COSMOPOLITAN
If you’re a regular at hosting parties and dinners, this one is a crowd favourite and had to be on our list. It gained popularity when Dale DeGroff got one into the hands of Madonna at the Rainbow Room, after that it was the drink everyone wanted to be seen sipping on. It’s a drink that is simply stated to be the best vodka sour on the market. This drink recipe is a timeless classic.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vodka
- ½ cup triple sec
- ½ cup cranberry juice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime
- 1 small lemon to garnish
Method
Garnish with lemon peel.
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake well and pour through a strainer into 4 martini glasses.
IRISH COFFEE
This classic drink recipe was concocted by Joe Sheridan, a mixture of Irish whiskey with rich black coffee created what we now call the Irish Coffee cocktail. This drink requires a little more effort than just adding things to a blender. It is a carefully constructed hot coffee drink. Best enjoyed on chilly evenings, this steaming cup of sweet goodness will leave you constantly craving it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of freshly brewed hot coffee
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 part Irish whiskey
- heavy cream
Method
- Fill a footed mug with hot water to preheat then empty.
- Pour your piping hot coffee into the glass until ¾ full.
- Add brown sugar until completely dissolved. Blend in the Irish whiskey.
- Add a dollop of heavy whipped cream on top (serves 1).
MANHATTAN
This drink recipe is believed to date back to the late 1800s and is made with a mixture of whiskey, sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters. Traditionally rye whiskey was used to create this much-loved drink, which led to Canadian whiskey finding its way into many a Manhattan. In the last century, bourbon has become the whiskey of choice.
Ingredients
- ice
- 2 parts whiskey
- 1-part sweet vermouth
- 1-2 dishes of bitters like Angostura
- an orange peel
- real maraschino cherries, made by combining 1 cup of maraschino liqueur with
1 pint sour cherries, stemmed and pitted (use a tin of cherries and drain the syrup)
Method
- Add whiskey, vermouth and bitters to ice in a cocktail shaker and blend.
- Rub the orange peel around the rim of the cocktail glass.
- Strain the drink into the glass.
- Add 1 or 2 maraschino cherries and enjoy (serves 1).
MOJITO
The Mojito was born in Havana, Cuba. There are many variations to this drink recipe, however there are 5 main ingredients: mint, rum, powdered sugar, lime and club soda. This is a very refreshing drink to get you through all those blistering hot summer nights.
Ingredients
- ice
- 6 parts light rum
- 12 mint or spearmint springs broken apart.
- 6 tablespoons lime juice
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- club soda
- 4 slices of lime
Method
- Place ice in beverage shaker, add in the rum, the broken sprigs of mint, lime juice and sugar.
- Shake well and serve over ice in a highball glass.
- Top off each glass with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint leaves (serves 4).
PINA COLADA
A drink that originated in Puerto Rico makes for an irresistible tropical taste. This drink recipe is a combination of pineapple, coconut and rum. This tempting drink is really very simple to make.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups of ice
- 1 ½ cups of frozen diced pineapple
- 1 ½ cups of white rum
- 2 parts pineapple juice
- 2 parts coconut cream
- 1 part dark rum
- a slice of pineapple
Method
- Put the ice, frozen pineapples, juice, coconut cream, white rum and dark rum into a blender. Blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.
- Pour the drink into 2 glasses and garnish the rim with the pineapple slices.
