The History of The Cocktail

Cocktails have been around for hundreds of years and yet the origin of the word is very murky with numerous urban legends on exactly where it came from.

One of the interesting stories I've heard is that it comes from a drink - Cock's Ale - that was served at cock fights.   Sounds plausible I thought to myself, so I looked at what Cock's Ale was and I'm afraid I lost my appetite for cocktails!

Cocks Ale

Ale
Chickens
Raisins
Brown Sugar

Ferment all of these ingredients together for 9-12 days.

All I can think of is food poisoning when I read that!

Let's move right along to another legend on the origin of the word cocktail.    Some say it's a mispronunciation of the French word Coquetier.   Now those of you who speak French are probably scratching your head right now thinking 'but coquetier means egg cup - what does that have to do with cocktails.'   Yes it does mean egg cup and the connection with cocktails comes from Antoine Peychaud.

Antoine Peychaud is famous in mixology history as being the creator of the Sazerac cocktail and when he opened his store in New Orleans he served this drink in egg cups.

Sazerac Cocktail

1/2 tsp absinthe
1 tsp simple syrup
4 dashes of bitters (Peychaud Bitters for an authentic flavor)
2 oz rye whiskey
strip of lemon peel

Place the absinthe into an old fashioned glass and swirl around so that the sides are coated and discard excess.   Next add the simple syrup, bitters and whiskey to a mixing glass with ice and stir gently until the drink is chilled.   Now strain the liquid into your old fashioned glass and twist the lemon peel over the glass to release some lemon oil, wipe the peel around the lip of the glass and then drop it into your drink - voila one Sazerac Cocktail ready to drink!

There are several more legends on where the word cocktail originated from, but I doubt we'll ever really know which version is really correct so we might as well just continue to enjoy a cocktail or two without worrying about their history!!

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Valentine's Day Cocktails

Cocktails are such a special drink that it makes sense to drink them on special occasions such as Valentine's Day.   Valentine's Day cocktails can be fun and flirty, rich and sensuous or just plain delicious!   I personally think that cocktails for two make great Valentine's Day cocktails, here's one I prepared earlier!

White Chocolate Martini For Two

2 oz Amarula
2 oz Godiva White Chocolate
1/2 oz White Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Chambord
2 oz cream

Shake all of the ingredients together with ice in a shaker and then strain into two chilled martini glasses, serve with a couple of strawberries on the side.   For an extra special touch dip the strawberries in white chocolate ahead of time - the little touches are always appreciated.

Now obviously I know a lot of Valentine's Day Cocktails and they are all listed on my site - Valentines Day Cocktails, but you don't have to stick to these recipes.   If you're daring enough you can try your hand at mixing your very own cocktail and naming it for your own Valentine.

The trick to making your own cocktail is like cooking - think of the flavors!   I always suggest that you keep things simple for example if you know that your partner likes Baileys with milk as a drink then use that as a base and add another flavor that they enjoy such as chocolate - creme de cacao or berries - Chambord.

I love chocolate flavored cocktails and you can check out some of the recipes at Chocolate Cocktails.   I know my chocolate really well so I know what flavors compliment it.   I started off by using creme de cacao and Baileys (they compliment each other really well) as a base and came up with lots of different combinations such as adding Frangelico for a nutty flavor, Kahlua to intensify the chocolate flavor, Chambord for a berry flavor - you get the idea.

Another idea for Valentine's Day Cocktails is to simply re-name a cocktail.   Serve it up in one of these fun Valentine's Day martini glass and there you have it!  


I can't actually take credit for this idea............we went to a place on Australia's Gold Coast called Draculas where we watched a show and ate dinner.   Before the show we went into the bar area and they had a number of cocktails with names that were very 'Halloween inspired', upon closer inspection I realized that I knew the recipes - management had simply changed the name!

This is a great idea if you already know a couple of cocktails that your partner enjoys, you can come up with your own name such as Romance's Chocolate Kiss or Everlasting Lovetini.


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Enjoy A Christmas Cocktail This Year

Christmas is such a special occassion that I think it deserves a special drink which is why I think Christmas Cocktails are fantastic! You can have non-alcholic Christmas cocktails as well if you can't or don't want to drink. Cocktails are supposed to be a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds and as December is racing on it's time to make sure you have your Christmas stemware all ready to go.

