As you may have noticed I haven’t done a Cocktail Friday post for a couple of weeks now which has mostly just been down to disorganisation and bad luck. I was going to do one this week to finish on but after multiple attempts to remember ingredients I still don’t have everything I need which is somewhat annoying to say the least. Maybe tomorrow?
Anyway I thought I would do a quick round up of my years worth of cocktails and some of the things I’ve learnt whilst on this journey of impending drunkenness!
Organisation is key!
As I said just a couple of sentences back being disorganised can be a real nail in the coffin before you’ve even started. Simple things like making sure you have ice to use or even clean measures can trip you up and leave you struggling to even begin making a drink. Not having the ingredients available is simply a nightmare and something I couldn’t even comprehend after tonights failure.
Practise makes perfect!
As you have no doubt read a few times on these pages not all of my cocktails have gone off in a successful fashion with liqueurs mixing and layering not working but by reading up on the skill and watching a video or 40 I’ve learned a few tricks to try and overcome these problems.
In addition to that accurately pouring measures from the jigger into the glass can be tricky unless the technique is correct. Once again by observing bar staff on my nights out/trips to the pub has revealed tricks I would never have thought of but have now incorporated into my skill set.
Ingredients matter!
As was revealed with my vodka tasting using not only the correct drinks makes a difference but also a quality branded drink is less likely to be useful as paint stripper and possibly even tastes nice. This of course doesn’t apply to Tequila but then again it really isn’t a nice drink is it?
The revelation I had switching from a generic raspberry liqueur to Chambord (Black Raspberry Liqueur) was mind blowing – the tastes changed completely and I now have to go back and try several cocktails again to see the effect on the overall flavour.
Oh this also applies to small items such as fresh lemon/lime juice which may be awkward to obtain large quantities of juice from but the taste difference is outstanding and can make or break a drink. I think the Dawa wouldn’t have worked with just a splash of lime concentrate.
Dull words out of the way how about a top 5 cocktails of the year? Go on then!
Number 5: Grasshopper
This is a stupidly simple drink to make but one that is a perfect after dinner drink and essentially liquid after eight. I’d had a version of this out in town but they make theirs with milk instead of cream which means you end up drinking it too fast which ruins the experience.
Number 4: Berlin Blonde
This was a rather surprising favourite given my general dislike of dark rum but when combined with Cointreau and cream (honestly who doesn’t like cream!?) it toned down the strength of the drink and created another perfect after dinner drink!
Number 3: Egg Nog
All these years and I’d never tried Egg Nog! Oh what I’d missed but now I know I get the chance to make up for lost time. I still need to revisit this to try it with dark rum and brandy as the base but yet another delicious drink and one that is a well known winter party drink!
Number 2: Flaming Lamborghini
Yep it’s another after dinner drink getting the nod from me. It’s quite a mixture of spirits but one that works extremely well and of course setting it on fire just makes it all the more spectacular! As drinks go it is essentially a large shot which makes it great for parties as I discovered at the curry night!
Number 1: Dawa
Who thought a simple concoction of Lime, sugar, vodka and honey would work so well and be so refreshing? Absolutely fantastic drink and one I would suggest to someone looking to take a step into the wonderful world of cocktails.
Oh yeah – I’ve not run out of crazy concoctions to try and should be back to somewhat regular drink related shenanigans in the new year!
