The A – Z of Cocktails Mixers, Liqueurs and Spirits

The A – Z of Cocktails Mixers, Liqueurs and Spirits

Why have Meat and 2 veg when you can have shepherd’s Pie!

A blend of fine spirits and liqueurs, shaken or stirred with a soft drink or not and a few flourishes makes for a delicious, delectable taste sensation
‘That is the Perfect *Cocktail’

1 shot = 30ml = 1 measure
1 Part – a smaller amount per person (eg. 20ml) or vamp it up for party jugs (eg. Equal measures, use a suitable cup, jug or scales)

Absinthe – An aniseed liqueur with botanicals. Renowned for its strength, its potency lead it to being banned from several countries. Can be replaced with Pernod.
*Death in the Afternoon – 1 shoot Absinthe, topped with Champagne

Advocaat – A Dutch Brandy based drink enriched with yolks &sugar. Often enjoyed at Christmas chilled.
*Fluffy Duck – 1 shot Advocaat, 1 shot Crème De Cocao top with lemonade.

Amaretto / Disaranno – A rich brown coloured almond flavoured liqueur.
*Amaretto Sour – 1 shot Amaretto, ½ fresh lemon juice – maraschino cherry.

Apricot Liqueur / Brandy
*Angle Face – 1 shot Gin, ½ shot Apricot Brandy, ½ shot Apple Brandy.

Beer, Ale, Larger, Stout – Made from brewing cereal grains, in the same was as wine when no sugar is added but the fermentation of the natural yeasts works on the natural sugars to form ethyl and carbon dioxide. The oldest drink and most widely drunk after water and tea! Stout is made by roasting the malt or barley first. What’s the difference between beer, ale and lager – sort of nothing they are all the same just a preference in making different varieties. However, Lager is the German word for ‘Storage’ which means it has a slower brew resulting in a lighter BEER / ALE!
*Espresso Stout – 1 shot cold espresso coffee, topped cold stout.

Benedictine – A dark molasses colour sweet herb liqueur originally made my monks. Often Cognac based.
*The Benedictine – 1 shot Benedictine, few drops orange bitters, top with champagne.

Blackberry Liqueur / Brandy
*Blackberry cola – 1 shot blackberry liqueur, ½ shot dry cherry, ½ shot sweet sherry top with cola.

Brandy – Originally French Brandy is made by distilling wine, usually between 40-60%. Cognac and Armagnac are varieties of Brandys. Some are aged in wooden casks, some are cheatily coloured or a mix of both.
*Sidecar – 1 shot Cognac or Brandy, ½ shot fresh lemon juice, ½ shot Triple Sec.

Butterscotch Snapps / Brandy or Liqueur
*Butter Cream Velvet – 1 shot Butterscotch liqueur, 1 shot Baileys, 2 shots milk over ice.

Campari – A light ruby red blend of herbs, spices and orange with bitter notes. Known as an Italian aperitif often served neat over ice or topped with soda. Apparently distinguished from being a fortified wine or a liqueur.
*Americano – 1 Shot Campari, 1 shot red vermouth top with soda.

Chambord – Cognac based French liqueur made from raspberry’s.
*Chambord Royale – 1 shot Chambord, 1 shot vodka, top equal measures cranberry & pineapple juice over ice.

Champagne / Prosecco – Good ole bubbles. Champagne can only come from the champagne region of France, whereas Prosecco can be made anywhere. Did you know Prosecco is banned from being sold another way than in bottles.
*Christmas Morning Champagne – add a fresh strawberry or raspberry, any liqueur of choice and top with Champagne.

Chartreuse – A light green French herb based liqueur.
*The Last Word – 1 shot Chartreuse, 1 shot Gin, 1 shot Maraschino liqueur, 1 shot fresh lime juice.

Cherry Liqueur / Brandy – made from dark red cherries.
*Singapore Sling – 1 shot Gin, ½ shot cherry brandy, ½ shot grenadine top with soda.

Cinnamon Snapps – Try the ‘Aftershock’ brand.
*Hot Chocolate Shock – 1 shot cinnamon snapps topped with hot chocolate.

Coffee Liqueur / Tia Maria / Kahlua
* Espresso Martini – 1 shot vodka, 1 shot coffee liqueur, 1 espresso with ½ teaspoon dark brown sugar.

Cointreau / Drambuie – Orange liqueur from triple sec.
*Cosmopolitan – 1 & ½ shots Vodka, ½ shot cointreau, 1 shot cranberry juice, ¼ fresh lemon & the same of lime juice.

Note – A French Crème title means it is twice as sweeter than a liquor, syrupy and possibly more dense, however it has no cream content unless of course it’s an Irish Cream.

