Popular cocktails

Tom Collins

1 1/2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Simple Syrup*

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Soda Water

Shake Gin, Simple Syrup and Lemon Juice over ice. Fill Collins glass with ice and strain drink into glass. Top with soda water and gently stir. Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.

Side car

1 part Cognac (brandy will do, but Cognac is best)

1 part Cointreau (Grand Marnier or other triple sec)

1 part lemon juice

Shake over ice and pour into sugar rimmed glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Martini

4 parts Gin

1 part dry vermouth (sometimes called French or white vermouth)

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass over ice and stir well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel over the drink, discard. Garnish with one green olive.

Cosmopolitan

Planter's Punch

• 6cl (6 parts) dark rum

• 3cl (3 parts) fresh lemon juice

• 1cl (one part) grenadine syrup

• Soda water as necessary

Mix in shaker with ice. Pour into glass and top up with soda water. Garnish and serve.

Black Russian / White Russian

2 ounces Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka

1 ounce Kahlua Especial

Fill a rocks glass two-thirds full of ice. Build drink in glass beginning with vodka and then Kahlua. Insert stir straw. To turn this into a White Russian: 1 ounce Vodka, 1 ounce Kahlua, 1 ounce half and half. Build in a rocks glass in the same manner.

Bloody Mary

2 ounces Pepper Infused Vodka

1/2 Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

6-8 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce

4-6 Dashes Tabasco Sauce

2-3 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

3 Dashes Celery Salt

2 Dashes White Pepper

2 Dashes Garlic Powder

2 Dashes Onion Powder

Clamato Juice

Coarse salt for rimming

Garnishes: Celery stalk is standard. Try a dill pickle spear, jalapeño stuff olives on a skewer or shrimp cocktail for something off the beaten track.

Rim a Collins glass with salt. Fill glass half full with ice. Season ice with sauces, bitters, powders, peppers and salts. Pour in vodka. Top off with Clamato Juice leaving a half inch at the rim of the glass. Squeeze in lime and drop into glass. Garnish. For a fantastic Bloody Mary Vodka infusion recipe click on my recipe here Bloody Mary.

Irish Coffee – Unsweetened

1-1/4 ounce Irish Whiskey

Hot Strong Coffee

Whipped Cream (optional)

Three Whole Coffee Beans for Garnish

Place a metal spoon in hot toddy glass. Measure in whiskey. Top off with hot coffee. Optional whipped cream may be added to the top with three coffee beans sprinkled on top.

Irish Coffee – Sweetened

1/2 ounce Irish Whiskey

3/4 ounce Bailey’s Irish Cream

Hot Strong Coffee

Whipped Cream (optional)

Three Whole Coffee Beans or three chocolate covered espresso beans for Garnish

Place metal spoon in hot toddy glass. Measure in whiskey and Bailey’s Irish Cream. Top off with coffee. Optional whipped cream may be added to the top with coffee bean garnish sprinkled atop.

Kamikaze Cocktail

While most twenty-one year olds are throwing back shots, this Kamikaze is a cocktail instead.  An easy way to remember this one; throwing back too many will make for a Very Tough Landing. 

1-1/2 ounce Vodka

1 ounce Triple Sec

3/4 ounce Lemon Juice

Lime Wedge for Garnish

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds full of ice.  Shake for ten to fifteen seconds.  Strain into a well chilled cocktail shaker.  Garnish with a lime wedge.

Margarita

Everyone has their version of the perfect Margarita and their favorite tequila to add to the equation.  Here is a basic recipe to build upon so you won’t have to pick up a mix from the corner grocery. 

2 ounces Tequila

1 ounce Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 ounce Triple Sec

Lime Wedge for Garnish

Salt for Rimming

Rim edge of margarita glass with salt.  Combine liquid ingredients in cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice.  Shake for 10 to 15 seconds.  Place ice in margarita glass.  Strain contents of shaker into margarita glass.  Garnish with lime wedge.  To upgrade this margarita use quality tequilas such as Patron Silver or Reposado and Cointreau or Grand Marnier in place of the Triple Sec.   

Martini

2-1/2 ounces Tanqueray 10 Gin

Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth

Lemon Twist

Place ice in a martini glass.  Drizzle approximately 1/4 to 1/2 ounce of dry vermouth in the ice and set aside.  Measure out Tanqueray 10 Gin into a cocktail shaker filled one-third full of ice.  Shake or swirl the gin (depending on your theory of “bruising” the gin) for at least fifteen seconds.  Your goal is to chill the gin thoroughly.  Take the martini glass with vermouth in hand.  Swirl the glass so the vermouth coats the inside and pour out.  Do not shake the glass until every drop is gone.  Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker into the vermouth coated martini glass.  Take your lemon twist and circle it around the rim of the martini glass before placing it halfway on the edge and partially inside the gin as garnish.  Serve and drink while still chilled. 

