Mocktails with SirUp

It seems that we are all very busy in this period. Spring has kicked off and lots of things are happening. I’m driving around at least twice as much compared to other periods. That also means I’ll be mixing mocktails more often… because we don’t drink and drive. 

A few weeks ago I received four bottles of SirUp, very fruity syrups to use in cocktails and mocktails. In short, the flavour is awesome. I love to use them. On the downside, the cost is still a bit steep compared to other commercial syrups, but I really like their taste. Also, the vintage bottles are very nice and you might want to keep them to use for other stuff. 

I’ll share two tasty mocktail mixes, but to be honest, I’ve used them as flavour agents in many other cocktails too… 

Asian Lemon

Ingredients
20 ml SirUp Zesty Lemon
10 ml fresh lime juice
Soda water

Method
Add the syrup and juice to a tumbler with ice cubes. Give it a good stir. Add soda water and mix gently. 

You can add coriander and lemon grass to give it a real Asian touch. 

Strawberry Mint

Ingredients
20 ml SirUp Strawberry & Mint
10 ml Lemon juice
Ginger-Ale or Ginger Beer

Method
Add the syrup and juice to a tumbler with ice cubes. Give it a good stir. Add Ginger-Ale or Ginger Beer and mix gently. 

You can add some mint leaves to emphasize the flavour. 

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. 

Cucielo Vermouth Day

Sometimes I regret not living in a more southern country. I absolutely love the aperitivo culture that’s all around in Italy, Spain and even in the south of France. One of the most used bottles in aperitivo-bars is vermouth. In Spain, they even call some of those bars “vermuterias”. 

A good vermouth is probably the most versatile bottle in your bar. You can drink it neat, on ice, with a mixer or as a spice-adding ingredient in lots of classic (and not-so-classic) cocktails. Original classics like the Manhattan, Martini or Negroni all call for decent quality vermouth. 

This should give you reason enough to taste the vermouth before you pour it into any longdrink or cocktail. A cocktail is only as good as the sum of the quality of its ingredients. Read that again and think about it. You can find low budget vermouth in supermarkets, cheap as chips. But will that low-quality bottle add the desired spicy touch to your Martini? Probably not. 

One of the better brands for good quality vermouth is Cucielo, which we’ve already spotlighted before on this blog. 

March 21 is #NationalVermouthDay, a perfect opportunity to taste and sample some of their bottles. I would recommend tasting vermouths with a few ice cubes because neat vermouths are often slightly syrupy. Next, try the vermouths with a mixer. A neutral tonic is perfect, but if you like it slightly sweeter, why not use a lemonade. My friends at the official distributor of Cucielo have sent me a bottle of both the Rosso and Bianco, but I also made a mix of both. Why? Because in some cocktails you need a mix of dry and sweet vermouth or a mix of white and sweet vermouth. Once you have tasted the vermouths this way, you can go on to using them for a deliciously crafted cocktail. 

Cucielo Bianco is mostly influenced by artemisia, pink pepper, cardamom, green apple, elderflower and pomegranate. Cucielo Rosso is mostly influenced by artemisia, yarrow, Chinese gentian, Sicilian bitter oranges, vanilla pods and cloves.

I hope I could inspire you to have a go yourself. I finished my tasting with a Golden Martini, stirred to perfection.

Golden Martini

Ingredients
50 ml London Dry Gin
25 ml Cucielo Bianco vermouth
1 barspoon Maraschino liqueur
3 dashes Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir and strain in a chilled Martini or Nick & Nora glass. I think it also looks stunning in a nice antique port glass. Pinch an Orange zest on top to express the oils. No garnish, keep it clean. 

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.

Saint Patrick's Day - Green Whiskey

Most followers will probably remember I might have a few drops of Irish blood running through my veins. Today is Saint Patrick’s Day, no way I was ever going to miss that.

I’m shaking up a variation on the Whisky Sour, and of course, I'll make sure the colour will be greenish.

Green Whisky

Ingredients

40 ml Teeling Irish Whiskey

60 ml Orange juice

15 ml Blue Curacao

2 dashes of orange bitters

Method

Add everything to your shaker with ice. Shake for 15 seconds and strain in a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with 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.

Ti'Punch Day

Sometimes it can be pretty easy to blog about drinks. Last week I received a parcel from Clément Rhum with all the ingredients and tools I needed to stir (or swizzle) a nice Ti’Punch cocktail. The Ti’Punch is a classic sour cocktail from Martinique that’s related to the Daiquiri, but with lime in a spotlight role. March 16 is International Ti’Punch Day, a perfect excuses for all of you to mix one of these yourself.

I know that some people are not very fond of Rhum Agricole, but the Ti’Punch is absolutely the perfect recipe to try this kind of rum. I can tell you the taste is somewhere in between a Daiquiri and a Caipirinha (when made with a good quality Cachaça) and leaning much more in the direction of the Caipirinha. 

Ti’Punch

Ingredients
60 ml Rhum Clément White Rhum Agricole
5 grams of cane sugar
Fresh Lime (or 20 ml of lime juice)

Method
Normally the Ti’Punch is always stirred directly in the glass. Add a tablespoon of sugar to a tumbler. Add the Clement Rhum. Squeeze a lime wedge (or add 20 ml of lime juice). Add ice and stir or swizzle to perfection. Garnish with some extra lime wedges.

Remark
For this drink ice is optional. Lots of people like the Ti’Punch neat, I prefer some ice.

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. 

Cherry-T, powered by Engine Gin

It’s always great to see how a brand doesn’t stop by just picking a funky name for their product. If they do it right, they include a whole story or lifestyle. This week I received a small oil can with a new Italian gin, Engine.

Engine is a distilled gin by Master Distillers in the north-west of Italy. It’s made with 100% organic products: alcohol from wheat, juniper, Piedmont sage, lemon from the Amalfi coast, liquorice roots from Calabria, damask rose and water from the Alps.

I really love the way they link this gin to the world of car races all over their branding and marketing. When you mix a GT with this gin, it’s of course a Gin & Tonic, but also a referral to Gran Turismo. If you stir up a Negroni, the N also stand for NOS, the nitrous oxide systems made famous by the movie Fast and Furious. 

I decided to play along and opened the hood of our own Italian car, the iconic Fiat 500.

Cherry-T

Ingredients
50 ml Engine Gin
12 ml Cherry syrup
30 ml Lime juice
7-Up

Method
Add the gin, syrup and juice to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake and dump it into a mason jar. Top with 7-Up lemonade. Garnish with a few wedges of lime. This drink isn’t supposed to look ‘too clean’ 😉

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.

Delmonico Special

Today I’m stirring another take on the classic Martini. A couple of days ago I saw a posting of another drinksblogger who added a splash of brandy to a Martini to add some fruity flavours. That’s interesting and actually the base of another classic recipe: The Delmonico Special, a spirit-forward slow-sipping variation on a “very wet Martini” packed with power. This is already a variation on the classic Delmonico, which is basically a Manhattan with cognac instead of whiskey. Just to show you that variations can move in all directions.

I’m mixing up my version with a focus on the grape flavours.

Delmonico Special

Ingredients

45 ml Sorgin (Gin based on grapes)

7,5 ml Rémy Martin 1738 Cognac

22,5 ml Leonce Dry vermouth

22,5 ml Gonzalez Byass La Coppa Sweet vermouth

A dash of Angostura aromatic bitters

Method

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a nice 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.