Bubbly Negroni *Deluxe*

One of the best perks of being a drinksblogger is that you get to know many other drinksbloggers all around the world. One of those pretty famous bloggers is Natalie Migliarini. Together with her partner-in-crime James Stevenson she wrote a very nice book “Beautiful Booze”, packed with recipes to try at home. 

Tonight I’m re-shaking one of the recipes from that book. It’s a festive take on the iconic Italian classic. I may have done this before by adding Prosecco to Belroy’s bottled Negroni, but this time by using only ‘Limited Edition’ ingredients, we make this a very exclusive and festive drink. It was awesome !!!

Bubbly Negroni *Deluxe* 

Ingredients
30 ml Hennessy Cognac Very Special Limited Edition 
30 ml Campari Cask Tales (Barrel aged)
30 ml Gonzalez Byass La Copa Reserva (sweet vermouth)
90 ml Vilarnau Limited Edition Cava Extra Sec

Method
Combine the cognac, Campari and vermouth in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for half a minute to chill and combine the ingredients. Strain into a festive Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with an orange twist. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Maker's Mark

Tonight it’s Christmas Eve and this is also the final day of our “Xmas Gifts Parade”.
Of course in the next days, weeks and hopefully years we’ll keep on serving you more delicious cocktails and spirits. 

It’s winter, it’s Christmas and even my bottles are wearing sweaters against the cold. You might think such a sweater is pretty useless, unless you have a very small dog or your daughter still plays with Barbie dolls. And yes, it’s a collector’s item. 

In this season, Bourbon and blood orange go very well together. Let’s take that as a start for a very tasty cocktail. Maker’s Mark is a bit sweeter than most bourbons, because they use 70% corn in their mash, which is considerably more than the obligatory 51%... and no wheat. They use corn, red winter rye and barley.

The name of my cocktail refers to a famous movie 😉 

I also want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Hope you can enjoy some good food and delicious drinks with your family. 

Blood oranges mean mortal danger

Ingredients
50 ml Maker’s Mark Bourbon
20 ml Gonzalez Byass La Copa Reserva Vermouth
15 ml Cointreau Blood Orange
20 ml Blood Orange juice

Method
Add all ingredients to a shaker with enough ice. Shake for 15 seconds and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with cocktail cherries. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

 

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Graham's Port Six Grapes

Next up in our series “Xmas Gifts Parade” is a beautiful love story between Italy and Porto. Our cocktail is an Italian-style aperitivo, but with a base of red port wine by Graham's Port. 

A very tasty and refreshing recipe created by Ran Van Ongevalle, award winning bartender and owner of Bar Ran in Bruges. 

Port Garibaldi

Ingredients
60 ml Six Grapes Port
15 ml Lemon juice
15 ml Campari
120 ml Fresh orange juice

Method
When a cocktail contains fruit juices, you need to shake it. Add everything to your shaker, with just one single icecube and shake hard to develop a bit of foam. Strain in a highball glass with fresh ice and garnish with a nice wedge of orange. I was out of oranges, so I used a wedge of pink grapefruit. 

Tip: Want to make a serious difference with your Garibaldi? Start by adding some air to your juices by mixing them up in your blender. Trust me, the result is stunning. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Ron La Progresiva 13

A while ago we mixed some drinks with Black Tears, a Cuban spiced rum. Today I’m sipping a relative of this rum, Ron La Progresiva 13. This rum is hand-crafted by Bodega Vigia’s women rum maestros. 

It’s an elegant dry rum, which can easily compare to a fine cognac or rare whisky.
We’re going for a Cuban-Spanish twist on the Old Fashioned.

Vigia Old Fashioned

Ingredients
50 ml Ron La Progresiva 13
15 ml Gonzalez Byass Nectar (Pedro Ximenez sherry)
15 ml Gonzalez Byass Viña AB (Amontillado Sherry)
1 dash Bleeding Heart Calamansi bitters (alternative could be grapefruit bitters)

Method
You can either stir this drink straight in the tumbler, or stir first in a mixing glass and strain into the tumbler. Make sure you got a nice block of ice in your tumbler. Garnish with an amarena cherry. 

Tip: Serve with a piece of dark chocolate !

