Drink recipes: El presidente

The El Presidente is a fresh, fruity, and delicious tropical cocktail that’s perfect for any gathering, get-together, or party. It’s light, summery flavors are sweet and refreshing and will surely be enjoyed by all!

You’ll Need:

2 oz light rum – to have a fun variation on this recipe, try different flavored rums; I’m personally a big fan of Parrot Bay’s passion fruit flavored rum

1/2 oz fresh or refrigerated lime juice (fresh is better)

1/2 oz pineapple juice

dash of grenadine

1 cherry

1 pineapple slice

1 lime slice

To Make:

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice and shake well for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop a cherry in and garnish the edge of the glass with the pineapple and lime slice. Serve immediately.

Drink recipes: Mojito – Part 2

It was only a few months ago that I was introduced to 10 Cane. Bottles catch my eye. It is ingenious how liquor companies know this about consumers. It isn’t just their product, but their bottle that will draw someone in. Some liquor companies have perfume bottlers design their liquor bottles to make them more, shall we say, consumer friendly. As if the liquor within them was not draw enough to the consumer. 10 Cane however, does not have this dilemma. Their rum is well within consumable range. It is spicy and aromatic with a hit of caramel beneath the first sip. It seems to flow over the tongue as if it were a melody. The bits of flavor flow harmoniously together to form a perfect blend of rum for that perfect drink you choose to create.

10 Cane rum is extraordinary in that it comes from Trinidad and is processed from virgin sugar cane grown for the purpose of rum. Most rum is made from molasses which is a by product of sugar cane not grown for the purpose of rum. This alone gives 10 Cane a taste of its own. Knowing as well that the makers of Moet Hennessey are the backers of 10 Cane only elevate it even more. This is a savoring sort of rum. It is great for sipping or adding to some of your well made cocktails or tall drinks.

Knowing your liquors is basic when it comes to making cocktails and drinks. Quality ingredients makes for quality drinks. Once you have a quality rum, all you need is fresh mint and fresh limes for this mojito and the rest should be basic stock in your liquor cabinet.

Ultimate 10 Cane Mojito

10 12 Fresh Mint Leaves

1 oz Collins Bar Syrup

oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

2 oz 10 Cane Rum

2 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Club Soda

Fresh Mint Leaves to Garnish

Place the 10 12 mint leaves, bar syrup and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Press leaves with a muddler for a generous portion of time. I usually allow 30 60 seconds to allow proper bruising of the mint leaves. Next, remove muddler from the cocktail shaker. Add the 10 Cane Rum, and bitters. Fill the shaker 1/3 full of cracked ice. Shake for 15 20 seconds. Fill a Collin’s glass 4/5 full of ice. Strain cocktail shaker contents into Collin’s glass. Top off with club soda. Garnish with a fresh mint leaf. Currently the trend seems to be to leave the “trash” or the muddled remains in drinks instead of straining it out. I prefer to throw it out as it tends to get caught in straws more often than not.

This recipe makes a perfect Mojito every time. An ultimate Mojito in fact. The taste is fresh, the flavors are layered. The bitters take just enough edge off the sweetness to allow the full effect of the mint to rum flavor shine through. Now, you could try this with other rums such as Bacardi, but it would not be the same. Don’t get me wrong. I am a fan of Bacardi as well. It has it’s place. I’ve visited their distillery and was very intrigued with the entire story of the bat on the bottle, which I will share at some point if it comes to that. But the story here is about the Mojito and 10 Cane. Enjoy!

Drink Recipes: Creative cocktails – Part 10

If you are going to drink please act responsible and do not drink and drive.

Cosmopolitan

Ingredients:

part Vodka

1 part Cointreau

1 part Cranberry Juice

1 Lime Wedge

A dash of Lime Juice

Mix all the ingredients together with some cubed ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

Bikini

Ingredients:

part Milk

1 part White Rum

2 parts Vodka

Juice from a Lemon

Mix all the ingredients together with some cubed ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon wedge.

An Elbow in the Boobs

Ingredients:

part Cointreau

part Lemon Juice

part Martini Extra Dry

part Martini Rosso (sweet)

1 part White Rum

2 Maraschino Cherries

Mix all the ingredients together with some cubed ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour over cubed ice into a 3 oz cocktail glass, garnish with a cherry and serve.

Hawaiian Seduction

Ingredients:

1 part Vodka

1 part Tequila

Lime Juice

5 Ice Cubes

Mix all the ingredients together with some in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour over cubed ice into a 3 oz cocktail glass, garnish with a lime or lemon and serve.

Casablanca

Ingredients:

1 part Cherry Liqueur

1 part Triple Sec

1 part Lime Juice

1 Lime wedge

3 parts White Rum

Mix all the ingredients expect the Lime wedge together with some in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour over cubed ice into a cocktail glass, garnish with a lime wedge.