There's something really special about serving even something as simple as water or orange juice in a Christmas themed glass. If for some reason you run out of time to get any Christmas glasses this year then pop out and get a supply of Christmas candy canes - these are fantastic to hang off of plain glasses to give a festive feel to your Christmas drinks.

Now there are lots of different Christmas cocktails to chose from, but if you can't think of any and someone pops in just mix a cocktail that you do know and give it a festive name.....if you don't tell no one will have to know! A Bloody Mary could become Santa's Cheer and a Japanese Slipper could become a Naked Christmas Treetini!

One very potent cocktail that tastes divine I'm calling a Merry Christmastini.

Merry Christmastini

1 oz tequila
1 oz vodka
1 oz rum
1 oz brandy
1 oz kahlua
1 sliced banana
single cream

Throw all of the ingredients (except the cream) into a blender along with half a cup of crushed ice and blend. Add cream to taste - I like it really creamy, but it's a personal choice. Once you've added the cream blitz it again, just to make sure the cream's well blended. Serve over ice in a highball glass.

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Christmas Cocktails

"Tis the season to be jolly tra la la la..."

Christmas time is a great time to get together with friends and family. Christmas is a time of over-indulging whether with food, drink or presents.

What better time is there to have a cocktail? Christmas cocktails are a wonderful thing to enjoy.

You can try Christmas themed cocktails or mix Christmas classics such as Egg Nog.  You can even put your own twist on the classic Egg Nog by adding berries for example.

If you want to be the Christmas host with the most then try customizing the cocktails. If your mum loves Turkish Delight then mix her a Turkish Delight Martini, if dad loves his Zabaglione then try a Zabaglione Martini.

I've compiled a great selection of festive cocktails which should see you enjoy the holiday season in festive cheer.

Egg Nog

A Classic Christmas Cocktail

Egg Nog

You simply cannot have Christmas without Egg Nog. Egg Nog has it's origins in Medieval England and yet it's America that has embraced a tradition of Egg Nog at Christmas.

You can buy Egg Nog in a carton, but why not make your own this Christmas?

Egg Nog

750ml Brandy
1 1/2 quarts milk
1 pint whipped heavy cream
1 cup bar sugar
dozen eggs
freshly grated nutmeg

Seperate the eggs and beat the yolks with the sugar in a large punch bowl. Put the egg whites to one side. Stir the milk and whipped cream into the punch bowl. Add the brandy and refrigerate for at least an hour. Before serving, whip the egg whites stiff and fold into the egg nog. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.

This recipe will fill your punch bowl and should serve about 25 people so is ideal for a party.

Christmas Pudding Inspired Cocktails

...and Cocktails Inspired By Other Christmas Desserts

Who doesn't love Chrissy pud? it's a wonderful tradition in our house. Another tradition is to have trifle on Boxing Day.

In New Zealand and Australia Christmas means pavlova whereas a friend of mine always has ginger snaps.

Let's look at cocktails that evoke our Christmas memories.

Christmas Pudding

1 oz Drambuie
5 oz Guiness
1 oz Southern Comfort

Mix all of the ingredients together and serve in a red wine glass.

Trifle Martini

2 1/2 shots blackcurrant vodka
2 shots Drambuie
1/2 shot chambord

Shake all of the ingredients together with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a cocktail glass to serve.

Pavlova Cocktail

90ml passionfruit vodka
30ml creme de framboise
30ml alize gold
30ml egg white, whipped

Combine alcohol with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with the whipped egg white. Serve with a meringue kiss as a garnish.

Ginger Snap

2oz advocaat
3oz ginger ale

Mix these two ingredients together in a mixing glass with ice cubes. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice to serve.

Christmas Nativity Inspired Cocktails

The Nativity always has angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus and a donkey. There are also the Magi, the Three Wise Men.

The Three Wise Men is also the name of a shooter based around the "wise men" known to their friends as Jack, Jim and Johnnie.

Three Wise Men

1 part Jack Daniels
1 part Jim Beam
1 part Johnnie Walker

Mix the ingredients together and serve in a shot glass.

Christmas Decor Inspired Cocktails!

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Christmas Trees to decorate and leave gifts under. Then there are Christmas Stockings, although when I was younger we just used pillowcases!

Christmas Tree Shot

1 part vodka
1 part green creme de menthe
1 part cherry brandy

Pour the spirits carefully into a shot glass in the order above.