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Vilarnau Limited Edition Cava

Christmas is just a few days away, so let’s get to the more festive drinks. When thinking about cocktails for these holidays, you absolutely need to consider bubbly cocktails made with Champagne, Crémant, Cava or Prosecco. There is a whole range of very tasty recipes from the classic “Champagne Cocktail” (with brandy and sugar) to the modern classic, the Negroni Sbagliato. 

Today I’m going for another pretty classic recipe : The Poinsettia. You could say it’s something like a crossover between a Champagne cocktail and a Cosmopolitan. The name refers to the Poinsettia flower (“Kerstster” or “Christmas Star” in dutch), which is commonly associated with Christmas. So it’s absolutely perfect for our “Xmas Gifts Parade”.

For the bubbly we picked Vilarnau Limited Edition Cava (Extra Sec). Since my wife happens to be diabetic, we always go for Extra Sec, Extra Brut or Brut Nature, so this is absolutely perfect. This wine is produced from a blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Subirat grapes. Lots of fruity aromas, you can still smell the grapes. 

In most recipes they use a bit more of the cranberry juice, but I wanted a dry result with a fruity aroma. This recipe gave me the exact result I wanted. 

Poinsettia

Ingredients
15 ml Cointreau
60 ml Cranberry juice
Vilarnau Limited Edition Cava (Extra Sec)

Method
Add the Cointreau and Cranberry juice to a chilled Champagne glass. Stir to blend. Top with sparkling wine. Add a cocktail cherry. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Hendrick's Gin

Up to 20 years ago the Gin & Tonic was an outdated drink, mostly made with Gordon’s and Schweppes, garnished with a wedge of lemon. And then came Hendrick’s...

Hendrick’s Gin is distilled by Willian Grant & Sons at the Girvan Distillery in Scotland. Yes, indeed… whisky distillers. And I don’t know why, but every single time I taste a gin distilled by a whisky producer, I think to myself “Yes, those guys really know how to do it”. In this case it was actually a girl who created this gin, Lesley Gracie. Hendrick’s rocked the world by serving its premium gin with a slice of cucumber. Never done before. Everyone was amazed by the added value of the cucumber, which created a fantastic perfume in combination with the spirit. Other gin producers starting to add other garnishes, botanicals and herbs. The rest is history. The gin hype was launched. And until now, Hendrick’s is still one of the most popular gins around.

Hendrick‘s G&T

Ingredients
5 cl Hendrick’s Gin
15 cl Premium tonic
+ You really need a cucumber 

Method
A Gin and tonic is the easiest cocktail to make. Add both to a glass with icecubes and you’re done. The trick here is to add enough cucumber to your glass to get this great effect. 

If you are going to use round slices, add 3 of them to your glass. I went a bit crazy and cut ‘tongues’ of cucumber (long slices) and made them stick to the inside of the glasses. Don’t worry about them, the icecubes will hold them in place. Cheers !

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Leonce Vermouth

In the past we already reviewed Sorgin and a bit later the yellow edition. From the same house, we now got a nice bottle of vermouth. Leonce Extra Dry Vermouth has a base of fortified sauvignon blanc. In this range they also have a red vermouth and even a Malbec based vermouth.

After the succesful launch of their gins, Sabine en François Lurton started working on this new range of premium vermouths. Each bottle stands for one of the favourite cepages of François : Sauvignon Blanc Gascogne (France), Maury Le Roussillon (France) and Malbec de Chacayes (Argentina). 

How can I mix up this vermouth in a cocktail, which really highlights the vermouth instead of other spirits? Let’s do a “Reverse Dry Martini”.

Reverse Dry Martini

Ingredients
50 ml Leonce Extra Dry Vermouth
20 ml Sorgin Barrel Aged
1 dash Orange bitters

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain in a pre-chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
No olive, you want to highlight the taste of the grapes in this one. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Fonseca Porto

Fortified wine aperitifs like vermouth and sherry always add tons of flavour and texture to your cocktail. The spirit I have used least for this until now is probably Port wine. Let’s see if we can do something nice with this great bottle of Fonseca Porto Bin N°27. This is a rich, vibrant, intense, fruity and full bodied port. 