Around the World

Ingredients:

1 part Gin

1 part Crme de Menthe (green)

2 parts Pineapple Juice

5 ice cubes

Mix all the ingredients together with some in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour over cubed ice into a lowball glass.

Nude Ell Cocktail

Ingredients:

oz Gin

oz Brandy

oz Dubonnet

oz Green Chartreuse

Mix all the ingredients together with some cubed ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mojito

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sugar

1 part Lime Juice

1 Lime wedge

2 parts White Rum

10 Mint Sprigs

Soda Water

Mash up the Mint Sprigs and the sugar together, add the rum, lime juice and pour over some ice cubes in a chilled highball glass and top off with soda water. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Erotica

Ingredients:

oz Lemon Juice

1 oz Gin

4 oz Champagne

2 teaspoons Sugar

1 Orange Slice

1 Maraschino Cherry

Mix all the ingredients together expect

Drink recipes: Whiskey sour – Part 4

I have poured and stirred many a cocktail, however, the whiskey sour stands out as one of the more tantalizing varieties.

Whiskey sour is a great drink because it is simple to make with ingredients you already have. And you can substitute (I know, I just heard a gasp amongst the crowd!) ingredients. For example, if you do not have a lemon in your midst, you can use the bottled lemon juice you already use for cooking and seafood. This one will have soda in it, so you may not have that on hand and that will require planning, but less steps overall.

Without further adieu, here’s your simplest recipe:

2 oz. Whiskey of your choice

4 oz. 50/50 “sour” soda or Fresca.

Mix & enjoy!

*

OR,

A standard recipe:

1 oz. lemon juice

2 oz. whiskey blend

1/2 oz. powdered sugar

Garnish with a maraschino cherry – always fun to eat the cherry last!

This will mix one drink, but you can double this recipe or adjust as your guest list requires.

Sources:

www.drinksmixer.com

www.cocktailtimes.com

Drink recipes: Cosmopolitan – Part 9

“A cheese burger, large fries and a cosmopolitan please?” says Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. Because of this television series women everywhere are ordering cosmopolitans and modeling themselves on whichever of the women they most admire. Although the drink originated in the mid 1980s, most of us were more into the creamy drinks of that decade like Sex on the Beach & Toblerones, I actually didn’t have a cosmopolitan until I saw Sex and the City. I have missed out on a lot, the cosmopolitan is a refreshing change from creamy cocktails without the sting of some of the tequila and gin based ones. The popular recipe is 1 oz vodka, 1oz cranberry juice, oz cointreau & a splash of lime juice. Mix all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well, then strain into a martini glass.

Most sources credit Florida bartender Cheryl Cook with creating the original Cosmopolitan. She claims to have invented it in the mid 1980s because she wanted to have something that would look good in a martini glass, but was also palatable to drink. She used to watch people order martini’s to try and look cool and then not be able to drink them. I know myself, I cannot drink a straight martini as I find them far too strong.

You can also make a Blue Cosmopolitan by substituting the cranberry juice with white cranberry juice and the cointreau with blue curacao.

A White Cosmopolitan is made when you substitute cranberry juice with white cranberry juice. Personally I like the pink of the regular cranberry juice.

So, cheers to Carrie, Miranda, Samantha & Charlotte for bringing the Cosmopolitan to our attention.

Drink Recipes: Creative cocktails – Part 9

One hobby that I have recently been delving into is mixology. Attempting to accurately balance different tastes within a cocktail to create wonderful and new cocktails. The key to making a great cocktail is to satisfy all of the senses, not only the taste. A drink must have a pleasing appearance, fragrance, and texture in order for consumers to experience the full effect of the taste. After doing a bit of reading and a lot of experimenting I have found several great drinks that you won’t find in any recipe books. I will include my most recent concoction below. I call it the Purple Collins.

1 1/2oz of lime twisted gin

3/4 oz of sweet and sour mix

Club soda to fill

1/4 0z of Raspberry Liqueur (Chambord for best results)

Garnish with a fresh lime wedge (make sure to squeeze a little lime into the drink as well.)

Pour all ingredients into a tall Collin’s glass over ice.

Although I enjoy a Tom Collin’s the cocktail is a bit too sour and bitter for me. The sour taste is a result of the citrus flavor from the sour mix and fresh lime, while the bitter taste comes from the tonic water. The drink lacks a sweetness to balance the taste.

Therefore, I decided to experiment with a few cordials such as Midori, Cointreau, Blue Curacao, and finally Raspberry Liqueur. I enjoyed the taste of each drink, although I have to say the Raspberry Liqueur is not only the best tasting out of the variations I tampered with; it is also the most attractive looking. It has a slight purple tint with visible soda bubbles moving in the glass.

Impress your friends at your next social gathering and mix them a Purple Collins. They will enjoy the originality of the drink, the unique appearance, as well as the refreshing and balanced taste.

