Get creative with cocktails this christmas season
It is a good idea to have a stainless steel cocktail shaker if you’d like to make cocktails regularly, but if you can’t get hold of one make do with what you’ve got in the kitchen, or choose recipes that don’t require one. You may need a sieve, depending on what you’d like to make.
* One tot equals 25ml.
* Have lots of ice on hand!
* You may want to find some pretty straws and swizzle sticks, and choose a pretty garnish to go with.
The classics
Piña Colada: 1,5 tots rum, 2 tots coconut milk, 2 tots pineapple juice, garnish with cherry/pine wedge on a toothpick. Combine everything in a shaker with ice, then strain into a glass of more ice and garnish.
Cosmopolitan: 2 tots vodka, half a tot triple sec, ¾ tot cranberry juice, half a tot fresh lime/lemon juice, orange peel twist for garnish. Fill a shaker with ice, add all the ingredients and shake, pour into a martini glass and garnish.
Martini: 2,5 tots gin, half a tot dry vermouth, garnish with olives or a lemon twist. Pour into a shaker of ice, stir for 30 seconds, strain into glass and garnish.
Tequila Sunrise: 2 tots tequila, 2 dashes grenadine, orange juice. Pour tequila into a glass of ice, top up with orange stir, tilt the glass and add grenadine carefully down the side (bands of colour will appear).
Long Island Iced Tea: Half a tot of triple sec, half a tot of light rum, half a tot of gin, half a tot of vodka, half a tot of tequila, fat lemon wedge. Pour all ingredients over ice and squeeze some of the lemon juice on top. Top up with cola, and finally squeeze the rest of the lemon wedge over.
Modern summer cocktails for the festive scene
Mojito: This is a fantastic fresh cocktail that suits almost everyone’s palates! The quantities of the ingredients can also be varied to suit different tastes, and it looks great in clear glass against the bright green of the mint leaves.
Two tots rum, sugar syrup to taste (or white sugar, stirred in well), mint leaves, soda/lemonade. Crush mint leaves and place in a glass with ice, add the sugar syrup and rum and top up with soda/lemonade to taste, stir with a swizzle stick and serve with a straw.
Sangria: This is a great option for get-togethers of all kinds, because it can be made ‘in bulk’ and creates a lovely sharing atmosphere if served in a large bowl, with bright pieces of fruit in. You can really play with this recipe, and make it very pretty to serve.
Three parts red wine, 1 part orange juice, 2 parts lemonade, plenty ice, fresh mint, sliced fruit. Combine all the ingredients, adjusting the quantities to suit your guest count. Serve with a straw.
Mixed Punch: This is a great option if you like to get creative! Most clear spirits and fruit juices combine well, and with creative garnishes, glasses and serving receptacles this cocktail should be a holiday hit!
Mix clear spirits (vodka, white rum, cane and tequila work best) with fruit juice – try a berry mix, or a breakfast mix with orange, mango and guava, or tropical mix with pineapple and paw-paw – the options are unlimited! Garnish with fruit and serve over ice with straws.
