Taste USA: Cocktail

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Elderflower Cooler

How to Make Elderflower Cooler Recipe - preparation 5 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:
225g/8oz strawberries
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
300ml/½ pint/1¼ cups Prosecco cava or champagne, chilled
a few ice cubes
mint sprigs to serve

Method:
1 Hull the strawberries, then wash and pat dry with kitchen paper. Put in a blender with the elderflower cordial and blitz briefly until smooth.

2 Pour into two large glasses and top up with Prosecco, cava or champagne.

3 Add a few ice cubes and serve garnished with mint sprigs.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Whisky Refresher

How to Make Whisky Refresher Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
100ml/3½fl oz/⅓ cup whisky or bourbon
500ml/17fl oz/2 cups lemonade

Method:
1 Fill four tumblers with crushed ice. Pour in the whisky and lemonade.

Pina Colada

How to Make Pina Colada Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
75ml/3fl oz/5 tbsp white rum
125ml/4fl oz/½ cup pineapple juice
50ml/2fl oz/¼ cup coconut cream

Method:
1 Blend the rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream with some crushed ice. Pour into a glass or a hollowed-out pineapple half.

Daiquiri

How to Make Daiquiri Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
juice of ½ lime or ¼ lemon
1 tsp sugar
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp white rum

Method:
1 Shake the fruit juice, sugar and rum with some crushed ice. Pour into a frosted glass.

Dry Martini

How to Make Dry Martini Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
50ml/2fl oz/¼ cup French vermouth
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp dry gin
1 stuffed olive

Method:
1 Shake the vermouth and gin together with some crushed ice. Pour into a glass and float an olive on top

Brandy Alexander

How to Make Brandy Alexander Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp brandy
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp crème de cacao
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Method:
1 Mix together the brandy, crème de cacao and cream. Shake well. Dust with nutmeg.

Ruby Crush

How to Make Ruby Crush Recipe - preparation 5 minutes

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1 bottle sparkling wine

300ml/½ pint/1¼ cups Calvados

1l/1¾ pints/4 cups cranberry juice, chilled

450ml/¾ pint/1¾ cups sparkling water, chilled

Method:

1 Pour the sparkling wine, Calvados and cranberry juice into a glass serving bowl.

2 Add the sparkling water and some ice.

Whisky Sour

How to Make Whisky Sour Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp sugar
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp rye whisky

Method:
1 Mix the lemon juice, sugar and whisky, and shake well with some ice.

Pink Gin

How to Make Pink Gin Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
2–3 drops Angostura bitters
25ml/1fl oz/2 tbsp gin

Method:
1 Put the bitters in a glass and turn it until the sides are well coated. Add the gin and top up with iced water to taste.

Gin Sling

How to Make Gin Sling Recipe - preparation 10 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 lemons
3 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
150ml/¼ pint/scant ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
150ml/¼ pint/scant ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
150ml/¼ pint/scant ⅔ cup gin
ice cubes
soda water

Method:
1 Rub half a lemon around the rim of each of six glasses. Put 1 tbsp sugar on a saucer and press the rim of each glass into the sugar.

2 Put the lemon and lime juices in a cocktail shaker or screw-topped jar with the remaining sugar and the gin and shake vigorously.

3 Cut the remaining lemon into six slices.

4 Serve the gin sling over ice, topped up with soda water.

Best Sangria

How to Make Best Sangria Recipe - preparation 5 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1 bottle red wine
50ml/2fl oz/¼ cup brandy
750ml/1¼ pints/3 cups lemonade
ice to serve

Method:
1 Put the lemon and orange slices in a large jug.

2 Add the red wine, brandy and lemonade to the jug and stir together to mix well.

3 Serve the sangria in tall glasses with plenty of ice.

Mulled Wine

How to Make Mulled Wine Recipe - preparation 10 minutes plus infusing cooking time 10–15 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 oranges
6 cloves
1 bottle fruity red wine
50ml/2fl oz/¼ cup brandy
1 cinnamon stick, broken, plus extra to garnish
a pinch of mixed spice
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Method:
1 Cut one of the oranges into six wedges and stud each one with a clove. Squeeze the juice from the other orange.

