My New Year's resolution

This blog started in January 2016, so starting a new year always feels special for this blog too. Next month I’ll be running this boozy online diary for 7 years already. Maybe it’s time to try a few new things... 

This Christmas, my better half gave me this cocktail book, themed on the popular “Peaky Blinders” Netflix series. In most cases, when cook- or cocktail books are linked to a popular TV series or film, they are absolute rubbish.
In the best cases, they contain a few classic drinks that you’ll find in a thousand other books, but I’ve seen more books that weren’t even worth the paper they were printed on. 

And then I got this book…  

Browsing through the pages, I was amazed. The book contains 40 recipes of semi-classic drinks, that are adapted to the Peaky Blinders timeframe. The book oozes the prohibition era and speakeasy bars, not in Al Capone’s Chicago like might be expected, but we zoom in on the roaring twenties in Birmingham, England. 

While looking at the 40 recipes, I couldn’t help thinking I will absolutely love all these drinks. The Birmingham Sour, Red Horse, Vendetta, Ulster Force, Derby, Easy Dizzy, … So, I had this idea…

In 2023, I will mix up most (or probably all) drinks in this book and be further inspired to make some new original recipes in the same Peaky and prohibition style. Some of the recipes in the book will of course be slightly adapted to my personal taste. 

Enjoy the end-of-year festivities. Make sure you’re ready for an engaging 2023. I’ll welcome all of you to lots of tasty recipes in the New Year. By order of the Peaky Blinders, have a healthy and prosperous New Year. 

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.

Arduenna 75

When a friend of the family drops in for a visit and it also happens to be her birthday, we rely on a true classic and give it just a little twist. 

I used Arduenna gin as a base for this drink. It’s an organic gin distilled in the south of Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg. This fruity gin is distilled 6 times and contains Mirabelle plums, fir (pine) and elderflower. Everything is sourced locally in the Ardennes.  

Arduenna 75

Ingredients (For 3 servings)

80 ml Arduenna Gin

60 ml Lemon juice

20 ml Simple Syrup

Champagne, Prosecco or another good quality sparkling wine

Method

Add the gin, lemon juice and sugar to your shaker with lots of ice. Shake for 10 seconds and double strain in your Champagne glasses. This should be enough for three glasses. Top with bubbly and give it just one gentle stir. Garnish is overrated, better serve it with some nice bites. 

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.

A bitter-sweet end-of-year

Another festive idea. Let’s add some seasonal flavours to our drink. For this variation on the Negroni, I wanted to get some extra taste into the Italian bitter. I poured some red Italian bitter in a jar and added cinnamon, star anise and dried orange peel. I gave it a shake and left it like that for a couple of days, before I used this bitter to mix up a seasonal Negroni. 

Santa’s Negroni

Ingredients

For the seasonal bitter: 

30 ml Red Italian bitter for each serve (I used Caffo, feel free to use others like Campari or Select)

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 tablespoons dry orange peel

For the drink:

30 ml Italian bitter “seasoned”

30 ml Sweet vermouth (I used Cinzano)

30 ml Gin (I used SorGin, which is distilled from grapes)

Method

Add the three ingredients in even parts to your tumbler with lots of ice cubes. Stir for 15 seconds. Garnish with cinnamon and orange. 

TIP: I had some of this tasty seasoned bitter left. So, I decided to add 30 ml to a Champagne flute, added just two or three drops of simple syrup and topped with a good quality sparkling wine. 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

When Santa had too many Cosmos (NA)

What a week… so much fun to create the seasonal drinks. Many people seem to wonder what I mixed up on Christmas Eve. My better half enjoyed a glass of Domaine du Ry d’Argent Nell Brut, a Belgian sparkling wine based on Pinot Auxerrois, Chardonnay and Johanniter. I had a Negroni Sbagliato with that same bubbly. For my daughter (she’s 11), I created a non-alcoholic variation of the Cosmopolitan. That might sound easier than it is. But the result was a real winner and my fashionista daughter absolutely loved this SATC-style drink. 

What’s the tricky part? You need a good base for your drink. A product with some body and a strong tail. That’s usually where drinks like this fail. I was happy to find something that works because that body and tail are really the difference between a soft drink and a mocktail. 

Fryns Spice is a non-alcoholic aperitif based on ginger, lemon, lime and red pepper. Those strong and natural flavours are a good base for a tasty mocktail. 

From the original recipe, I swapped Cointreau for orange juice. But since the juice was of course less sweet than a liqueur, I also added a tiny bit of simple syrup. 

