Tekilla Ghost
3 cl. Tekila
2 cl. Rakı
2 pub spoon of lemon juice
Mix them in the shaker and serve with ice cubes.
Pick Me Up
½ Fernet Branca
½ Rakı
serve with ice cubes.
Pick Me Up 2
1/3 Brandy
1/3 Sek (dry) vermut
1/3 Rakı
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
TURKISH CLASSIC
Ways of drinking of RAKI
In Turkey, raki is consumed with meze (a selection of appetisers or small dishes taken with alcohol); it is especially popular with white cheese and melon and with fish. Raki is generally drunk mixed with cold water. Ice cubes may be added, preferably to diluted raki, since its anise may otherwise crystallize. When the water is added, the mixture turns a whitish colour, similar to the louche of absinthe. In addition to mixing raki with water in its own glass, it is customary to drink raki with a separate but complementary beverage. For the casual raki drinker, a glass of cold water is suitable. For the serious connoisseur of raki with kebab, a glass of şalgam stands as the best accompaniment to Lion's Milk. Sometimes raki is drunk with ayran (in a separate glass), which is said to prevent hangover.
In Turkey, raki is consumed with meze (a selection of appetisers or small dishes taken with alcohol); it is especially popular with white cheese and melon and with fish. Raki is generally drunk mixed with cold water. Ice cubes may be added, preferably to diluted raki, since its anise may otherwise crystallize. When the water is added, the mixture turns a whitish colour, similar to the louche of absinthe. In addition to mixing raki with water in its own glass, it is customary to drink raki with a separate but complementary beverage. For the casual raki drinker, a glass of cold water is suitable. For the serious connoisseur of raki with kebab, a glass of şalgam stands as the best accompaniment to Lion's Milk. Sometimes raki is drunk with ayran (in a separate glass), which is said to prevent hangover.
Monday, 5 January 2009
THAI MANGO PASSION COCKTAIL
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
SERVES 6-8
2 ripe mangoes
1/2 cup vodka (for gluten-free diets: replace with more champagne)
1/4 cup lime juice (or juice of 1/2 lime)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup natural syrup, like maple syrup or brown rice syrup OR substitute 1/4 cup palm or brown sugar
1 bottle champagne, OR sparkling white wine (OR substitute sparkling spring water if you prefer less alcohol)
Garnish: ice cubes OR crushed ice, lime wedges/slices, plus fresh cherries or other fruit of your choice
Preparation:
First, cut the mangoes and drop all their succulent flesh into your blender.
Add the vodka, lime juice, salt, and syrup. Don't put the syrup away, as you may need a little more in a minute.
Blend well to create a kind of mango puree. Now do a taste-test, adding more syrup if desired (how much syrup will depend on the sweetness of your mangoes). This drink should be a balance between sweet and sour, but leaning more toward the sweet.
If you added more syrup, blend again and continue to taste-test until you're happy with the results.
Pour this wonderful mango concoction into glasses, only half-filling them.
Now top the glasses up with your choice of champagne, sparkling wine, OR sparkling spring water if you prefer less alcohol.
Top with a couple of ice cubes or some crushed ice. If desired, garnish glasses with slices/wedges of fresh lime, plus your choice of fresh fruit (I used fresh cherries). CHEERS!
Non-Alcoholic Version: To make this drink non-alcoholic, substitute the vodka for 1/4 cup water OR mango juice (or other tropical juice, such as guava or pineapple juice). Then top up your glass with sparkling spring water (such as Perrier) instead of champagne. ENJOY!
ALL ABOUT GRANİTA
Granita, a semi-frozen dessert similar to sorbet that originally hails from Italy, is a perfect summer party treat and although it looks impressive, it's very easy to prepare. Typically flavoured with coffee, lemon, mandarins, wild strawberries, mint or almonds, granita makes an icy-cold alternative to cocktails with the addition of a splash of vodka, gin or Campari for an alcoholic kick. Although our recipe uses ruby grapefruit, any fruit juice can be used in this delicious dessert.