Old Fashioned

2 ounces Bourbon

2 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

3 Maraschino Cherries (save one for garnish)

2 orange slices (save one for garnish)

Bar Spoon of Maraschino Cherry Juice from Jar 

Place all ingredients (save one cherry and one orange slice) into a cocktail shaker.  Muddle.  Fill one-third full of ice.  Shake for ten to fifteen seconds.  Fill an old-fashioned glass half full with ice.  Strain contents of shaker into old-fashioned glass.  Garnish with cherry and orange slice skewered.

Long Island Iced Tea(LIIT)

1/2 ounce Light Rum

1/2 ounce Gin

1/2 ounce Vodka

1/2 ounce Tequila Blanco

1/2 ounce Triple Sec

1 ounce Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

1/2 to 1 ounce Cola

Lemon Slice Garnish

Build over fresh ice in Collins or Sling style glass saving cola topper as last addition. Stir. Garnish with lemon slice.

ORAL SEX ON THE BEACH

1 oz Smirnoff vodka

1 oz peach schnapps

1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur

3 1/2 oz pineapple juice

Pinacolada

60ml Malibu/white rum

40ml coconut milk

20ml fresh cream

120ml pineapple juice

Crushed ice of 4 cubes

1 pineapple slice

1 cherry

Method:

1. Put all ingredients except pineapple slice & cherry into a blender & blend well.2. Pour the contents into a pineapple shell/Long drink glass.3. Garnish with pineapple slice & cherry.4. Serve with a straw, napkin & a coaster.

Tequila Sunrise

60ml Silver Tequila

10ml Grenadine

180ml Orange juice

4cubes ice

1 slice of orange

Method:

1. Put 4 cubes ice & tequila in a Hi Ball Glass.2. Top up with orange juice.3. Drizzle grenadine into the drink & garnish with slice of orange.

Blue Lagoon

45ml Vodka Method = Shaken

15ml Blue Curacao Glass = Long glass

120ml mix fruit juice or sprite

4 cubes ice

1 Pineapple slice with leaves

1 cherry

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients except pineapple slice & cherry into a cocktail shaker.2. Shake for about 5 seconds. (Do not shake sprite, if using instead of juice)3. Strain into a long glass. (Top up if using sprite)4. Garnish with pineapple slice/leaves & cherry.5. Serve with a straw, napkin & a coaster.

*Gin Fizz

45ml Gin

15ml lemon juice

10ml sugar syrup

Egg white of 1 egg

Soda to top

4 cubes ice

2 Lemon wedges

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients except the soda into a cocktail shaker.2. Shake well for 8-10 seconds.3. Pour into a Collins glass.

Gin Fizz

45ml Gin

15ml lemon juice

10ml sugar syrup

Egg white of 1 egg

Soda to top

4 cubes ice

2 Lemon wedges

Method:

4. Put all the ingredients except the soda into a cocktail shaker.5. Shake well for 8-10 seconds.6. Pour into a Collins glass.7. Top with soda & serve with a napkin, straw & coaster.

Black Russian

45ml Vodka Method = Shaken

15ml Kahlua Glass = Cocktail

4 cubes ice

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker & shake well for 7-8 seconds.2. Pour into a cocktail glass.3. Serve with a napkin & coaster.

Gimlet45ml Gin Method = Shaken

15ml lemon juice Glass = Cocktail

10ml sugar syrup

4 cubes crushed ice

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker & shake well for 7-8 seconds.

2. Pour into a cocktail glass.3. Serve with a napkin & coaster.

White Lady45ml Gin Method = Shaken

15ml Cointreau Glass = Champagne Saucer

10ml lemon juice

15ml fresh cream

1 egg white

5 cubes of ice

Slice of lemon

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a shaker except lemon & shake well for 7-8 seconds.

2. Strain into a champagne saucer & garnish with a lemon slice3. Serve with a napkin & coaster.

Brandy Alexander

45ml Brandy Method = Shaken

15ml Cacao Dark Glass = Champagne saucer

15ml fresh cream

Little grated nutmeg

5 cubes of ice

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a shaker except nutmeg & shake well for 5-6 seconds.

4. Strain into a champagne saucer & garnish with grated nutmeg.5. Serve with a napkin & coaster.

Dry Martini

60ml Gin/Vodka Method = Shaken

10ml dry vermouth Glass = Martini

6 ice cubes

1olive

Method:

1. Put Gin/Vodka & dry vermouth with ice into a cocktail shaker.2. Shake well for 10 seconds.3. Strain into a martini glass.4. Drop an olive into the glass.