Chilli, lemongrass and ginger vodka

Pretty simple to make, grab a couple ginger roots, two to three medium spicy chillies and two lemon grass sticks, and your choice of vodka 75cl

Peel the ginger, a spoon works best

Then cube it to increase the surface area to allow more ginger to infuse

Next, chop the tops of the chillies, remove all the seeds and dice them

Split the lemon grass down the middle and crush it with a large flat knife or your palm

Add ingredients to a mason jar then pour in the vodka

Now close the lid and wait 3 weeks for the infusion to finish. Afterwards bring the ABV down to 30% using sugar syrup

Red currant infused gin

In our garden we were blessed with a mighty harvest of redcurrants 457g to be exact (1 1/3 cups to Americans) the currants were picked and their stalks removed then they were washed

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After the currants were washed they were lightly stabbed with a fork this allows more gin to seep in.

When making fruit infusions I like to do 1:2 fruit to spirit, but rather than make 900ml I thought we’d use the whole 1ltr bottle

The gin used was just a standard super market London dry. Now we play the waiting game, after about a week the colour of the currants will seep out and the gin should be a redish colour

Elderflower Cucumber Fizz

It’s still winter and we all dream of the day when it’s a hot summers day and we can sit outside with a refreshing beverage but for now this will do!

Recipe

* 15ml Elderflower liqueur
* 15ml Sugar syrup
* 5 lime wedges
* 1/5 of a cucumber
* Hand full of mint leaves
* Soda water to top

Add sugar syrup, elderflower liqueur, lime wedges and cucumber to a high ball glass, muddle the ingredients. Add the mint then ice, top with soda water and stir

JD Coffee w/ Kahlua

This is an incredible coffee, first of JD whiskey isn’t good whiskey but as coffee it’s pretty darn good

Recipe

• 25ml Kahlua
• 1tbs JD Coffee
• Whipped cream
• Marshmellows

Make the JD Coffee using a French press, pour coffee into a coffee glass, as well as the Kahlua then top with whipped cream and marshmellows

Italian Kiss

Not technically a cocktail as it uses only 2 ingredients, but as the drink is very balance, pretty and tasty with touch of fanciness it deserves a blog post.

Made using a wild strawberry liqueur with actual little strawberries in, with this all you need to do is add prosecco and it garnishes itself. Probably left for special occasions this drink will have you craving more.

 

Tequila Manhattan

An unusual yet tasty twist on a classic drink, as Tequila Anejo has smokiness it can be used instead of whisky in a whisky based cocktail.

60ml Anejo Tequila

15ml Sweet Vermouth

7ml Licor 43

Garnishes

Rum soaked cherry

Slice of cured meat.

Shaked ingredients together , strain into lowball over ice. Finally garnish with meat rolled into a flower shape, and a rum soaked cherry.

Dry Martini

One of the oldest and most iconic cocktail known, this drink made Gin fashionable and took the edge of drinking neat spirits.

60ml London Dry Gin

7ml Dry Vermouth

2 – 3 Dashes Orange bitters

Stir vigorously  for 20 seconds with ice then pour into a mini-coupe finally garnish with an olive.

Boulevardier

Similar to the Negroni but with a twist, exchanging the gin for a Rye gives this drink a more complicated smokey flavour than its gin relation.

30ml Campari

30ml Sweet Vermouth

30ml Rye Whisky

Orange Twist for garnish

Add all liqueurs to shaker, shake with ice  then double strain into chilled coupe glass, finally garnish with orange twist.

French Martini

Sweet and enticing as well as a being a little fancy, the French Martini will leave you thirsty for more.

50ml Pineapple Juice

37.5ml Vodka

20ml Chambord

3 Blackberries

Raspberry Pureé

Add all ingredients except raspberry pureé, into a shaker. Shake vigorously to plussize the blackberries and to create a foam. Double strain into chilled coupe glass. 

Lastly gently make 4 circles in the foam using the raspberry , then with the use of a straw go through the circles in a clockwork motion creating love hearts. 

The Original recipe doesn’t have blackberries in, I added them for extra colour and flavour.    

Negroni

An Italian classic preferably served before dinner as an aperitif to stimulate the appetite and wet the palate.

30ml Campari

30ml Gin

30ml Sweet Vermouth

Orange Twist for garnish

Add liqueurs into mixer glass then add ice, stir for a good 30 seconds, strain into a rocks glass over ice, finally squeeze  the orange twist over the drink then garnish with twist. 

Traditionally this drink uses London Dry style of gin, I used copperhouse as it’s very orange heavy complementing the campari and garnish.