Since this is a port wine with a very intense fruity nose and a smooth texture with lots of tannins, we can absolutely use it for tasty combinations. You can pair it with chocolate, fruit, cheese or desserts. We are looking for a bolder combination in this Manhattan variation.  

Bar Drake Manhattan

Ingredients
60 ml Woodford Reserve Bourbon
30 ml Fonseca Bin 27 Port
1 bs Maple Syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain in a pre-chilled coupe. Garnish with cocktail cherries. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : The London N°1

One of the bottles I received for this “Xmas Gifts Parade” was The London N°1. A nice bottle of gin I’ve tasted before and which is in my personal opinion really good. But what could I do with it, what could make it stand out a bit in this series?

Suddenly I was thinking of a fancy style of Bloody Mary. Can you make a Bloody Mary with Gin instead of vodka? Of course you can. Actually vodka might be the worst choice of spirit for this kind of drink because compared to other spirits like Gin or Tequila, it lacks flavour. A Gin Bloody Mary is called a Red Snapper and is a slightly bolder style of Bloody Mary, packed with flavour. 

Why don’t we make Bloody Mary’s more often? You need to run around between the kitchen and the bar to collect all the ingredients… and you also need a piece of celery for decoration. Yes, mainly for decoration because it hardly adds to the drink and you certainly won’t eat it. We almost never have fresh celery, when we need it we have chopped celery in the freezer. 

Let’s go for a smoother and more elegant Aperitif-style Red Snapper, served in a balloon glass that’s normally used for a gin & tonic. Instead of average tomato juice or Clamato we are using Mary V, the spiced tomato juice created by The Jane’s Chef, Nick Bril.  

Fancy Red Snapper

Ingredients
50 ml Gin
1 small bottle of Mary V spiced tomato
10 ml lemon juice
10 ml Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Tabasco (or more, adjust to your taste)
A good pinch of black pepper
A good pinch of celery salt

Method
The traditional way to prepare this cocktail is by adding everything to one half of a Boston shaker and then throw it a couple of times between both halves of the shaker. One of the halves filled with ice and covered by a strainer. 

If that sound too much circus for you, just use your shaker, but don’t shake it too hard, you really need to get some oxygen in your drink. Strain in your balloon glass (filled with ice cubes) and just add a twist of lemon, after you gave the border of the glass a quick rinse with a part of lemon. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations. 

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Lambay Whiskey

It seems that the bottles which appear in liqueur stores this Christmas period are not average at all. What to think of this one: Lambay Whiskey, a triple distilled Irish whiskey, soft and smooth… but also finished in cognac casks. A full-bodied spirit with notes of malt, flora, almonds and pepper. 

Cocktail? For me this really screams for an Old Fashioned or Sazerac style of drink. Let’s go for the first option in a recipe that let’s the cask speak for itself. This cocktail is smooth as a silk sheet with soft herbal notes. 

The Old Barrel

Ingredients
60 ml Lambay Whiskey (cognac finish)
15 ml Benedictine
15 ml Gonzalez Byass AB (Amontillado sherry)
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain in a tumbler with a big rock of ice. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Bombay Sapphire B-75 Bubble Punch

Due to the COVID19-situation, this will probably be the weirdest Christmas of our lifetime. Normal Christmas parties are not allowed, the best we get in Belgium are small gatherings outside in the garden, with a maximum of four adults. Let’s do have these moments and make them count !!! 

For these small gatherings, why not make a delicious ‘old school’ Christmas punch? It will get the tastebuds going and always looks good. For one of these moments I threw together this B-75 bowl. 

No special moments planned? Why not make the bowl anyway… fill up a carafe with half of it and go surprise your neighbours. That’s what I did while making the photos for this article 😉 

Keep it safe this Christmas, but do raise your glass to long lasting friendships and good health. 

B-75 Bubble Punch
(Serves a bubble of 4 people… or even more !!!)

Ingredients
40 cl Bombay Sapphire Gin
15 cl Meli Honey
15 cl Lemon juice
1 bottle of Martini Brut (sparkling wine)
40 cl Chaudfontaine Water

Method
Start by filling your bowl or carafe with ice cubes. Add the gin, honey, lemon, sparkling wine and water. Give it a few stirs and garnish with lemon- and orange wheels. 