2 Put the clove-studded orange wedges in a stainless steel pan with the orange juice, red wine, brandy, cinnamon stick, mixed spice and sugar.

3 Warm gently over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

4 Strain into a serving jug and serve in heatproof glasses.

Champagne Cocktail

How to Make Champagne Cocktail Recipe - preparation 5 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients:
125ml/4fl oz/½ cup Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
4 tbsp grenadine
1 large orange, cut into 8 slices
8 sugar cubes
1 bottle champagne, cava or Prosecco, chilled

Method:
1 Divide the Grand Marnier and grenadine among eight champagne glasses.

2 Add an orange slice and a sugar cube to each glass.

3 Top up the glasses with the champagne, cava or Prosecco and serve immediately.

Veggie Cocktail

How to Make Veggie Cocktail Recipe - preparation 10 minutes plus chilling

Serves 6

Ingredients:
225g/8oz canned pimientos
juice of 2 lemons
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp horseradish sauce
1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups tomato juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasco sauce
finely chopped spring onions (scallions) to garnish

Method:
1 Put the pimientos in a blender with the lemon juice, onion and horseradish sauce. Blitz until smooth.

2 Transfer to a jug and gradually stir in the tomato juice. Season to taste with the Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.

3 Chill in the refrigerator. Serve in six tall glasses, garnished with spring onions.

Cranberry Cooler

How to Make Cranberry Cooler Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:
ice cubes
150ml/¼ pint/scant ⅔ cup cranberry juice
lemonade

Method:
1 Half-fill two tall glasses with ice. Divide the cranberry juice between them.

2 Top up with lemonade, stir well and serve.

Elderflower Fizz

How to Make Elderflower Fizz Recipe - preparation 10 minutes plus chilling

Serves 10

Ingredients:
20 tbsp chilled elderflower cordial
3 bottles sparkling wine, e.g. cava or Prosecco, chilled

Method:
1 Pour 2 tbsp elderflower cordial into each of ten champagne flute glasses.

2 Top up each glass with sparkling wine and serve.

Clementine Jelly Shots

How to Make Clementine Jelly Shots Recipe - preparation 10 minutes plus chilling cooking time 5 minutes

Makes 12

Ingredients:
5 gelatine leaves
16 clementines
125g/4oz/½ cup caster (superfine) sugar
4 tbsp vodka (optional)

Method:
1 Put the gelatine in a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside to soak for 5 minutes.

2 Zest 2 clementines and put the zest in a large pan. Squeeze the juice from the zested and whole clementines and add to the pan with the sugar and the vodka (if using).

3 Lift the softened gelatine out of the soaking liquid and add to the pan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Strain into a large jug with a pouring spout and make up to 1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups with cold water. Pour into 12 small shot glasses and chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.

4 Take the jellies out of the refrigerator 5 minutes before serving to allow them to soften slightly.

Clementine Jelly Shots

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Kir

How to Make Kir Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 tbsp crème de cassis
150ml/¼ pint/scant ⅔ cup white wine

Method:
1 Pour the crème di cassis and white wine into a glass and serve.

Read More

Bloody Mary Cocktail

How to Make Bloody Mary Cocktail Recipe - preparation 2 minutes

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp vodka, chilled
150ml/¼ pint/scant ⅔ cup tomato juice, chilled
lemon juice and celery salt to taste

Method:
1 Pour the sauces, vodka and tomato juice into a tall glass and stir. Add ice cubes and the lemon juice and celery salt to taste.

Read More

Ginger Soda

How to Make Ginger Soda Recipe - preparation 5 minutes cooking time 10–15 minutes, plus cooling

Serves 6

Ingredients:
225g/8oz unpeeled fresh root ginger, finely sliced
175g/6oz/¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups soda water

Method:
1 Heat the ginger, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a pan with 600ml/1 pint/2½ cups cold water. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes.

2 Strain through a fine sieve into a jug. When cool, top up with soda water.