When Santa had too many Cosmos (NA)

Ingredients

50 ml Fryns Spice 0%

30 ml Orange juice

30 ml Cranberry juice

15 ml Lime juice

7 ml Simple syrup

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Shake hard for 15 seconds. Fine strain (that’s a must!!!) in a Martini glass. You could garnish with a lemon or orange twist, but it’s not absolutely necessary. 

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.

Santa's Cosmo

Let’s start with unplugging one of the world’s largest clichés. The Cosmopolitan is not a drink that’s only suitable for single young women.

When prepared as it should, it’s a very nice sour-style alternative for a Martini. I’m not a single young woman and I do like a good Cosmo. 

So, what’s wrong with Cosmo’s? In many bars they use a recipe which is a bit too sweet. This destroys the balance and gives you a sticky drink that’s not how it’s meant to be. I don't like drinks that taste like a lollipop. 

Let’s try this variation with an extra layer of malty flavours. Less sweet in the glass, but with a sugar rim instead to compensate. It was an experiment, but I really loved the result. 

P.S. Next on my TO DO list: I want to re-create this drink, but without alcohol. To be continued.

Santa’s Cosmo

Ingredients

50 ml Genever (I used Fryns Premium)

30 ml Cointreau or Triple Sec

30 ml Cranberry juice

15 ml Fresh lime juice

Method

1. Gently rub some simple syrup on the rim of your Martini glass. Dip in sugar candy.

2. Add all ingredients to your shaker with lots of ice. Shake for 15 seconds. 

3. Strain your drink in the glass.

4. Optional/advanced: Cut a piece of orange peel, give it a firm twist over your glass to spray some of the oils from the peel over your drink, add the peel to your glass.

If you feel really confident: Hold a lighted match between the peel and the drink while releasing those oils. This will warm up the oils to make them even more flavourful. 

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.

Italian Winter Spritz

For this Christmas season, I wanted to mix a couple of variations on the Negroni. And because it’s a festive season, I wanted these drinks to be slightly more challenging than what you normally see on this blog. 

The mission of this blog is to share easy, but tasty recipes. Simple cocktails that you can reproduce at home. Does this mean I never mix up a more advanced drink? Of course not, but those drinks are not what this blog is all about. 

But just maybe, you would love a more advanced drink for the Christmas holidays? If that’s the case, I’ll share one of my recent favourites with you… six ingredients, but still pretty easy to mix. It’s so tasty, you might even decide to serve it as a punch. Not festive enough?
Replace the tonic with a good quality Prosecco… solved. 

Italian Winter Spritz

Ingredients

25 ml Italian red bitter (I used Caffo Mazzodi L’Aperitivo Italiano)

25 ml Sweet vermouth (I used Cinzano)

25 ml Genever (I used Fryns Premium)

20 ml Fresh lemon juice

10 ml Simple Syrup

Schweppes Indian Tonic.

Method

Add all ingredients, except for the tonic, to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake for 15 seconds and strain it into your favourite cocktail glass. Add lots of ice and top with a good quality tonic. Give it one more stir and garnish with a slice 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.

Sweet Tea Old Fashioned

Most recipes featuring a combination of whisky and tea are highball drinks, measuring three times more tea than whisky. I really wanted to try a different approach. I have experimented with tea infusions before and I remember some of those results being very tasty. This time I don't want to create a syrup with tea-flavour, I want to use the tea as a tasty sweetener. 

What I want to do today is start with some tea, made with fresh ‘Bring me back to Bali’ tea, with lemongrass and lemon peel, spicy ginger, bamboo and pepper. While the tea is still hot, I’ll add lots of sugar, the result should be something in between a sweet cup of tea and simple syrup. After cooling down, this tea will be used to sweeten the drink instead of sugar, simple syrup or other sweet elements. I want this drink to be very easy, so everyone who wants a sip can try this at home. A few drops of bitters complete this Eastern-style Old Fashioned. 

Yesterday, I already shared a reel on Instagram with this drink, but you still need the recipe.

Sweet Tea Old Fashioned

Ingredients

For the tea: 

A tea egg filled with Tastea “Bring me back to Bali” tea

4 to 5 lumps of cane sugar

Water

For the cocktail:

50 ml whisky (I used Roe & Co Irish whiskey)

50 ml sweetened tea

1 dash of bitters (I used calamansi bitters, but do try with the bitters of your choice)

Method

Let’s keep it easy and build this Old Fashioned directly in your glass. Add whisky, tea and bitters, fill the glass with ice cubes and stir for 15 seconds. Garnish with fresh lemon. 

P.S. Want to start experimenting yourself? Order your tea at www.premiumtea.store before 31/12 and use the code “STRAINGER” for a 10% discount on all products. 