Tip
I dissolved the honey in the lemon juice and then added it to the bowl… works a bit smoother 😉 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Thanks to Bacardi-Martini Belgium and Pravda Pressroom for the support !!!

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Douglas Laing Old Particular Blair Athol

This blog is about cocktails and spirits. Some days I really enjoy a good cocktail packed with flavours, other days I want to discover all those hidden tones in a dram of good quality spirit. During this edition of “Xmas Gifts Parade”, I’ll also present a few very special bottles. 

Today I’m enjoying a dram from one of those exclusive bottles. A Douglas Laing Old Particular bottling of a Blair Athol sherry butt. For this range Douglas Laing bottles at a high alcohol strength, without chill-filtering or added colouring. This is as close as most people get to sampling whisky straight from a cask in the distillery warehouse. 

This is a very exclusive Blair Athol bottling for a group of five Belgian dealers : Prima Vinum, Dram 242, Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis, Wine 4 You and De Straffe Hoek. The barrel was hand-selected by these dealers. You’ll have to visit one of their liqueur stores if you want to get your hands on one of the 636 bottles.  

This whisky is aged for 11 years, distilled March 2009 and bottled in august 2020 on natural cask strength, 62,1%. 

What to expect? A fresh and lively whisky with green fruits, buttery pastry and creamy honey. Oh yes, it's a pretty strong dram, so you might want to add some ice or a drop of water to really get a good taste of this whisky. When you enjoyed the flavours, maybe create a fantastic Old Fashioned with it. Yes, I have tried and it was really delicious !!!

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Johnnie Walker and Oogst van Eden

The iconic brand of Johnnie Walker celebrates its 200th birthday with a few exclusive bottles and new designs. The new Red, Black and Gold bottles are real eyecatchers in any bar, available at your local liqueur store right now. For this unusual holiday season, Johnnie Walker asked me if there was anyone I would like to thank for inspiring me in the past year. Since 2020 was indeed a very special year, struggling through two lockdown periods, I didn’t have to think very long to select someone who really touched me with his professional story. 

Philip Reynders is the Chef of ‘Oogst van Eden’, a small bistro a mile down my street. For me this butcher’s son really fits the ‘Keep Walking’ mantra of Johnnie Walker, pushing boundaries. Philip and his wife Hilde had this fantastic idea to support the ‘short chain’, creating their “Fier op Hier” menu (Translates as ‘Proud on Local”) with a maximum of local products. They select ingredients from local farmers and create very tasty dishes around these products. From aperitif until dessert, the whole menu is a tribute to the local producers of our town, Beringen. And this is of course also a very nice way to support local farmers through this COVID19 period. 

I’m happy to nominate Philip, to receive a bottle of Johnnie Walker 200y Limited Edition Gold. Yesterday I passed by the restaurant and delivered the gift, corona-proof of course. Enjoy a good dram and keep on working with that great idea. 

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is a luxurious and smooth whisky, bursting with honey, dark fruit and vanilla flavours. It’s a blend of Speyside and Highland whiskies, with just a few notes of the West Coast. You can enjoy it neat or with a few ice cubes. Adding a splash of apple juice can add a pleasant freshness. The mellow sweetness is also the perfect base for a classic cocktail recipes like the Old Fashioned or Whisky Sour. But for this occasion, I’d like to enjoy it in a very refreshing longdrink, which could also be a good aperitif during the holidays.

Johnnie Lemon

Ingredients
50 ml Johnnie Walker 200y Limited Edition Gold
150 ml Franklin & Sons Lemon Tonic
7 ml Simple Syrup
1 dash Grapefruit bitters

Method
Build in a highball glass with icecubes. Give it a quick stir. Garnish with a fresh piece of lemon and a twist of lemon. 

Oogst van Eden, Korspelsesteenweg 197, 3581 Beverlo

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : BarBasille cocktails

When you give someone a present, you want it to display your appreciation. You want a gift to be good quality and you want it to show class and elegance. When you give someone a premium bottle of whisky, you know that it looks good, it’s a quality product and it has lots of class.

