Names of some great cocktails
Naming some tasty cocktails to try is easy because there's so many great ones to choose from; if you pick up a menu in any decent cocktail bar, in most cases you'll quickly be spoiled for choice. Add to that the abundance of websites and forums that are a great source of cocktail ideas, it can be easy to feel a little overwhelmed.
So rather than lumbering you with a long A-Z list of alcohol infused options starting at Amaretto Sour and ending in Zombie, let's start small and come up with top-five great cocktails you can't afford to miss out on:
5) Cosmopolitan
The 'Cosmo' is one of those cocktails no bar menu would ever do without and yet it's thought this delicious cocktail has only been about since the 1970s. In the past decade it's seen a huge surge in popularity, partly due to it featuring prominently in the TV series Sex and the City. Another possible reason for it's popularity is the great balance between the sharpness of the vodka, and the crisp fruitiness of the other ingredients, making this one drink not to miss out on!
The recipe varies from bar to bar, but is generally a lively and refreshing combination of citrus-infused vodka, triple sec (orange liqueur), fresh lime juice, cranberry juice; with the addition of sugar syrup to taste.
It is then shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker, and fine strained into a chilled martini glass. The garnish for this drink is a flamed strip of orange peel which is twisted over the drink to extract the oils. The peel is then rubbed along the rim of the glass and left to float inside the drink.
4) Classic Champagne Cocktail
This goes on our list of great cocktails for it's sheer glamour and decadence, and also because no list would be complete without some bubbles!
The classic champagne cocktail, as it's name might suggest, is a fairly straight forward affair. You make it by dropping a sugar cube into a champagne flute, adding two drops of bitters which absorb straight into the sugar cube, which you then douse in brandy (about 20ml). The rest of the glass is topped up with champagne and just requires a gentle stir as the sugar cube dissolves before you are ready to enjoy!
3) Frozen Passion-fruit Margarita
The margarita is a Tequila-based cocktail, and the reason this particular drink makes our list is because it's exotic and fruity, and also because sipping on a cocktail that's served 'frozen' is one of the most refreshing ways to cool down on a hot summers day!
We start with a basic margarita recipe of 3 to 1 tequila to triple sec (same orange liqueur used in the cosmopolitan) fresh lime juice and then sugar or sugar syrup to taste. To transform a classic margarita into a passion-fruit Margarita you can either add specifically produced passion-fruit puree, or a lashing of passion-fruit juice and fresh passion fruit works just as good. To serve the drink frozen you pour the ingredients into a blender and add a scoop of crushed ice. Blend all the ingredients together and you'll end up with a deliciously cold alcoholic slush puppy, ready to serve up.
2) Nuclear Daiquiri
Going out drinking cocktails is all about the the fun, flair and quirkiness of guzzling down sexy and exotic drinks that are prepared artistically before you. Which is the reason this cocktail makes the list. It's by no means a classic, and may not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly fills the 'wildcard' factor with its high alcohol content and it's bright-green color!
The nuclear daiquiri is a radioactive combination of over-proof (or high alcohol content) rum, green Chartreuse (a herbal liqueur), Velvet Falernum (a sweet Caribbean syrup) and fresh lime juice.
1) Mojito
We couldn't come to an end without mentioning the mighty Mojito. It's a powerful combination of sugar, fresh mint and lime doused in a double measure of rum (everyone has a preference here, so try out a few and get to know your favorite). It's stirred in the glass vigorously with scoops of crushed ice and topped with soda. The Mojito is especially popular in the summer months, where the freshness of the ingredients and the crushed ice make for a particularly refreshing option. And if you ever get bored of having the classic version, there's an ever growing number of variations and takes on the classic Mojito to keep it ranking as one of the most ordered drinks in bars the world over.