How did the gifts get under the tree or in our stockings to begin with? Why Santa brought them of course. Now we all know that Santa doesn't drink and drive, he prefers us to leave him milk to drink.

When he has finished work however Mrs Claus mixes him up a cocktail that she calls Santa's Sack because he only drinks it once he's emptied his sack.

Santa's Sack

1 oz Baileys
1/2 oz cognac
1/4 oz white creme de cacao
dollops of whipped cream
splash of Goldschlagger

Put the Baileys, cognac and creme de cacao into a cocktial shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass and add a few dollops of whipped cream. Splash some Goldschlagger on the top and enjoy.

Christmas Martini

A Very Festive Holiday Martini

If a drink is called a Christmas Martini then as you can imagine it's a great drink for Martini lovers over the festive season. Combining the flavor of a gin martini with peppermint I find the flavor very unusual.

Christmas Martini

3 shots gin
1/2 shot dry vermouth
1/4 shot peppermint schnapps
mini candy cane

Shake all of the liquid ingredients in a cocktial shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a mini candy cane for that festive feel.

Christmas Candy Cane Cocktails

Candy Canes have become a traditional part of Christmas in the US and other countries around the world. The tradition is believed to have actually started in Germany.

It is said that a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany took straight, white candy sticks and bent them to represent a shepherd's crook. He then handed them out to the children in his "flock."

In 1870s Indiana it is thought that a minister changed the shape slightly to more of a J to represent Jesus. The same person (who is un-named) is credited to adding the red stripes. Legend has it that the white represents purity and the red represents Jesus' blood.

Candy Cane Martini

1 1/2 oz vanilla vodka
1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
1 oz club soda
crushed candy canes

Rim a cocktail glass with crushed candy canes. Pour all of the liquids into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into the prepared cocktail glass to serve.

White Christmas Inspired Cocktails

Since living "down under" I have to say that Christmas just doesn't feel the same. The idea of a white Christmas is perpetuated in the movies and in the songs. Bing Crosby's iconic "White Christmas," and the video of Wham!'s "Last Christmas."

So to celebrate I have to turn to the cocktails!!

White Christmas

1 part creme de bananes
1 part white creme de cacao
1 part whiskey
1 part double cream

Put all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into a cocktail glass and sprinkle grated chocolate on top.

Snowballs

1 part vodka
1 part advocaat
1 part cream
lemonade

Place vodka, advocaat & cream into a cocktail shaker, shake well and pour into a highball glass. Top up with lemonade slowly (the cream and lemonade cause the drink to froth)and gently stir.

Hot Chocolate Cocktails

Keep Warm At Christmas Time!

There's nothing better than curling up with a mug of hot chocolate in the middle of winter, or is there? These hot chocolate cocktails will make a fantastic addition to your Christmas Cocktail party.

Hot Chocolate Cocktails
There's nothing better in winter than to sit around a fire with a lovely mug of hot chocolate.....unless you count hot chocolate with extras! Yes, adult...

So "have yourself a very Merry Christmas....." and try a few of these delicious cocktails this holiday season.

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Halloween Cocktails

It's nearly that time again, so start thinking about what cocktails you want to serve at Halloween. There are plenty of Halloween cocktails to choose from, but you don't have to create these......I went to a caberet on the Gold Coast earlier this year at a place called Draculas and they had some really spooky sounding drinks. When I looked at what was in the drinks I realised that they were 'regular' cocktails that had been given dracula-style names.

If you don't want to learn new recipes just stick with the cocktails you like and serve them up with some creepy drinks decor or in some of this fantastic Halloween glasses and everyone will be impressed.

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Cocktail Infusions

Infusing your own spirits can really add a little extra to your cocktails and it’s actually really easy to do, but sometimes it can be a bit of a drag because it takes time for the flavors to infuse so why not use a prepared infusion?

A company called Tea Forte have introduced a collection of infusions that are designed to be steeped in alcohol. You can steep these infusions in vodka, gin, rum or tequila for different twists on the flavors. Lavender Citrus, Lemongrass Mint and Silkroad Chai are the three flavors that are available at the moment. Both the Lemongrass Mint and Silkroad Chai are great for the current trend of Asian Inspired cocktails that are available. Steep the Silkroad Chai in vodka and give a White Russian a new Asian Twist or steep the Lemongrass Mint in tequila and give a Margarita a Thai twist. The cocktails you could make are only limited by your imagination.



