The Cool House: cocktails
Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Buenos Aires: Cocktail time

Sadly inflation hit BA in the early 2000's so the $5 cocktail is now a $10 cocktail, but that didn't stop us hitting the bar every evening, especially as drinks come with great nibble - chips, almonds, cheese, savory biscuits and smoked salmon appetizers. That held us until dinner time, which as in Spain, tends to be served around 10 pm. Really, though, who needs dinner after all that? Well, we do, of course. Anyway, here's my favorite

The Plaza Bar Tango Martini

2 oz. Gin
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
Pour into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and serve.

The most refreshing Martini I've drunk. The barman also invented a new cocktail for me which was very tall and pretty and pink but rather more Verity's thing as it was reminiscent of a Mojito but gin based:

2 oz. Gin
Simple syrup
Mint
Pink grapefruit juice
Muddle the mint into the sugar. Add ice cubes, gin and top with pink grapefruit juice. Stir and serve.

Friday, August 22, 2008

It's Cocktail Time (again)


The quintessential British summer drink: Pimm's. There should be Borage but I can't find any on the Island so I'm making do with cucumbers. And they're not even proper English cucumbers but something called a Mediterranean cucumber. Looks like a pickle to me. This is some bastardized version of a beloved summer drink.


Why is Polly gazing down the garden path, you ask? She can see the road from there and she's hoping someone will come along to share the cocktail. I hope they're bringing food, too.


One non-authentic but nevertheless perfect* Pimm's
1 part Pimm's No.1
3 parts 7UP or Sprite
sliced cucumbers
sliced lemons
pared lemon peel to dangle over the rim of the glass in a fancy way (optional)

*I actually don't feel this is strong enough to qualify as a real cocktail so I add a measure of my new favourite gin, Miller's, which tastes more of cucumbers than even Hendricks, to each glass. Drink responsibly!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Tequila, citrus and spice, or maybe not...


Tequila, citrus and spice in the form of Spicy Grapefruit Margaritas, that's what food critic, Top Chef judge and soon to be host of his own show on Food Network TV, Ted Allen, is proposing for a refreshing summer cocktail. Sounds just my kind of thing except Tequila and I don't get along together so I'm replacing the Mexican alcohol with Finnish Vodka. And because I don't have a sweet tooth I'm also junking the sweetened grapefruit in favor of freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice. This should give me the perfect combination of fresh fruit and heat with enough of the hard stuff to get a little buzz. (Not everyone has a palate like mine so you may want to use the sweetened juice or an ounce of simple syrup with the freshly-squeezed juice to take the edge off the tartness). Then of course it was announced today that peppers can cause a deadly bout of salmonella so I've decided to do without them as well. Ha!
Never mind, I'm calling my cocktail Citrus Vodka and the recipe follows. I'm still going to stick with a slightly Spanish theme in the form of some of my favorite tapas: Spanish Cocktail nuts (Marcona almonds, corn, pistachio nuts, roast chickpeas), fava beans; grilled queso, chopped chorizo and Tortilla chips and home-made guacamole. That's my perfect summer supper anyway.
If you want to try Ted Allen's Spicy Grapefruit Margarita the recipe is over here

Citrus Vodka Cocktail:
1 cup vodka
2 cups fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
1 cup of fresh orange juice
1 lime cut into wedges
Ruby red grapefruit, cut into small wedges, then into half-wedges

Pour infused vodka, orange and grapefruit juices over ice cubes in a shaker; shake and strain into a chilled martini glass, or just pour over rocks in a highball. Garnish with a grapefruit and a lime wedge.
Ole.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Mayday


I invented a new cocktail in the time between the wedding and the reception yesterday.
The Guy named it M'aider or Mayday as it contains Lillet, an apertif from South-west France, and I was pretty much underwater half-way through sipping it. I'll share it with you but be warned, it could leave you (ship)wrecked.


To a cocktail shaker a third filled with ice add 3 measures gin, two of Lillet, one of Noilly Prat. Shake.


Take a martini glass. Fill with ice and water so it's really cold, empty. Rub a slice of lemon around the rim.


Pour the contents of the shaker into the glass. Top up with tonic water. Garnish with the slice of lemon and a cherry.
It tastes like summer but packs a wallop so enjoy in moderation!