During this COVID18-period lots of bars started with delivery-boxes of premium cocktails. Most of them seal the liquid in plastic bags, which of course don’t look very sexy. If I would want to give someone a few cocktails as a Christmas present, I really want the gift-package to look cool too. 

That’s when I saw the very classy boxes of BarBasille Quality Cocktails. They look extremely good and they have a range of boxes with different mixes of cocktails. Pricing between 42,50 and 52,50 € for boxes of 5 cocktails. 

In my box I had a Singapore Sling, Mai-Tai, Bramble, Long Island Iced Tea and Negroni. In a separate package I also received a delicious Martinez, which you can see in the glass on the photo. It’s prettier to have the full pack next to the cocktail on the photo 😉. You also get a small booklet with information about the drinks.  

Just serve the cocktails (over ice if needed) in a cocktail glass, add a garnish of your choice and enjoy. You found a couple of favorite cocktails? You can also order them by the bottle. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Xmas Gifts Parade 2020 : Hennessy Cognac

Saint Nicolas is back on his boat and on his way to Spain… that's our cue to start the annual Christmas series on Double Strainger. Because it’s the first year we switched to English, we had to change the name and slightly adapt the concept. Starting today we’ll share lots of tasty gift ideas under the new name “Xmas Gifts Parade”. And we selected a real beauty to start: Hennessy Cognac. 

Each year Hennessy invites an artist to decorate a bottle for the Christmas holidays. This year, the celebrated artist Faith XLVII explores the alchemy of the artistic process in a unique global art collaboration for the Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition. 

For the 10th annual Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition, the Maison Hennessy is proud to announce its collaboration with the street-turned-studio artist Faith XLVII. 

In 2020, the Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition by Faith XLVII opens an exciting new chapter in the Maison’s tradition of fostering partnerships with artists who are part of a global movement. In extending its platform to committed, visionary talents who strive to affect positive change on a community level, Hennessy reinforces its commitment to supporting emerging artists.

As the guest artist for the 10th annual Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition, Faith XLVII is the first female voice to join the Limited Editions series, a formidable artistic lineage that features internationally acclaimed talents such as Felipe Pantone, Vhils, JonOne, Shepard Fairey, Os Gemeos, Futura and Kaws.

With this artistic inspired cognac I mixed up a slightly adapted version of the classic Sazerac. Artists and Absinthe seem to be a good match, or not ? 

The result was absolutely delicious, I liked it so much that I actually made it again the next day 😉 

Hennessy Sazerac

Ingredients
4 cl Hennessy Cognac Very Special Limited Edition
2 cl Bulleit Rye whiskey
3 dashes Peychauds bitters
10 ml simple syrup
Absinthe (for the rinse)

Method
Add a splash of Absinthe to your tumbler and swirl it around. Don’t discard it, this stuff is too good to throw away 😉 
Add the rest of the ingredients to a large mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 20 seconds and strain in the tumbler. Add a big block of ice and garnish with lemon. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

An Apple a day...

This cocktail packed with autumn flavours was a bit tricky to create, it took some experimenting to get it right. Originally I wanted to use homemade apple butter as a sweetener, but this seems close to impossible. Still managed to create this slow sipper without juice.
Suggestions to use apple butter in drinks are still welcome 😉  

An apple a day…

Ingredients

25 ml Douglas Laing King of Scots whisky
25 ml Jim Beam Apple
25 ml Lecompte Calvados
10 ml Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Walnut bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixglass with lots of ice. Strain into a chilled cognac glass. No garnish needed. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Autumn Gin sour

Temperatures are dropping, Saint Nicolas and Santa Claus are already on their way to bring your presents. Let’s do some more autumn drinks, before winter comes knocking on the door. 

Are you also looking forward to this festive season? We are in our final preparations to start the photoshoots for our annual end-of-year series. 

This Autumn Gin Sour is a tasty variation on Salvatore Calabrese’s Breakfast Martini.