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.

The story of Fryns (+foodpairing!)

I’m always a sucker for a good story with an unexpected plot twist. Last week I was invited by Céleste Fryns, to visit the Fryns distillery in Hasselt. Fryns is an iconic brand, started in 1887. It was Guillaume Fryns who started a genever distillery in a building called “In ‘t Claverblad” in Hasselt, very close to the governor's building. Today, the clover image, which was present on that original building, is still the company logo.  

When Guillaume passed away, his sons Guillaume Jr. and Jules continued the activities. Guillaume Jr. added a malt- and ice factory and they also expanded with sales offices in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Mons. These were the early days of logistics, driving their lorries for three days to get enough bottles to the sales offices. They spend lots of time creating great packaging and POP materials, to sell attractive products during the roaring twenties. 

During the second World War activities ceased because Jules refused to work with the Nazis. After 1945, he started rebuilding the company. The Fryns company kept innovating and was the first company to launch longdrinks and pre-mix cocktails. 

In 1979 the company was acquired by investors, who quickly shift it to Bruggeman, a large holding specialising in spirits and owned by the even larger group La Martiniquaise Bardinet. Later this group also acquired another genever brand, Smeets. A new plant was built near the ringway, but the Fryns brand moved to the Bruggeman HQ in Ghent. This was almost the end of a great story because Bruggeman marketed Smeets as their primary brand for ‘Hasseltse Jenever’. 

But blood is thicker than water. In 2017, Michel Fryns saw the opportunity to buy the bankrupt “Graanstokerij Wissels” and re-build the distillery on Hasselt soil. Soon after this event, he succeeded in acquiring the brand name from Bruggeman and he brought the company back to its roots. After 25 years Fryns is home again. Important fact: If you want to market your spirit as “Hasseltse Jenever”, the malt wine needs to be distilled on Hasselt soil. This is a protected origin.

In 2021, Céleste Fryns, fifth generation, joined the company. They now have a great dream to get Fryns and “Hasseltse Jenever” back on the map. They market genever as a versatile, tasty and Belgian top product. 

Genever has a public image which you might compare with Tequila. Everyone has this “mental image” of drinking these spirits as a shot. In the case of genever, it’s a shot often drunk by old men. But just like Tequila, this is also a fantastic spirit that can be used as a base for many delicious cocktails. For starters, in every cocktail that contains gin, you can replace the gin with genever. It will add an extra, extremely tasty layer… because of the malt wine, used in the production of genever. 

So yes, I also want to promote mixed drinks with genever and in the next weeks, months or even years you will see several mixed drinks with genever popping up on this blog. 

But for this article, I did something completely different. I remembered an old tradition, I picked up during my travels in Scandinavia. I served a bowl of freshly cooked soup of Belgian endives (Chicon/witloof), with a shot of Fryns Premium Jenever on the side. A match made in heaven. You can find the recipe for the soup on my better half’s foodblog, Tineke’s Cucina. 

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.

This is not a Daiquiri, but the drink sure has gutss

When you want to cut back on alcohol, but you really have your favourite recipes… it’s sometimes hard to find decent replacement products. For that reason, I find it sometimes hard to mix up a good-quality mocktail. I was already intrigued when I received a bottle that claimed to be a good replacement for rum. Would I be able to serve my better half a Daiquiri-style drink, but without the alcohol? 

Gutss is a Belgian non-alcohol premium drink range, claiming to work pretty well in lots of recipes. It doesn’t contain any alcohol, but still has that typical “alcohol bite” you need to mix up a good cocktail. It brings "body" to your drink. In the range, they have two different gin replacements, an Italian spritz and a Cuban spiced rum replacement. The last one is on our test bar at this moment. This product can be used to create non-alcohol variations on the Dark ‘n Stormy, Cuba Libre or Mojito. So, let’s try a fruity variation on the Daiquiri. 

This is not a Daiquiri, but the drink sure has gutss

Ingredients

50 ml Gutss Cuban Spiced (Non-alcoholic rum replacement)

30 ml Lime juice

30 ml Pineapple juice

10 ml Simple Syrup

Method

Add everything to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake for 10 seconds, and strain in a Martini glass. Garnish with lime. 

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.

Bitter Lemon Negroni

Inspired by the Limoncello Negroni by my friend Natalie Migliarini, I created this cross-over with the ‘White Negroni’. That might sound like a weird combination, but it’s actually delicious. 

Since it’s an even-parts recipe, everyone can mix it at home. Bartenders in every bar or restaurant can serve it fast and easy. This is another recipe I've mixed up for my friends at Paal 26 Grand Café. 