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Asian Inspired Cocktails

A Taste of Asia in a Cocktail

Well I’ve been looking at how cocktails have evolved over the years. Originally they were just alcohol combinations – think of the classic martini and the manhattan. Then as flavored vodkas evolved you saw a wider range of cocktails emerging and now the trend is to take flavors from the kitchen and combine them into cocktails. This has seen a rise in the number of different exotic cocktails on the market including very unique Asian inspired cocktails.

Twenty years ago we were all intrigued with Italian cooking, before that French, but in this millennium we seem to be entranced with Asian flavors more than ever.

Our kitchens contain ingredients such as lemongrass, lime juice, cardamom, coconut milk, yogurt and fish sauce so why not incorporate some of these flavors into cocktails?

For a truly East meets West experience these Asian inspired cocktails really hit the spot. Taking flavors from different Asian countries such as Japan or Vietnam and bringing them to a cocktail glass is fun and exciting. If you serve any of these Asian inspired cocktails to your friends and family then you can be sure they'll be talking about them for a long time to come.

So get your cocktail glasses out of the cupboard and prepare to board the mixologist's adventure into Asia!

Vietnamese Inspired Cocktails

Asian Inspired Cocktails

Starting off in Vietnam we embrace the flavors of Vietnam with this cocktail called A Fishy Surprise. Why such a name? Well it incorporates fish sauce which is something I would never have thought of adding to a cocktail if I hadn't come across this recipe. It also incorporates lemongrass and pomelo juice for more Vietnamese flavor.

Pomelo juice is used a lot in Vietnamese kitchen and comes from the pomelo fruit - no surprise there! The pomelo is a cousin to the grapefruit, but isn't as tart - more like a pink grapefruit than the white one.

A Fishy Surprise

45 ml whisky
30 ml drambuie
30 ml lemongrass juice
45 ml pomelo juice
½ tsp fish sauce
Worcestershire sauce.

Pour the whisky, drambuie, lemongrass and pomelo juice into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until all of the ingredients are chilled. Add the fish sauce and a drop of Worcestershire sauce then strain into a cocktail glass to serve.

More Vietnamese Inspired Cocktails

• Vietnamese Inspired Cocktails
  Cocktails that invoke the flavors of Vietnam are certainly interesting considering that when you think of Vietnamese flavors you think of pomelo juice, lemongrass and fish sauce. Can you make a cocktail with these ingredients? The answer is yes!

Cocktail Shaker - A Tool of the Cocktail Trade

Trudeau Fusion Recipe 20-Ounce Cocktail Shaker, Green
A very stylish cocktail shaker is needed when you're making up your Asian inspired cocktails and this shaker is definitely stylish.

The fresh green color looks superb with the stainless steel and the comfortable grip makes it very practical as well as gorgeous!

You can't make cocktails without the tools of the trade and I think if they can look good too then why not!

Chinese Inspired Cocktails

More Asian Inspired Cocktails

Now flying off to China one of the more popular ingredients that they use is sesame seeds and now there is a sesame cocktail to try - Sesame Delight. This cocktail is absolutely delicious with a real sesame flavor.

Sesame Delight

1 ½ oz light rum
½ oz lime juice
1 tsp tahini
2 tsp honey

Stir together the tahina, honey and lime juice in a cocktail shaker before adding rum and ice and shaking. Pour into a cocktail glass to serve - yum!

Of course you can't think of Chinese cocktails without asking for a Lychee Martini, it would just be plain rude not to offer a recipe for one as they are a very trendy drink in some circles these days.

Lychee Martini

1 oz lychee liquour
1 oz vodka
1/3 oz cherry liquour
½ oz pineapple juice

Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass to serve. A nice touch is to pop a lychee into the glass before you pour the liquid over it.

More Chinese Inspired Cocktails

A much wider selection of Chinese inspired cocktails can be found on this webpage including yet another version of the popular Lychee Martini.

• Chinese Inspired Cocktails
  There is a trend towards cocktails that use Asian flavors instead of just straight alcohol concoctions. This trend has seen a rise in Japanese Inspired Cocktails, Vietnamese Inspired Cocktails and also Chinese Inspired Cocktails.......