Autumn Gin Sour

Ingredients
50 ml London Dry Gin
25 ml Lemon juice
25 ml Grand Marnier (or Cointreau Noir)
10 ml Simple Syrup (careful with this, depends on the sourness of the lemon)
1 bs Orange Marmalade (You need a good quality marmalade with lots of flavour)
1 egg white

Method
Put all ingredients in a shaker without ice. Shake vigorously to create foam. You can always add the spring of a strainer to really whisk up the foam. Add ice and shake again until the shaker is freezing cold. Double Strain in a fancy coupe. Garnish with edible flowers. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Turf Club N°2

Some days I just pick a book from my library and turn the pages until I see a cocktail I like… then I walk over to the homebar and prepare it. Yesterday I stirred this beauty from the book “It’s Gin o’clock” by Manuel Wouters. 

Turf Club N°2

Ingredients
60 ml Filliers Dry Gin 28
30 ml Forest Dry Vermouth
1 bs Absinthe
1 bs Maraschino liqueur
½ bs Orange bitters

Method
Stir together with lots of ice until perfectly cold and blended. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with star anise. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations

World Diabetes Day - Caribbean Vibes

Days are getting shorter and darker, time for a last #throwback to summer before we’re getting totally in the festive mood for the Christmas holidays. I’ve kept this this recipe on the side until today, because November 14 is #WorldDiabetesDay.

In this recipe I’m trying a few new things. As some of you might know, my dear foodblogging wife has diabetes so in our home we don’t use sugar, except for my drinks. I have tried safe sweeteners in cocktails before, but it just isn’t the same. For example, Stevia syrup adds a horrible taste to your drink, which you need to mask with other ingredients. In this recipe I’m trying the new liquid Ellphi sweetener (syrup), based on grains. It’s actually a pretty thick syrup for kitchen use, so I’m just using only a barspoon of it, just like you would do with maple syrup. Depending on demand, we might add this syrup to the Tineke's Cucina webshop soon. 

The Plantation rum is a Jamaica vintage I received as a sample. I had a quick neat taste and thought this would mix great with lime and something fruity. The result is a pretty strong rum cocktail with some serious Caribbean vibes 😉. 

Caribbean Vibes

Ingredients
40 ml Plantation Jamaica Vintage
20 ml Ron Colon high proof rum
20 ml lime juice
20 ml Aperol
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 bs Ellphi liquid sweetener

Method
Put everything in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake for 15 seconds and dirty-dump into your cocktail glass. Top up with some more crushed ice. Garnish with citrus and pineapple.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Elephant Sour - Satao Gin

Well, this certainly put a smile on my face. Elephant Gin (=Satao Gin in the Benelux countries) has sent me a bottle of Gin with my name on it. Cool !

We’ve tested this brand before and remember the unusual African botanicals and the great story about the founders and the fact they still support organisations protecting wild elephants. 

Let’s do a tasty and simple cocktail which adds some extra fruit to the taste of this spirit. 

Elephant Sour

Ingredients
50 ml Satao Gin
15 ml Lime juice
15 ml Blood Orange juice
10 ml Simple Syrup

Method
Keep it very simple. Shake everything with lots of ice. Serve in a cocktail glass with fresh ice and a fresh cut of lemon. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Don Papa Old Fashioned

Last Tuesday I was invited to a webinar for the launch of the brand new Bleeding Heart Bitters, made by the distillers of Don Papa Rum. These bitters are based on calamansi citrus, the result is a very nice combination of bitter and fresh influences. 

Of course I had to try them in a variation on the oldest classic cocktail. Needless to say these bitters works excellent in combination with rum. 

Don Papa Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Don Papa Rum
15 ml Simple syrup
1 drop Maraschino
3 drops Bleeding Heart Calamansi Bitters

Method
Combine everything in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Pinch the oils from an orange zest and add one to the glass. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

  

Sherryweek 2020 : The special bottles

In my Gonzalez Byass delivery for this years edition of #sherryweek there were also three bottles outside of the normal range. I’m not going to use these for cocktails (which is of course perfectly possible). I want to enjoy them just as they are as a roundup of this fantastic week. 

We received two exceptional Fino sherry’s and an Amontillado VORS. 

Tio Pepe Fino
En Rama Edition 2019

The ‘En Rama’ is a special release which only comes to the market once a year. It’s an almost unfiltered edition (there is a very slight filtering to remove e.g. small chips from the cask), almost straight from the Solera casks.

In this edition 62 casks were handpicked for their exceptional bouquet. A nose of hay, dusty attics, wet grass, dough and yeasty apples. In the mouth lemon, salted almonds and roasted nuts. Very recognizable salty aftertaste. 