Bitter Lemon Negroni 

Ingredients

30 ml (Homemade and delicious!!!) Limoncello

30 ml Suze bitter

30 ml Lillet Blanc

Method

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain into your favourite tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with a wedge of torched 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.

Yellow Fever II - A unit drink

Let’s talk about “unit-drinks”. What??? 

Imagine craving a nice drink, but you’re driving your car. You would like a cocktail, but you want to make sure you’re within the legal limits for driving. Of course, you should try to avoid drinking and driving, but in Belgium up to two units is still safe and allowed. 

Or maybe you want to have a drink, but you are worried about your health and you want to stay within limits as published by the government. Reports state you will stay healthy if you don’t drink more than 10 units per week. If you know that some cocktail recipes hold 2, 3 or even 4 units of alcohol, you might need to think this over. 

One unit of alcohol in Belgium is 12,7ml or 10g of pure alcohol. Other countries might use different limits. In the UK one unit is only 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol. Because alcoholic drinks come in different strengths and sizes, units are always an excellent way to display how strong your drink is. 

It also shouldn’t be wrong to ask your bartender how many units are in a specific drink, or ask if they serve “unit-cocktails” that contain exactly (or maximum) one unit of alcohol. 

This week I was experimenting with unit recipes and I will share some in the next few days. Often these are longdrink recipes, using a mixer that’s spiked with a relatively small amount of spirit. These drinks won’t give you a real kick of alcohol, they are lighter drinks perfect to serve for a conversation with friends. You’ll keep a clear mind and still enjoy a tasty drink. 

Yellow Fever II

Ingredients

20ml Whisky

20ml Clément Creole Shrubb (or Triple Sec)

10ml Simple syrup

200ml FERM Kombucha Ginger & Lemongrass

Method

Add whisky, syrup and triple sec to your highball glass with a few ice cubes. Stir for 10 seconds. Add more ice, top it with the kombucha and give it a few more gentle stirs. Garnish with citrus or lemongrass. 

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

Spirits from the garden of Eden

A couple of weeks ago, while attending our local spirits festival, I got in touch with Jeroen Aerts, owner and master distiller at “Het Aerts Paradijs” (which translates more or less as “Garden of Eden”). After the festival, I made an appointment to visit the distillery, a less-than-7-minutes-drive from my office. 

In 2014 Jos Aerts (Jeroen’s father) started a small craft beer brewery in a refurbished stable, located in the back of his (huge!) garden. Jeroen was helping out with the brewing, but as he was more interested in the distilling process, he finished a distilling course at Syntra PXL. 

In 2019 the brewery had grown to the limits that Jeroen’s father, who still had another day job, could handle. That’s when he handed the brewery over to Jeroen, who decided to manage the brewery full-time. One of the first things he did, was adding a spirit still next to the beer brewing equipment. Today they produce and sell apple juice, several craft beers and a small range of spirits.

His very first distilled product was “Appelstook”, which is a young Calvados-style brandy, produced with a variety of apples from their orchards. This brandy is still very young. You get all the sours and fresh fruitiness of the apples, but in my opinion, the sweeter notes still need more time to develop. 

They also added two gins to their portfolio. They started with “Gloria”, a winter-style gin with apple, cinnamon, orange and star anise. New in the range is “Eden”, a summer-style gin with elderflower, lemon zest and lemon verbena.

The most interesting product in his warehouse… a barrel of whisky, distilled in April of this year. On the mash bill, a mix of light-peated and unpeated barley. This product is still ageing, we’re not allowed to call it "whisky" just yet. But I managed to get a sip from the ex-bourbon barrel and … wow, what a taste explosion. I’m very curious to taste this again when it’s fully matured. I sipped the new make spirit at cask strength (63%), but even the higher level of alcohol couldn’t mask the intense bouquet of flavours. Jeroen is certainly on the right track with this spirit. 

Jeroen’s ambition is to uplift his “Appelstook” into a commercially interesting product, and he is also keen to experiment with more varieties of whisky. In the next weeks, more barrels will be added to the warehouse. 

In the warehouse, I also detected a barrel with distilled beer from another local brewery (Koolputter). Because of COVID19-lockdowns, this was a barrel with outdated beer. Instead of just throwing it away, Jeroen decided to distil it and let the spirit age in a barrel. Is it any good? Still to be discovered in the future… 

Also very interesting: In collaboration with Beau Marais Winery, they will soon start producing a local Marc/Grappa. 

Lots of ambition in this former pig stable. I’m really curious to see where this leads in 5 or 10 years. This summer they organized a pop-up bar in the orchard, something they will probably repeat next year. Their products are always available at the brewery and in several local shops.

