Margarita

This bad boy now comes in every imaginable colour and flavour under the sun. The classic Margarita is quite easy to concoct in comparison to its counterparts, and guess what? It doesn’t require a blender! Yes you heard that right… All this drink recipe calls for is: good tequila, a decent triple sec and some fresh lime and you’re good to go!

INGREDIENTS

50 ml Gold Tequila

25 ml Triple sec

25 ml Lime Juice

Salt for the glass

Method

Shake all the ingredients together in a cracked ice shaker. Rum the rim of a cocktail glass with lime juice coat the sides in salt. Shake off any excess salt, cut a slice of lime to garnish and Voila!

Strawberry Daiquiri

The daiquiri has developed into the quintessential rum cocktail and one of the easiest and simplest cocktails. The common denominator in all daiquiris is lime and sugar and rum. From this ground zero it can evolve into literally anything you want you can choose to add fresh fruit to give it a twist of your own. What one should note is that daiquiris are a very transparent so quality ingredients do make all the difference.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups of ice

½ Cup of white sugar

½ Cup of frozen strawberries

1 Tot Lime Juice

5 Tots of lemon juice

7 tots of rum

60 ml lemon -lime flavoured fizzy drink

Method

1. In a blender combine ice, sugar and strawberries.
2. Pour in lime juice, lemon juice and your lemon-lime fizzy drink.
3. Blend all ingredients until you have a smooth consistency
4. Pour into glasses and serve (Serves 4)

Manhattan

This drink recipe is believed to date back to the late 1800s, made with a mixture of whiskey, sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters. Traditionally rye whiskey was used to create this loved drink, which led to Canadian whiskey finding its way into many a Manhattan. In the last century Bourbon has become the whiskey of choice.

INGREDIENTS

ice

2 Parts Whiskey

1 Part Sweet Vermouth

1-2 Dishes of Bitters like Angostura

An orange peel

Real Maraschino Cherries, recipe to follow:

1 cup Maraschino liqueur,

1 Pint sour cherries, stemmed and pitted (if in a rush you can buy a tin of cherries and drain the syrup)

Method

1. Place ice into a cocktail shaker add to it whiskey, vermouth and bitters.
2. Rub the orange peel around the rim of the cocktail glass
3. Strain the drink into the glass
4. Add 1 or 2 Maraschino cherries and enjoy! (Serves 1)

Pina Colada

A drink that originated in Puerto Rico makes for an insatiable tropical taste. This drink recipe is a combination of pineapple, coconut and rum. This tempting drink is really very simple to make

INGREDIENTS

1 and ½ Cups of Ice

1 and ½ cups of frozen diced pineapple

1 and ½ cups of white rum

2 parts pineapple juice

2 parts coconut cream

1 part dark rum

A slice of pineapple

Method

1. Put the ice, frozen pineapples, juice, coconut cream, white rum and dark rum into a blender. Blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.
2. Pour the drink into 2 glasses and garnish the rim with the pineapple slices.

Long Island Ice Tea

A collision of four different spirits creates one potent beverage. A drink recipe that dates back to the 70’s, named after the USA’s largest island – Long island in New York. This drink contains no tea, but does have a similar taste. This drink is sure to bring on plenty unforgettable nights and some hangovers as well!

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups of Ice

1 Part Vodka

1 Part Gin

1 Part White Rum

1 Part White Tequila

½ Part Triple Sec

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ Cup Cola to taste

2 slices of lemon

Method

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour the vodka, rum, tequila, Triple Sec and lemon juice in.
2. Cover and shake vigorously to combine let it chill.
3. Pour into 2 glasses and garnish with lemon wedges.

Sex on the Beach

A very provocative name for a harmless drink that anyone can make and everyone will love! This fruity drink recipe contains vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry and orange juice. You can put your very own twist to this drink and add your favourite fruits or even flavoured vodka. Strawberry and Coconut vodka work really well with this beverage.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups of Ice

1 Part Vodka

1 Part Gin

1 Part White Rum

1 Part White Tequila

½ Part Triple Sec

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ Cup Cola to taste

2 slices of lemon

Method

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour the vodka, rum, tequila, Triple Sec and lemon juice in.
2. Cover and shake vigorously to combine let it chill.
3. Pour into 2 glasses and garnish with lemon wedges.

Irish Coffee

This classic drink recipe was concocted by Joe Sheridan; a mixture of Irish whiskey with rich black coffee created what we now call the Irish Coffee Cocktail. This drink requires a little more effort than just adding things to a blender. It is a carefully constructed hot coffee drink. Best enjoyed on chilly evenings, this steaming cup of sweet goodness will leave you constantly craving it.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup of Freshly Brewed Hot Coffee

1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

1 Part Irish Whiskey

Heavy Cream

Method

1. Fill a footed mug with hot water to preheat then empty.
2. Pour your piping hot coffee into the glass until ¾ full.
3. Add brown sugar until completely dissolved. Blend in the Irish Whiskey.
4. Add a dollop of heavy whipped cream atop. (Serves 1)

Mojito

Mojito’s were born in Havana, Cuba. There are many variations to this drink recipe, however there are 5 main ingredients; mint, rum, powdered sugar, lime and club soda. This is a very refreshing drink to get you through all those blistering hot summer nights.

INGREDIENTS

Ice

6 Parts Light rum

12 mint or spearmint springs broken apart.

6 Tablespoons lime juice

4 Tablespoons sugar

Club soda

4 Slices of lime

Method

1. Place ice in beverage shaker, add in rum the broken sprigs of mint, lime juice and sugar.
2. Shake well and serve over ice in a high ball glass.
3. Top off each glass with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint leaves.

Old Fashioned

This quintessential drink can be made from tequila or whiskey, around since the mid 1800’s. The earliest version of this drink contained simply, water, sugar, bitters and booze. Now the drink has morphed and allowed its self to keep up with the times and still be as popular as it was in its inception.

INGREDIENTS

1 Sugar Cube

3 Dashes of bitters

2 Teaspoons water

2 Strips of Lemon Zest

1 Small Orange Wedge

2 Maraschino Cherries

Ice

2 Parts Bourbon

Club Soda

Cherry to Garnish

Method

1. Add the sugar cube, bitters, water, lemon zest, orange wedge and cherry to the bottom of the glass.
2. Use a spoon to dissolve the sugar cube.
3. Add ice to the glass, top up with bourbon and club soda. Stir everything together well.
4. Top off with a cherry. (Serves 1)

Cosmopolitan

If you’re a regular at hosting parties and dinners, this one is a crowd favourite and had to be on our list. It gained popularity when Dale DeGroff got one into the hands of Madonna at the Rainbow Room, after then it was the drink everyone wanted to be seen sipping on. It’s a drink that is simply stated to be the best Vodka sour on the market. This drink recipe is a timeless classic.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Vodka

½ Cup Triple Sec

½ Cup Cranberry Juice

¼ Cup Freshly Squeezed Lime

1 Small Orange to Garnish

Method

1. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake well and pour through a strainer into 4 Martini glasses.
3. Garnish with an orange peel.