If your bar needs a fino sherry for a super-premium range of cocktails, look at this bottle. 

Fino Una Palma

The Palmas range of sherries is a very limited release of aged wines. They are bottled unfiltered and unclarified. There are 4 bottlings: Una, dos, tres or cuatro palmas. (Una palma is the youngest of these wines, it goes up in age)

The wine for this Una Palma edition was selected from rare casks which retained a delicate covering of flor despite spending 6 years of biological aging. Just three exceptional casks are selected from a total stock of over 20.000 casks of Fino sherry. Bottled unfiltered and unclarified this wine is dominated by the aroma of the yeasty flor, accompanied by the nutty character of the Palomino and notes of bread, honey and green apples. Powerful and extremely dry on the mouth. Pear and quinces with a salty and slightly bitter finish.

Exclusive sherry wine which can be served as an aperitif, but also enjoyed with fish, rice or pasta. It works extremely well with Asian cuisine. 

Del Duque Amontillado VORS

For old sherry wines there are two special age indications : VOS and VORS

VOS: certifies that the wine has an average age of more than 20 years. The word VOS comes from the Latin “Vinum Optimum Signatum” which means “Very old Sherry”.

VORS: certifies that the wine has a mean age over 30 years. The word VORS comes from “Very Old Rare Sherry” 

In 1835 Manuel Maria Gonzalez bought 16 barrels from the Duke of Medinaceli. These barrels are the base of the Del Duque Solera system, aging this very old amontillado. 

Del Duque is one of the VORS bottlings of Gonzalez Byass. This amontillado is produced exactly like the Viña AB amontillado from the normal range, minimum 4 years in the Tio Pepe Solera, followed by 6 years in a young Amontillado Solera. But after that it’s transferred again to the Del Duque Solera for another TWENTY years !!! This very long ageing results in a sherry with a dark golden colour. On the nose aromas of dried fruits and walnuts. On the palate very dry but also powerful. Very nice aftertaste. 

This delicate sherry should be enjoyed in a small white wine glass to really get the full bouquet of aromas. It can be paired with seafood, rice and small game. Or serve it as a high quality apero with some olives. 

Sherryweek 2020 was (again!) a great experience with these very flavorful sherry range of Gonzalez Byass, some great cocktail experiments and delicious foodpairings. This series was made possible with the help of Gonzalez Byass and distributor Cinoco. Thank you.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Leonor

Next up for #Sherryweek : Gonzalez Byass Leonor, a Palo Cortado sherry.
The Palo Cortado is probably the weirdest type of sherry. The concept for this type of sherry was discovered ‘by accident’ when the flor had suddenly disappeared from a barrel. The aging process is a combination of both natural and ‘by oxidation’. In short, following fermentation to between 11% and 12%, the wine is fortified to 18% alcohol to enter the Leonor Solera. Adding this amount of alcohol will kill the flor. In the Leonor Solera the wine undergoes complete oxidation. The sherry remains in the American oak casks following the traditional Solera system for an average of 12 years. The name refers to the markings on the barrel. 

Due to its power and structure Palo Cortado is a perfect match for old cheese and strong meat such as venison. The power can also be used to make a serious slow-sipping cocktail 😉 

This drink is also my salute to the great Scottish actor, Sir Sean Connery, who passed away a couple of days ago.  

Easy Apero? Forget Whisky-cola. Try Palo Cortado & Cola !

P/C Martini

Ingredients
60 ml Belvedere Vodka
20 ml Gonzalez Byass Leonor (Palo Cortado)
10 ml Dry Vermouth

Method
Stir with lots of ice until the drink is really ice-cold. Strain into a prechilled Martiniglass. Garnish to your own personal taste with a twist of lemon, an olive or a pickled onion. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Nectar

The sweetest wine I ever tasted was Gonzalez Byass Pio X 1903, containing Moscatel Menundo wines from around the 1850s. The wine was never fortified, so it wasn’t sherry. It was so incredibly sweet, it almost hurt my teeth. On the second place for sweetest wines I’ve tasted you’ll definitely find a Pedro Ximénez sherry. Sherry varies from a bone-dry Fino to the very sweet Pedro Ximénez, also known as ‘PX’.

