"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.