- 1 cup sugar
- juice of 1 ruby grapefruit
- Campari (or vodka or gin) to taste
- candied orange zest strips to serve (optional)
Heat sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan over a medium heat until sugar dissolves to create a syrup. Chill syrup before mixing one part syrup with three parts grapefruit juice. Add Campari to taste. Pour onto a baking tray and freeze until firm, then remove and break up mixture with a fork. Return to freezer. Repeat process every half hour until mixture has a frozen, but slushy consistency. Alternatively, blitz frozen mixture in a food processor just before serving. To serve, spoon granita into glass cups and top with strips of candied orange zest and an extra splash of Campari, if desired. Serves 1–2.
Baileys Choc Mint Martini
The fresh flavour of Baileys Mint Chocolate shaken with crème de menthe, crème de cacao and milk.30ml Baileys Mint
15ml crème de menthe
15ml dark crème de cacao
30ml milk Combine 30ml of Baileys Mint,
15ml of Crème de menthe and 15ml of Dark crème de cacao in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a fresh mint leaf. Serve martini-style with a fresh mint leaf.
St. Patrick's Day Cocktail
Black Velvet
5 oz chilled Guinness®
1 1/2 oz. chilled Champagne
Pour Guinness® into a champagne flute. Add champagne carefully, so it does not mix with Guinness®, and serve.
Serve in: Champagne Flute
BASIC TECHNIQUES
Shaking
When a drink contains eggs, fruit juices or cream, it is necessary to shake the ingredients. Shaking is the method by which you use a cocktail shaker to mix ingredients together and chill them simultaneously. The object is to almost freeze the drink whilst breaking down and combining the ingredients. Normally this is done with ice cubes three-quarters of the way full. When you've poured in the ingredients, hold the shaker in both hands, with one hand on top and one supporting the base, and give a short, sharp, snappy shake. It's important not to rock your cocktail to sleep. When water has begun to condense on the surface of the shaker, the cocktail should be sufficiently chilled and ready to be strained.
Straining
Most cocktail shakers are sold with a build-in strainer or hawthorn strainer. When a drink calls for straining, ensure you've used ice cubes, as crushed ice tends to clog the strainer of a standard shaker. If indeed a drink is required shaken with crushed ice (ie. Shirley Temple), it is to be served unstrained.
Stirring
You can stir cocktails effectively with a metal or glass rod in a mixing glass. If ice is to be used, use ice cubes to prevent dilution, and strain the contents into a glass when the surface of the mixing glass begins to collect condensation.
Muddling
To extract the most flavor from certain fresh ingredients such as fruit or mint garnishes, you should crush the ingredient with the muddler on the back end of your bar spoon, or with a pestle.
Blending
An electric blender is needed for recipes containing fruit or other ingredients which do not break down by shaking. Blending is an appropriate way of combining these ingredients with others, creating a smooth ready to serve mixture. Some recipes will call for ice to be placed in the blender, in which case you would use a suitable amount of crushed ice.
Building
When building a cocktail, the ingredients are poured into the glass in which the cocktail will be served. Usually, the ingredients are floated on top of each other, but occasionally, a swizzle stick is put in the glass, allowing the ingredients to be mixed.
Layering
To layer or float an ingredient (ie. cream, liqueurs) on top of another, use the rounded or back part of a spoon and rest it against the inside of a glass. Slowly pour down the spoon and into the glass. The ingredient should run down the inside of the glass and remain seperated from the ingredient below it. Learning the approximate weight of certain liqueurs and such will allow you to complete this technique more successfully, as lighter ingredients can then be layered on top of heavier ones.
Flaming
Flaming is the method by which a cocktail or liquor is set alight, normally to enhance the flavor of a drink. It should only be attempted with caution, and for the above reason only, not to simply look cool. Some liquors will ignite quite easily if their proof is high. Heating a small amount of the liquor in a spoon will cause the alcohol to collect at the top, which can then be easily lit. You can then pour this over the prepared ingredients. Don't add alcohol to ignited drinks, don't leave them unattended, light them where they pose no danger to anybody else, and ensure no objects can possibly come into contact with any flames from the drink. Always extinguish a flaming drink before consuming it.
