London Cocktail Week 6th - 12th Oct 2014

London Cocktail Week is back this October with over 200 bars offering £4 cocktails, tastings, pop ups and much more. But don't worry if you're miles from the capital, we have some of our favourite cocktail recipes below for you to recreate.

Why not have a cocktail party at home? Ask everyone to bring one spirit and one mixer/fresh fruit so you have plenty of flavours to choose from to create your own unique cocktails.


Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri
Let's start with an easy one, throw it all in together and let the blender do the work! We love strawberries but you can substitute these for other fruits such as raspberries, melon, mango, orange....

Ingredients:
50ml white rum (we use Appletons White Rum)
Handful of hulled strawberries
25ml lime juice
12.5ml strawberry liquor (we use Bols)
Dash sugar syrup
small scoop full of crushed ice

Method:
1. Throw it all into a blender and blend until slushy.
2. Pour into a hurricane or large martini glass and garnish with a strawberry.

Equipment
25ml / 50ml Measure
Strawberry huller
Lime juicer
Ice crusher
Blender
Large martini glass

Classic
Perhaps one of the easiest cocktails to make, the classic champagne cocktail originated from a cocktail competition in New York in 1899. As you drink, the sugar dissolves changing the drink from dry to sweet

Ingredients:
1 x brown sugar cube
12.5ml brandy/cognac (we use Courvoisier v.s.o.p)
Angostura bitters
champagne (we use Ayala Brut Majeur - The house champagne served at Gordon Ramseys restaurants ;-) )

Method: 
1. Dash angostura bitters over the sugar cube until covered and drop into the bottom of an empty champagne flute.
2. Top up with champagne

Equipment:
Champagne flute
25ml measure (use upside-down for half measures)

See we told you it was easy! Tip: If you find your champagne glass fizzing over when you pour the champagne over the sugar, tip your glass 45 degrees.

Old Fashioned
This drink takes a little more time and patience but it is definitely worth it! There are lots of variation of this drinks, we like it sweet so have added caramel syrup instead of sugar.

Ingredients: 
 

3-4 slices orange peel
Angostora bitters
12.5ml caramel syrup
62.5ml bourbon (we use Jim Beam)
Plenty of clean fresh ice

Method:
1. Cut 3-4 large pieces of orange peel and cut away the pith.
2. Muddle the orange with a dash or two of angostora bitters and the caramel syrup (we've put 12.5ml as we like it sweet - start with just a little and you can always add more). 
3. Half fill the glass with ice and pour 12.5ml of bourbon in. Using a long cocktail spoon gently mix the cocktail by moving in a circular direction.
4. After about 15 seconds, top up with more ice and pour another 12.5ml of bourbon in.
5. Repeat step 4 until you have used all of the bourbon.
6. Garnish with an orange twist.

Equipment:
Old fashioned glass or short tumbler
25ml measure (use upside-down for half measures)
Chopping board and knife
Muddler
Long bar spoon


Remember you can add more/less sugar/lime depending how sweet or sour you like your drinks, and don't be afraid to experiment with different flavours!