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.

Negroniweek 2022

If you browse through the boozy pages on Instagram, you will notice it’s #negroniweek again. This is the very first year I don’t fully participate, due to a lack of time and resources. In the past years, I’ve always posted a full week of Negroni-style drinks, which are still online for you to enjoy. 

Of course, I will raise my glass to the cause and hope you’ll visit lots of participating bars and restaurants, which will raise some money for their selected causes this week. When venues register to participate, they will donate a small contribution to the ‘slow food’ movement, but most bars will also donate one dollar or euro for each glass of Negroni sold, to a local cause. Think global, act local.

I also promise that next month, I will create a special Negroni version for my friends at Paal 26 Grand Café. They are participating in this edition of #Negroniweek, this means you can support a local cause by ordering a ‘regular’ Negroni right now. 

The Negroni is one of the easiest cocktails to stir at home, because of the even parts of Campari, gin and sweet vermouth. It’s also one of the most adapted recipes.

• Campari? Sure, but why not try any other kind of bitter/amaro?
• Gin? Sure, but why not try any other kind of spirit? 
• Sweet vermouth? Sure, but why not try any other kind of vermouth or fortified wine? 

You can go even further and break it down into four even parts. The fourth part can be for example espresso or cold brew coffee.

I could go on and on about the possible variations, but why not try out some variations yourself? 

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.

Spirits Inn Beringen 2022

I live in Beringen (Belgium). Each year in September, our local whisky club organises the “Spirits Inn Beringen” Festival. It’s a rather small festival, but people join us from all around the country, to sample rare and special spirits. Each year the members of the club build up the tension and tease us with pictures of very old or rare bottles that will be available for tasting. At last year’s edition, I managed to sample a spirit from the year of my birth, 1968. 

Of course, as a spiritsblogger, I already know several importers and distributors. When I visit this festival, they will have me taste a few new and exciting bottlings. This year, on the 5th edition of the event, I intended to search for the two most special bottles at the festival. 

Wine4you, represented this year by Jos Mertens, brought a Cognac Prunier Lot 40 (55%), distilled in 1940. That’s a whopping 81 years ago, at the very start of the Second World War. Cask strength Cognac from just one single barrel. Only 168 bottles could be filled, the angels already had a large share. Rated at 91/100 by Whiskyfun, 92/100 by Whiskynotes. 

81 years... You really need a moment to take this in. Even my parents (both already deceased) weren’t even born in 1940. What a great discovery. 

But… at the same table I saw another bottle, Cognac Mauxion Selection Borderies, distilled at the very start of the first World War in 1914… 108 years ago. That was two years before my eldest grandfather was born. This is absolutely the first bottle I wanted to taste. These very old bottles are not always a treasure, but this one sure is. Cognac and brandy often have very strong alcohol “burn”, which makes it almost impossible to detect their fantastic flavours and aromas. This one doesn’t. The balance of this bottle is extremely close to perfection. All the fruity flavours and aromas are present. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted something like this. What a discovery. A very old cask, at a certain point bottled and stored in “Dame-Jeanne” bottles (=large balloon bottles), which functioned as time capsules to preserve this great spirit. Now bottled again by Ivo Drabs and his team, for us to explore and enjoy.

A few booths to the right, Pieter from Malternative had me sample his latest discovery, another Cognac, distilled in 1975. Great story, he was hunting for casks in the Grand Champagne region, when he walked into a Boulangerie. They told him the neighbour across the road had some old casks ageing in his basement, they were even handed down from a former generation. One of those casks is now bottled and presented at this festival. Lots of flavours, but also still pretty “kick in the face” on alcohol. I think this is a great find for the real Cognac afficionado.  

At the Cinoco-booth, I tried Indri whisky from India, distilled near the Himalayan foothills. A blend of three kinds of casks (ex-Bourbon, ex-PX Sherry and ex-wine). Very interesting taste profile. Halfway through your sip, you’ll detect the typical slightly tart grape skin popping up. Very nice bottle to share with friends.  

Very tempting, but I really wanted something different. For my second “find of the year”, I’m going to promise you a “part 2” to this story. At the booth of “Het Aerts Paradijs”, I discovered a local producer of beer, apple juice, gin, apple brandy (Let’s call it a young Calvados) and… a soon-to-be-whisky. I already arranged to visit the distillery somewhere in the next few weeks. I think this is very interesting and I will write another article about their products. Interesting fact, the distillery is only a 7-minute drive from my office… 

Conclusion: Spirits Inn Beringen is still THE festival for old and rare spirits. This festival never disappoints, you’ll always be amazed by the bottles you’ll find and the spirits you’ll taste. See you next year!