Thai Inspired Cocktails

Unique Asian Inspired Cocktails

There are a number of Thai inspired cocktails, but I've chosen to feature the aptly named Thai Martini which combines the flavors of lemongrass, ginger and lime. This recipe will make four martini's so don't think you have to drink it all yourself!!

Thai Martini

10 ounces of (preferably Kaffir) Lime vodka
4 ounces of chilled lemon grass tea
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 small chunk of fresh ginger, peeled
4 sprigs of fresh lemon grass
4 thinly sliced, small pieces of fresh ginger

The first step is to pour the lime vodka, lemongrass tea and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake for about a minute and then let it stand for another minute to allow the flavors to seep together.

Take the piece of ginger and rub it around the bowls of your four martini glasses and then strain the martini into the glasses. Use the sprigs of lemongrass and the thinly sliced pieces of ginger as garnish.

Serve Your Asian Cocktails in Style

Orrefors Intermezzo Blue Martini Glass
Part of the reason I love cocktails is because they're something special, I love how some of them look, heck I'll be honest I even like the little umbrellas on the holiday inspired cocktails like the Blue Hawaiian.

Other cocktails like the martini just have an air of sophistication that a vodka and orange just doesn't really have!

You can bring a touch of elegance to these unique Asian inspired cocktails with these beautiful Erika Lagerbielke designed martini glasses.

Japanese Inspired Cocktails

Cool & Unique Cocktails

Now let's wing our way to the land of the rising sun in search of a Japanese inspired cocktail. Most Japanese inspired cocktails used to involve Sake, but another liquour is being used more and more and it's called Shochu. Shochu is a Japanese liquour made from distilled barley, sweet potatoes or rice. It has quite an earthy taste and can be used in a range of Japanese inspired cocktails including the Shocutini which also has the ever popular Sake in it's ingredients.

Shocutini

3 ounces shochu
2 ounces sake
1-1/2 ounces vodka
Juice of 2 lime wedges (about 1 ounce)
1/2 ounce simple syrup

This is a really quick and easy cocktail because you simply put all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and then strain into a cocktail glass to serve.

More Japanese Inspired Cocktails

Now that I've whetted your appetite for Japanese cocktails you may wish to check this site out for sake and shochu based Japanese cocktails and more ...

• Japanese Inspired Cocktails Japanese inspired cocktails are experiencing a surge in popularity, rather than just drinking sake with their sushi people are looking for a little more soph...

Singapore Cocktails

Some More Asian Inspired Cocktails

Popping onto the plane once again we visit the melting pot of Asia - Singapore. Of course there's only one cocktail that you MUST drink in Singapore and that's the Singapore Sling! One day I will go to Raffles Hotel and drink the Singapore Sling there :)

Singapore Sling

30ml Gin,
15ml Cherry Brandy
120ml Pineapple Juice
15ml Lime Juice
7.5ml Cointreau
7.5ml Dom Benedictine
10ml Grenadine
A dash of Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a slice of Pineapple & a Cherry.

Combine all the ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake until well blended, then strain into a highball glass, garnishing with a slice of Pineapple and a Cherry.

Indian Inspired Cocktails

Asian Spice Cocktails

Now we fly over to the Indian sub-continent to try some Indian inspired cocktails and the one I've chosen is based around the spice cardamom which I think is quite an unusual ingredient for a cocktail (although not as unusual as the fish sauce!) and to that is added orange marmalade which I think can be representative of the British rule of the last century. The cocktail is called the Bitter Orange and Cardamon Martini, this recipe makes 6 martinis so it's ideal for a dinner party. Unlike most cocktails, this one can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

Bitter Orange and Cardamon Martini

12 cardamon pods
6 tbsp orange marmalade
400 ml vodka
125 ml cointreau
4 tbsp lemon juice
Place 6 of the cardamom pods into a pestle and mortar and bash them until they split

Melt the marmalade in a pot and then whisk in the vodka.

Add the split cardamom pods to the pot for a few minutes so that the flavors can infuse, do not allow to boil just warm through the mix.

Leave off of the heat for 20 minutes so that the flavors can continue to mingle together.

Add the cointreau and lemon juice to the mixture and chill.

To serve place a little marmalade in the bottom of a martini glass, add ice and then the martini and float a cardamom pod on the top.

Which Asian Inspired Cocktail Do You Fancy?

I think I’ll have a Sesame Delight, but what would you like me to mix for you?

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