Today is the hottest day of the year and so what better way to keep cool than with my Rhubarb & Strawberry Gin Fizz cocktail?! The coridal is a fresh … Continue reading Rhubarb & Strawberry Gin Fizz cocktail
Category: Drinks
Burns night cocktail
Burns night at the Rib Room Bar & Restaurant, London This time last year I was celebrating Burns night at The Rib Room and I still dream about the welcome … Continue reading Burns night cocktail
Christmas spiced peach bellini
This spicy peach bellini is perfect as a special welcome drink for Christmas. Make the peach mix ahead of guests arriving and keep chilled in the fridge to use when … Continue reading Christmas spiced peach bellini
Lemon & Elderflower Cordial
It’s the perfect time to pick Elderflower (so I’ve been told!) This is my first experience of foraging, and I had such a buzz from making something that I’d found (for free!), picked and brewed. I’m also SURE that drinking it has helped my hayfever this year. A deliciously refreshing drink that’s so easy to make, lasts for ages and is great in a Gin and Tonic as well as on it’s own. Remember that this is a cordial and so will need to have lots of water added to it before drinking – sparkling water turns it in to a grown up refereshing non-alcoholic summer drink.
Ingredients:
10 Elderflower heads (as in a big bunch of flowers per ‘head’)
Half litre water
2 x fresh unwaxed lemons
440g white caster sugar
40g Citric acid
Instructions:
1. Gently wash the elderflower heads under cold water to get rid of any creepy crawly nasties
2. Add the sugar to a pan with half a litre of boiling water and leave on a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved
3. Using a potato peeler, remove strips of zest from the lemons and add these to a large bowl or clean bucket, along with the elderflower heads.
4. Slice the lemons in to rounds and add these to the bowl along with the citric acid
5. Pour over the sugar, water fluid, give everything a really good stir, ensuring the flower heads are thoroughly submerged in the water
6. Cover with a clean cloth and leave at room temperature overnight (or for at least 14 hours)
7. Using a potato masher, press gently down on the flowers and the lemons to release some more lovely flavour
8. Cover the bottom of a sieve with a piece of muslin and then strain the liquid through this so that it runs clear without any bits
9. Pour the cordial in to clean bottles and store in the fridge for up to three weeks, or put in clean plastic bottles and freeze, where it will keep for around 3 months until defrosted
Enjoy!
Italian Lemon Drop cocktail
If you’re in the States, and looking for something to do on July 30th, why not pop along to ‘Carrabba’s’? They will be hosting mixer events at each of it’s restaurants to raise money for the Muscular Distrophy Association. The cost per person is just $15 which includes a sampling of new Carrabba’s appetizers and one of three signature drinks created by Charlotte Voisey, one of the nation’s top 12 mixologists. Proceeds from the event will benefit MDA.
And if you can’t make the event, Carrabba’s have kindly sent in a cocktail recipe for you to make at home. It’s perfect for the summer, and is deeelicious!…
Italian Lemon Drop
1 oz Stolichnaya
1 oz Limoncello
¾ oz Cointreau
1 ¼ oz Sweet and Sour
Combine ingredients and shake well.
Serve in a martini glass.
Garnish with a lemon wedge.
To find Carrabba's locations, visit http://carrabbas.com/locator.aspx
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