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.

"First Blood" Martini

I’m always looking for interesting recipes to simplify. To strip them down to a maximum of 3 to 4 ingredients, without losing too much flavour. 

For this recipe, I changed the combination of vodka and grape juice into “Grape vodka”. One less ingredient, but still the same flavour profile. The original was called the Blood Martini because the colour is very dark red. It’s often served at Halloween parties. Because of the combination of liqueur and syrup, it’s a rather sweet drink. Balance with care! 

"First Blood" Martini

Ingredients

60 ml Grape Vodka

30 ml Ginger Liqueur

5 ml Blackberry syrup

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Shake for 15 seconds, fine strain in a Martini glass. Garnish with a fresh blackberry.

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.

Peat, smoke and a kick of ginger

For me, cocktails based on dark spirits really connect to autumn and winter. But what if you are very passionate about peated whisky and aren’t really into highballs? I think real classics like a whisky sour are recipes for all seasons, and probably the most adapted recipes around. 

Let’s do something with whisky and ginger. Let’s revisit that magical and powerful combination of peat, smoke and ginger. This drink is not for everyone, but if you like peated whisky, this is certainly yours!

This time we picked Dzjing Classic for the ginger touch. It’s a 100% organic mix of ginger, lime and herbs. You can just add soda to create ginger lemonade or add hot water for a healthy tea. 

The spirit of choice for this drink is Big Peat. This is a blend by Douglas Laing, combining the best malt-flavours from Islay. In the mix you’ll taste great malts from Ardbeg, Coal Ila, Bowmore and even the legendary Port Ellen. 

Is Big Peat a true ginger? Taste this drink and find out for yourself…

Peat, smoke and a kick of ginger

Ingredients

50 ml Big Peat

20 ml Dzjing Classic

10 ml Lemon juice

10 ml Simple syrup 

1 egg white

Method

For this drink, I’m trying a new technique I recently picked up from my friend Hannah van Ongevalle. It’s certainly faster than the technique I used before. 

We add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake for 15 seconds. Remove the ice from the shaker (if you use a Boston shaker, you can just strain the drink into the other half, through a strainer). Give it another hard shake without the ice. Serve in a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated slice of orange or a slice of candied ginger.

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.

Pink Russian - Happy Tequila Day !!!

Happy #NationalTequilaDay !!! 

I have to admit that I was a bit puzzled when I received this bottle of Tequila Rose. 

Just to be clear, this is NOT a bottle of Tequila, but a creamy liqueur which might remind you of Baileys Irish Cream. But completely different. This is a very fruity mix of Tequila and strawberries. Lots of strawberries, you only get a slight hint of Tequila in the tail. Perfect for low-alcohol shots, perfect for visitors and friends who don’t like “real” cocktails. 

But of course, I intend to use it in a cocktail anyway. (Ok, we did some shots too 😉. That’s when we experienced the ‘blooper’ we’ll post in the stories on Facebook and Instagram)

On the website of Tequila Rose I discovered several recipes, but… no. I don’t intend to create a liquid dessert, I want a real cocktail. A boozy cocktail. Google told me lots of people already tried to mix this, not always successful… but in a few cases the result seemed to head in the right direction. I decided to experiment with one of those ideas, but with slightly more respect for ‘The Dude’. 

Pink Russian

Ingredients

45 ml Vodka (Any cheap bottle will be just fine, the mix of coffee and strawberry flavours will be dominant anyway)

40 ml Tequila Rose

25 ml Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

Heavy cream or whipped cream

Method

You could throw all ingredients in a shaker or blender and strain over fresh ice. The result will be a “Fristi”-style drink for adults. 

But that’s absolutely not what I’m looking for. With slightly more respect for “the Dude” (Yes, I’m a fan!), I’m building my drink directly in a tumbler with ice. It has to look a bit messy. It needs the cream on top. And yes, this is much more difficult because whatever you do, the drink still might end up looking like the “adult Fristi”. Just have a try and follow my lead…

Add the coffee liqueur to a tumbler with lots of ice. Next, add the vodka. Top with a mixture of whipped cream and Tequila rose. Don’t stir, don’t garnish. 

For the best result, I whipped up the cream and carefully added it on top of the drink, next I gently coated the whipped cream with (ice cold!) Tequila rose. It looked good and the taste was exactly what I had in mind. The flavours will partly blend, but you will experience the different taste sensations one after the other while enjoying the drink. 

I do recommend trying the drink this way because the taste experience is completely different from the “adult-Fristi”. This is MUCH better!!!

Eat your strawberries with a glass of good quality Prosecco, but keep them away from this drink. “Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.”