Drink recipes: Singapore sling – Part 4

When Ngiam Tong Boom was charged with creating a cocktail that would appeal to the ladies I doubt he could have foretold how well known it would become. Ngiam Tong Boom was working in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel when he created the Singapore Sling. This cocktail has been mentioned in a number of television series such as Only Fools and Horses, Married with Children & Everyone loves Raymond. It has also been mentioned in movies such as Cocktail & Superman III.

As he was mixing together his ingredients little did he realize that, nearly 100 years later, they would be serving his concoction aboard Singapore’s national airline, Singapore Airways.

Singapore Sling

30ml Gin,

15ml Cherry Brandy

120ml Pineapple Juice

15ml Lime Juice

7.5ml Cointreau

7.5ml Dom Benedictine

10ml Grenadine

A dash of Angostura Bitters

Garnish with a slice of Pineapple & a Cherry.

Combine all the ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake until well blended, then strain into a highball glass, garnishing with a slice of Pineapple and a Cherry.

The recipe for the Singapore Sling was written down sometime between 1910 and 1915 and kept securely in a safe at Raffles Hotel. At some stage it was lost but, luckily, one of Ngiam’s nephews had a copy which he gave to Raffles Hotel management in the 1970s. Since then the Singapore Sling has continued to be served in the revamped Long Bar. In fact you can buy the Singapore Sling glass for S$16.60 or a Singapore Sling pre-mix for S$41.90 at the Raffles Hotel gift shop. (These prices are correct as at January 2008). There are several other Singapore Sling merchandise available including a Singapore Sling shaker. I hope Ngiam was well paid as Raffles Hotel are really trading in on his creation.

When in Singapore it is almost mandatory that a visit to Raffles Hotel to partake of the pink cocktail named the Singapore Sling is part of the itinerary.

Drink recipes: Zombie – Part 5

A zombie is a rather strong cocktail that consists of different fruit juices and liqueurs. It was created in the late 1930’s by Donn Beach of Don the Beachcomber restaurant located in Hollywood. It was brought to the New York World’s Fair in 1939, where it gained much popularity.

There are many variations of the cocktail that you will find. Here is a couple of different recipes that I have come across. It is a powerful drink, so try to sip it slowly, otherwise you may feel like a zombie yourself!

Zombie ~

1 Shot Dark Rum

1 Shot White Rum

1 Shot Gold/Spiced Rum

1/2 Shot Apricot Brandy

1 Dash Sugar Syrup

1/2 Shot Lime Juice

1/2 Shot Pineapple Juice

Zombie ~

1 oz light rum

1 oz golden rum

1 oz dark rum

1 oz apricot brandy

1 oz pineapple juice

1 oz papaya juice

Dash of Grenadine

1/2 oz 151-proof rum

Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled half full with ice.

Shake well.

Strain into a glass filled with ice.

Garnish with a piece of pineapple and a cherry.

Enjoy!

Add all the ingredients except the 151 in a shaker filled half full with ice.

Shake well.

Strain into a glass filled with ice.

Add in the 151 and do not stir.

Garnish with a piece of pineapple and a cherry.

Enjoy!

Drink recipes: Old fashioned – Part 1

The old fashioned whiskey cocktail is the classic whiskey cocktail. The cocktail was in fact invented by a bartender linked to the famous Pendennis club in Louisville where Col. pepper was a member. The drink was brought to the old Waldorf in the days of the old “sit-down” Bars. It was said to have been introduced by, or in honor of, Col. James E. Pepper, of Kentucky, who was the proprietor of celebrated whiskey of that period. Below is is an old fashioned recipe from 1895 which, is similar to the modern ones of today.

The Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail:

Dissolve a small lump of sugar with a little water in a whiskey-glass; add two dashes Angostura bitters, a small piece ice, a piece lemon-peel, one jigger whiskey. Mix with small bar-spoon and serve, leaving spoon in glass

Drink recipes: Gimlet – Part 5

A Gimlet is a cocktail that has been around for a long time. It normally consists of gin and lime juice. It is very simple to prepare and is quit tasty as well. The story behind the drink is that it was first invented for medicinal purposes. Sir T. O. Gimlette has been created for its creation back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He was a surgeon that was a Royal Navy Officer and Surgeon from the years 1879 until 1917.

Although there are different theories as to when and where it was first created, it has and will be around for a very long time. There are different variations on the Gimlet some containing gin and some containing vodka. It is all in finding what you like the best. Here are two different recipes that you can try for yourself, one that calls for gin and one that calls for vodka.

Gimlet ~

2 oz Gin

1 oz Lime Juice

Add the ingredients into a mixer filled with ice.

Shake well.

Strain into a cocktail glass. (Chilled)

Garnish with a lime wedge or thin slice of lime.

Enjoy!

Gimlet ~

1 oz Lime Juice

1 1/2 oz Vodka

1 tsp Powdered Sugar

Add the ingredients into a mixer filled with ice.

Shake well.

Strain into a cocktail glass. (chilled)

Garnish with a lime wedge or thin slice of lime

Enjoy!

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