not a popular band from the early '90s, but a pair that team up rather well. Cranberry is a wonderful mixing ingredient with its light berry fruit and slight natural bitterness. The vodka really captures this and has enough flavour to drink neat. The juice is a useful partner as it allows a continuation of the flavour without the high alcohol content, often a necessity in a well-balanced cocktail.

Chocolate and Cranberry Martini
Cosmopolitan
Currantberry Martini
Deep South

Mar-05: Pitu Cachaça (40% abv) - 75cl (~£16, specialist)

The national spirit of Brazil, distilled from sugar cane, cachaça has a unique flavour resonating somewhere between overproof rum and aged tequila. Most famous as the alcoholic component of the trendy caipirinha, this spirit should be more widely available as it seems to me to have a great deal of potential, perhaps even as much as rum (?) as a cocktail ingredient. Of the three recipes below, the must-try is my own Pear and Almond Cachaça Kicker - amazing, even if I do say so myself!

Lazy Caipirinha
Orange and Coconut Cachaça Kicker
Pear and Almond Cachaça Kicker

Jan-05: Opal Nera Black Sambuca (40% abv) – 50cl (~£14.99, specialist) 

Opal Nera is not just a novelty black-coloured Sambuca: all Sambucas are made from elderberries and in this case, these are macerated with their skins to provide the natural colouring. There is also a flavour of lemon peel, along with a particularly soft liquorice palate. Rich, warming and delicious, this is a real premium drink that contributes outstandingly to the flavour of cocktails. Three entirely original cocktails:

Black Sambucatini
Hullaballoo
Peachy

Nov-04: Fresh lime juice (limes ~20p each)

Summer was really the season for Latino drinks made with fresh citrus fruit, but I've only just started doing this and the results are a revelation! Inspired by observing a real bartender in action in London cocktail bar Lab, I decided to try my hand. The key points here are:

• the proportion of lime juice to sugar (for me, ½ lime to 2 tsp demerara sugar is a good balance)
• speed - keeps the citrus fresh and allows a small proportion of undissolved sugar through that adds both taste and textural interest to the final drink

This leads to discussion of the technique known as 'muddling' so I'll inaugurate the new 'Techniques' section with this. Three fresh and delicious mixes:

Daiquiri
Margarita (real deal mix)
Pisco Sour

Oct-04: Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial - 50cl (£?? - not expensive, most good supermarkets)

I suppose it's somewhat out of season, but I so love the taste of this recent discovery that it's going in now regardless. A top quality concentrated drink, you only need a little to make the right contribution to the overall flavour of the cocktail. Three originals:

Elderflower Aperitif
Elderflower Daiquiri
Elderflower and Lemon Martini

Sep-04: Teachers Whisky (40% abv) – 70cl (~£11.99, widely available)

My regular sippin’ whisky (OK, Bourbon term applied to Scotch, smack on wrist!), this is also a great cocktail mixer because of its underlying smokiness, arising from island-based malts. I’ve been gradually putting together a set of whisky-based cocktails built specifically around this blend, so I’m presenting no fewer than six of the best (sic!). Further information on the whisky page, including review and a new Whisky Cocktails section with links to what I hope will be a growing number of whisky-based cocktails.

Apple Crumble Dram Martini
Cherry Picker
Smokin' Jo
Tartan
Teachers Pet
Teachers Pet Gone Nuts

Aug-04: Midori Melon Liqueur (20% abv) - 70cl (£14.99 selected supermarkets/specialist merchants)

The original melon liqueur, so named for its vibrant green colour ('midori' is Japanese for 'green'). Despite Japanese ownership, the drink is made in Mexico where melons grow in profusion. Although not a powerful taste in itself, the flavour is surprisingly assertive in mixed drinks.

Booty Juice
Melon Daiquiri
Melon Margarita

Jul-04: Green Chartreuse (55% abv) - 50cl (£19.99 selected supermarkets/specialist merchants)

A classic cocktail mixer once again finding favour amongst the cognoscenti for its rich herbal palate, this powerfully alcoholic concoction dates from 1764 when it was first produced by a silent order of Carthusian monks from around 130 natural herbal ingredients. The recipe, naturally, remains a closely-guarded secret and is still produced from all-natural ingredients using low-tech methods.

Herbaltini
Swamp Water
Widow's Kiss

Jun-04: Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur (24% abv) - 50cl (£10.99 selected Sainsbury's)

The delicious natural taste of roasted hazelnuts is captured in this unusual drink. You can drink it alone, but it does make some surprisingly good combinations with other flavours and so is a valuable addition to the aficionado's cocktail cabinet. Unmissable on the shelf in its distinctive 'monk-shaped' bottle.

Fruit & Nut Case
Hazel'ito
Hazelnut Martini

May-04: Tequila (Jose Cuervo Reposado) - 50cl (~£11, widely available)

This is good enough to drink on its own, but it's also a great cocktail ingredient. A must for a Mexican evening.

Margarita
Red Hooker
Tequila'tini

Apr-04: Plamil Concentrated Soya Milk - 500ml (~£1 from good health shops)

Wot, no alcohol? Fear not, this is a rather useful ingredient as it allows us vegans to enjoy those delicious creamy cocktails. More neutral than its dairy counterpart, it makes an ideal vehicle - just try the following recipes:

Mysterioso
Silk Stockings
White Cadillac

Mar-04: Green Ginger Wine (Stones) - 75cl (~£5 for the ordinary, widely available; ~£6 for the Reserve)

The ordinary is still a classic, and an absolute snip at the price, but get the Special Reserve if you can find it - it's more like a liqueur than a wine.

Chocolate Ginger
Gingertini
Gin-ger Tom

Feb-04: Peach Schnapps (Teichenné) - 75cl (~£10, selected Sainsbury's)

I discovered this brand at the BBC Good Food Show - it is so much more intense "than other leading brands", hence you won't need to use as much in mixes to get the flavour. Three excellent recipes:

Glass Tower
Mystique
Peach Daiquiri

Jan-04: Creme de Cassis (Sisca) 50cl (<£10, Sainsbury's)

Thought Ribena was intensely blackcurranty? This wipes the floor with it. It's 15% ABV, so it should keep OK, as a little goes a long way. It's fantastic to add some real blackcurrant kick to spirit bases as well as combining well with other fruit flavours. Here's some recipes to get you started:

Apple Sunrise
Arnaud
Black Currant Martini

Books

Hopefully, I'll gradually amass a collection, but for the time being, this one is truly superb:

diffordsguide to Cocktails

Comprehensive, stylish, TOP quality recipes, nice piccies and some useful layout features such as recommended brands of a broad range of essential drinks, each with a quick-reference shortlist of recipes that show them off to their best. Highly recommended.