(*) Several references made to the movie ‘The Big Lebowski’, where the ‘White Russian’ drink is present throughout the entire movie. 

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.

Carribean Journey (with Larimar rum)

The fun part of the Daiquiri recipe is that you can vary on the ingredients… almost endlessly. Each alteration on any of the ingredients will change the result in your glass. By picking another brand of spirit, another juice or syrup… you basically create a new cocktail. 

Today I’m just playing with the juices, while testing this Ron Larimar… excellent rum from the Dominican Republic, aged in Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels… in Scotland. I always love experiments where barrels are aged on other continents. 

I have tasted several rums in the past months, but this is a bottle that really surprised me. Great taste and aroma. Packed with fruity flavours. 

Caribbean Journey

Ingredients

50 ml Ron Larimar Pedro Ximenez sherry cask finish

30 ml Pineapple juice

10 ml Lemon juice

7 ml Simple syrup

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake for 15 seconds and strain in a longdrink with fresh ice cubes. Garnish with orange. 

Tip
If you want to upgrade the drink even more, add a splash of Campari. 

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.

Black Vodka Smash (with Kombucha)

I don’t think I’ve ever mixed up a drink with kombucha, so let’s do that. We have a huge blackberry bush (in Dutch: “Braambessen”) in our garden and my better half just made some nice marmalade with those tasty berries. I knew this would work extremely well in a cocktail.

Using kombucha in a cocktail sounds more difficult than it actually is. You can try to substitute Ginger Beer with kombucha, just make sure your kombucha has a nice ginger taste. In lots of drinks, this will work just fine. The bottle of kombucha I used is labelled gluten-, alcohol- and sugar-free, the sugar which is added during production has been “eaten” during fermentation.

If you don’t have blackberry marmalade, you could also prepare this drink by muddling fresh blackberries. The resulting serve would be messier.  

Black Vodka Smash

Ingredients

50 ml Vodka

2 barspoons of homemade blackberry marmalade

Remedy Kombucha “Ginger and lemon” 

Method

Add the marmalade to your favourite tumbler. Add the vodka and use the backside of a barspoon to dissolve the marmalade. Add ice. Top off with kombucha and give it a few gentle stirs. Garnish with fresh blackberries. 

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.

Egg Cream Martini

Egg liqueur (in Dutch, “advocaat”) is a yellow, rich and creamy drink with a smooth, custard-like consistency. It’s often used as a kind of extravagant little dessert to accompany your coffee. 

You could use egg liqueur in cocktails, but there aren’t that many options available due to its consistency. I would rather call it a liquid dessert instead of a cocktail.

My friends at Presentda.be have sent me a few tasters of t Geel Genot, locally produced egg liqueur by Christophe and Anne. They launched a whole range of products with tastes like cappuccino, amaretto, limoncello, chocolate and banana, … to give you new taste experiences with each jar. 

My favourite? The egg liqueur with banana. The aroma and taste throw me back in time to my teenage years, sipping Pisang Ambon longdrinks 😉 

Egg Cream Martini

Ingredients
30 ml ‘t Geel Genot Advocaat Cappuccino 
30 ml Vodka
30 ml Bailey’s Irish Cream

Method
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake like your life depends on it for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish is optional, I would rather serve it as a dessert, paired with fresh baked cookies.

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.

Bel'Uva Summerdrinks

When creating recipes with gin and vermouth, in most cases we just grab a bottle of white or dry vermouth and start experimenting. This time, we’re doing it a bit different. I was asked to try and create a couple of drinks with gin and vermouth of Bel’Uva. These products are created with grapes, sourced from Belgian wineries and mixed with botanical extracts. 

I created two drinks, you could consider them alternative recipes for the Martini and Negroni. But not really, they do taste very different. 

The Classy Bel'Uva is an excellent aperitif, while the Bella Bel'Uva is a delicious cocktail to enjoy on a sunny terrace. This summer both drinks are on the menu at Paal 26 Grand-Café.

Classy Bel’Uva 

Ingredients

50 ml Bel’Uva Gin Pinot Blanc

10 ml Bel’Uva Humulus Red vermouth

10 ml Medium sherry

5 ml Simple syrup

2 dashes Angostura cacao bitters

Method

Add everything to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds. Strain in a coupe. 

Bella Bel’Uva 

Ingredients

50 ml Bel’Uva Gin Pinot Blanc

20 ml Bel’Uva Humulus Red Vermouth

20 ml Aperol

5 ml Simple syrup

Schweppes Tonic Pink Pepper

Method

Add gin, vermouth, Aperol and sugar to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 12 seconds, strain in a tumbler with fresh ice. Top with a bit of tonic. 