When a drink contains eggs, fruit juices or cream, it is necessary to shake the ingredients. Shaking is the method by which you use a cocktail shaker to mix ingredients together and chill them simultaneously. The object is to almost freeze the drink whilst breaking down and combining the ingredients. Normally this is done with ice cubes three-quarters of the way full. When you've poured in the ingredients, hold the shaker in both hands, with one hand on top and one supporting the base, and give a short, sharp, snappy shake. It's important not to rock your cocktail to sleep. When water has begun to condense on the surface of the shaker, the cocktail should be sufficiently chilled and ready to be strained.
Straining
Most cocktail shakers are sold with a build-in strainer or hawthorn strainer. When a drink calls for straining, ensure you've used ice cubes, as crushed ice tends to clog the strainer of a standard shaker. If indeed a drink is required shaken with crushed ice (ie. Shirley Temple), it is to be served unstrained.
Stirring
You can stir cocktails effectively with a metal or glass rod in a mixing glass. If ice is to be used, use ice cubes to prevent dilution, and strain the contents into a glass when the surface of the mixing glass begins to collect condensation.
Muddling
To extract the most flavor from certain fresh ingredients such as fruit or mint garnishes, you should crush the ingredient with the muddler on the back end of your bar spoon, or with a pestle.
Blending
An electric blender is needed for recipes containing fruit or other ingredients which do not break down by shaking. Blending is an appropriate way of combining these ingredients with others, creating a smooth ready to serve mixture. Some recipes will call for ice to be placed in the blender, in which case you would use a suitable amount of crushed ice.
Building
When building a cocktail, the ingredients are poured into the glass in which the cocktail will be served. Usually, the ingredients are floated on top of each other, but occasionally, a swizzle stick is put in the glass, allowing the ingredients to be mixed.
Layering
To layer or float an ingredient (ie. cream, liqueurs) on top of another, use the rounded or back part of a spoon and rest it against the inside of a glass. Slowly pour down the spoon and into the glass. The ingredient should run down the inside of the glass and remain seperated from the ingredient below it. Learning the approximate weight of certain liqueurs and such will allow you to complete this technique more successfully, as lighter ingredients can then be layered on top of heavier ones.
Flaming
Flaming is the method by which a cocktail or liquor is set alight, normally to enhance the flavor of a drink. It should only be attempted with caution, and for the above reason only, not to simply look cool. Some liquors will ignite quite easily if their proof is high. Heating a small amount of the liquor in a spoon will cause the alcohol to collect at the top, which can then be easily lit. You can then pour this over the prepared ingredients. Don't add alcohol to ignited drinks, don't leave them unattended, light them where they pose no danger to anybody else, and ensure no objects can possibly come into contact with any flames from the drink. Always extinguish a flaming drink before consuming it.
An Irish kiss with coffee -delicious
For 1 serving
3/4 oz Bailey's® Irish cream
3/4 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueurcoffee
1 1/2 oz whipped cream
Pour Baileys and Kahlua into Irish coffee glass, fill glass with hot coffee and top with whipped cream.
3/4 oz Bailey's® Irish cream
3/4 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueurcoffee
1 1/2 oz whipped cream
Pour Baileys and Kahlua into Irish coffee glass, fill glass with hot coffee and top with whipped cream.
Non-Alcholic orange Julius recipe
Mojito Classic
1/2 oz Cuban light rum
handful fresh mint sprigs
dash gomme syrup
1/2 lime soda water
Muddle the mint, sugar and rum together in a tall glass, squeeze the lime into the mix and drop the lime hulls into the drink. They will release their essential oils into the drink, adding to the flavour and look of this Cuban classic. Fill the glass with ice, top with soda water (not 7-up!) and stir.
handful fresh mint sprigs
dash gomme syrup
1/2 lime soda water
Muddle the mint, sugar and rum together in a tall glass, squeeze the lime into the mix and drop the lime hulls into the drink. They will release their essential oils into the drink, adding to the flavour and look of this Cuban classic. Fill the glass with ice, top with soda water (not 7-up!) and stir.
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