Pedro Ximénez grapes are sundried which reduces the amount of water in  the grape, but maximises the taste. This sherry is dark and syrupy, with notes of dried fruit and tobacco. Also chocolate aromas. In the mouth caramel, honey, nuts, syrup, figs, chocolate and sultanas.  

Mixology Tips 

• Using this sherry as a (partly) substitute for simple syrup in an old Fashioned will result in the softest, most silky Old Fashioned you have ever tasted. 
• This super-sweet sherry is also a great mix with cold brew coffee. 

In this edition of #sherryweek, I take the challenge to serve it straight in a wineglass, in a delicious pairing with some carefully selected cheeses. Since this sherry is very sweet, you need a strong cheese to pair. You want strong and salty cheeses. A slight sour note is also welcome.  

I went to my local cheese experts at ‘t Kaasplankske Beringen and asked for their advice. These were the three cheeses that made the selection :    

• Stilton Colston Basset : Blue cheese from a small Stilton cheese producer in Nottinghamshire, England. Always a winner in combination with sherry.
• Epoisses : French cheese from the village with the same name in dept. Côte-d’Or. 
• Grand Cru : A salty Alpine-style hard cheese.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Cristina

A Medium sherry is a sweet oloroso sherry. A small addition of just 13% Pedro Ximénez adds a little sweetness. This means it’s less sweet than cream sherry, which has 25% of Pedro Ximénez. 

Gonzalez Byass Cristina is aged for 7 years in American oak, following the Solera system. It’s bright amber colored and has aromas of raisins, wood and figs. In the mouth hints of oak.

Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif with cheese or paté. Also works great in slightly sweeter or fruitier cocktails. 

Easy Apero? Medium sherry works very well in a mix with Ritchie Orange (orange lemonade) 

Shopaholic

Ingredients
30 ml Gonzalez Byass Cristina (Medium Sherry)
15 ml Cointreau
1 bs Campari 
Soda water

Method
Stir everything but the soda water together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Serve in an Old Fashioned glass with a big block of ice. Top off with soda water. Garnish with a dehydrated slice of orange. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass 1847 Cream

A cream sherry is a sweet sherry, a mixed type of sherry made with 75% Palomino grapes and 25% Pedro Ximénez grapes. It’s the sweetest sherry which still contains Palomino grapes. 

Gonzalez Byass 1847 Cream is in my opinion a sherry you really need to taste. It still has the typical nuttiness of a Palomino sherry, but the edge is softened by the sweet sundried PX grapes. It’s a dark and sophisticated sherry, aged for nine years. It’s soft and silky with lots of raisin and fig aromas. 

A cream sherry is the perfect companion for desserts and pates. It matches excellent with warm apple pie. In that same flavour-direction and with a little help from my foodblogging wife, we paired this sherry with homemade sugarfree apple beignets. You can find the recipe of this delicious dessert on our foodblog Tineke’s Cucina.

Easy Apero? Cream sherry is a perfect longdrink-mix with Ritchie Pompelmoes (grapefruit soda). 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Sherryweek 2020 : Gonzalez Byass Viña AB

Our second bottle for #sherryweek is Gonzalez Byass Viña AB, which is an Amontillado sherry. Made from the same Palomino grapes as a Fino sherry, but aged 12 years in American oak, instead of 4 to 5 years for Fino sherry. This wine starts it’s life as Tio Pepe, but after 4 to 5 years in the Tio Pepe Solera, it’s transferred into the Viña AB Solera for another 8 years.

Viña AB is a young amontillado which has experienced both ageing under flor and oxidative ageing. On the nose typical Palomino aroma of hazelnuts and slight reminders of the yeast. On the palate subtle notes of oak. Aftertaste with slight saltiness and bitterness. 

Served in a small white wine glass and perfectly paired with clams, mussels, white meat, rice dishes, artichokes and asparagus. 

Easy apero : Viña AB & Tonic. 

Bamboo

Ingredients
45 ml Gonzalez Byass Viña AB (Amontillado sherry)
45 ml White vermouth
2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
2 dashes Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain into a cocktailglass.
Garnish with a lemon peel. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.