(Photo: Paal26)

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.

Honey Old Fashioned

My first blogpost without a picture??? Just visit the Facebook or Instagram page and you’ll find a reel/video of me mixing this delicious drink.

The best recipe to use when testing a spirit is the Old Fashioned. This recipe puts the spirit in the spotlight, mildly softened with a bit of bitters and sugar. I often swap the cane sugar(syrup) for honey(syrup). I love the touch of honey that appears in the tail of your degustation. 

The hardest part is getting decent honey. In supermarkets, all of the available honeys are mixes of local and foreign honeys, discarding all the goodness that you really want. Best option is to find local beekeepers and buying honey directly from them. Second best option is buying from a local cooperation. 

For my aperitif today, I picked a bottle of Glencadam American Oak Reserve, matured in Ex-Bourbon barrels. Handpicked and blended by Glencadam’s Master Distiller. The sweet vanilla in the nose matches perfectly with the fresh organic honey of Byeboere Maastricht. Together with a fruity palate of apple and pear and a finish of red fruit, this is a perfect match. 

Honey Old Fashioned

Ingredients

60 ml Glencadam American Oak Reserve

1 barspoon of fresh organic honey

1 dash of Angostura Aromatical bitters

1 dash of Angostura Orange bitters

Method

Add all ingredients directly to a tumbler with ice. Stir for 15 seconds. Garnish with orange. Drinks don’t have to be complicated. Just enjoy. 

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.

Ready-to-shake cocktails

It’s not the first time I’m talking about bottled cocktails. In the past we tested similar good quality drinks (e.g. Belroy’s bottled cocktails) and each year for Negroniweek, I try to find a good quality bottled Negroni.

Bacardi-Martini is a pretty large company with a large brand-portfolio. This summer they really put their cards on the table and use that portfolio to the max. This summer Bacardi-Martini launches a range of “ready-to-shake” cocktails, available at your local supermarket. Let me explain what this means. We’re talking about bottled cocktails. You just pour the drink into a shaker (or any other closed jar or container) with lots of ice. Give it a good shake for about 15 seconds and strain it into your glass of choice. Garnish if you like. Enjoy in good company. 

Each bottle has a QR-code on the label that will take you to a video, showing how to do a perfect serve for the cocktail. I also recorded my own reel/video which I already shared on Instagram and Facebook.

In Belgium I discovered this range of “Tails Cocktails” at Delhaize. These 500 ml bottles hold four big (125 ml) or five moderate (100 ml) drinks. Tails Cocktails was originally started in 2010 by Nick Wall in London. 

These are the drinks: 

• Whisky Sour (Dewar’s Scotch whisky, lemon juice, simple syrup)
• Rum Daiquiri (Bacardi Rum, Simple Syrup, lime juice)
• Gin Gimlet (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Elderflower liqueur, lime juice)
• Passion Fruit Martini (42Below vodka, vanilla syrup, passion fruit puree, lime juice)
• Espresso Martini (42Below Vodka, Coffee liqueur, Premium espresso coffee)

You’re allowed to giggle, we all know the Passion Fruit Martini really has another name, and no, “Maverick Martini” is also NOT what you’ll find on the menu in most cocktail bars 😉 

I suspect they are not releasing all their secrets on the label, because the Whisky Sour and Espresso Martini come with a very nice foam layer, which doesn’t appear out of thin air. 

I enjoyed some of these drinks while I was getting some fresh air at Roompot Beach Resort in Zeeland. In local supermarkets I discovered another premium range of Bacardi cocktails. The bottles were half the size (200 ml, good for two drinks) and indicated that you could cool-and-serve them over fresh ice, I guess we’re talking about more of less the same concept. 

The cocktails I discovered in the Netherlands were different, more tiki style. The range is called “Bacardi Aged Rum Cocktails” with recipes created by three top-bartenders: Chelsie Bailey, Georgie Radev and Belgium’s own Ran Van Ongevalle. You will find this range of bottled cocktails in larger supermarkets like Albert Heijn and Jumbo

These are the drinks:  

• Caribbean Espresso Rumtini
• Roasted Pineapple Rum Punch
• Toasted Coconut Colada

And now, the big question: Are they any good? 

These drinks are extremely easy to serve and they are a very handy solution that will slip into many suitcases on their way to a holiday. To my surprise the quality was indeed bar-quality. And by that I mean “decent cocktail bar” quality. So yes, I’m very happy that these drinks are available and I really enjoyed them. Cheers!

Tip: We discovered that the Gin Gimlet pairs very well with fresh oysters.

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.