Crème D ‘Almond
*Original Zombie – 1 shot Dark Rum & white Rum, ½ shot Crème de Almond & Cointreau and top Orange Juice.

Crème de Banana
*Bananarama – 1 shot Crème de Banana, 1 shot Cream, ½ shot Orange Liqueur, dash bitters.

Crème De Cacao – sweet chocolate infused liquor, creamy flavoured but no dairy.
*Brandy Alexandre – equal shots of Cream, crème de Cacao & Cognac.

Crème de Cassis – A French blackcurrant liqueur, works well with champagne and wine.
*Kir – 1 shot Crème de Cassis, 1 glass White Wine – twist lemon peel.

Crème de Cerise – a sweet & rich Cherry liqueur.
*Cherry Cobbler – 1 shot Gin, ½ shot Crème de Cerise, Crème de Cassis * fresh lemon juice with 1 tablespoon Sugar Syrup.

Crème de Framboise – a sweet & rich Raspberry liqueur.
*Raspberry Collins – 1 shot Gin, ½ shot Crème de Framboise, ½ shot lemon juice, dash sugar syrup, dash bitters and top up with soda.

Crème de Menthe – a sweet syrupy mint liqueur.
*Grasshopper – equal parts Crème de Menthe, Crème de Cacao and Fresh Cream.

Crème de Violette – A rich purple coloured violet liqueur.
*Violet Royale – 1 shot Crème de Violette top with champagne or Prosecco.

Cider – apple based or Perry pear based plus some fruity variety on option apple cider mixed with all sorts.
*Hot Mulled Cider – like wine but with cider, add baked apples, cinnamon, apple snaps or brandy.

Curacao – A liqueur made from the dried peel of the Lahara citrus fruit, similar to orange flavours. Often blue but can be coloured red as well clear. Interchangeable with triple sec, cointreau.
*Blue Lagoon – equal shots of Vodka, Blue Curacao & Lemonade.

Drambuie – based with scotch whiskey, heather honey and herbs.
*Rusty Nail – ½ shot Drambuie, 1 shot Scotch Whiskey, dash angastora bitters – serve with a lemon peel.

Dubonnet – A French aperitif. Fortified wine made in white or red varieties.
*The Queens Tipple – 2 shots Dubonnet, 1 shot Gin

Frangelica – An Italian hazelnut liqueur with subtle flavours of coffee, cocoa and vanilla.
*Heavenly Orgasm – 1 shot Frangelica, ½ shot Almond Liqueur, ½ shot Irish Cream.

Galliano – An Italian anise and vanilla, spiced liqueur.
*Galliano Iced Tea – 1 shot Coffee Liqueur, ½ shot Galliano top with lemon iced tea.

Gin – Distilled with the predominant flavour of Juniper Berries. Sloe Gin has the addition of sloe berry’s making the usual clear liquid reddish purple.
*Singapore Sling – 1 shot Gin, ½ shot Chery Liqueur, ¼ shot Cointreau, ¼ shot Benedictine, ½ Fresh Lime juice, dash Angostura Bitters, top pineapple juice – splash Grenadine

Ginger Liqueur – A mildly sweet and spicy liqueur in several varieties.
*Hot Ginger Toddy – 1 shot Whiskey, ½ shot Ginger Liqueur, 1 level tablespoon runny honey, 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon top with boiling water.

Grand Marnier – A French cognac with orange flavours. Stronger that Cointreau but can be interchanged.
*B52 – 1 shot Grand Marnier, 1 shot Tia Maria or Kahlua & 1 shot Irish Cream

Irish Coffee Liqueur / Baileys – a creamy version of the coffee liqueurs tia maria or Kahlua.
*Drainpipe – 1 shot Irish Cream & 1 shot Green Curacao topped with coke.

Limoncella – An Italian sweet lemon dessert liqueur.
*Limoncella Collins – 1 shot Limoncella, 1 shot Gin, ¼ fresh lemon juice topped soda.

Lychee Liqueur – you can also get a Chinese version which is very strong.
*Lychee Martini – 1 shot Lychee Liqueur, 1 shot Vodka, 1 shot Coconut Water & a Lychee to sink.

Madeira – Fortified wine from the island of Madeira usually drank as an aperitif. Like sherry it comes in several varieties from sweet to dry.
*Mulled Madeira – made in the usual way but use half Madeira to red wine.

Mango Liqueur
*Mango Margarita – Process 1 shot Mango Liqueur, 1 shot White Rum, ½ fresh Mango & some ice.

Maraschino – A cherry liquor, clear and dry.
*Mary Pickford – 1 shot white rum/Bacardi, 1 shot pineapple juice, dash grenadine, 2 dashes Maraschino.

Martini – An Italian brand name for Vermouth, a fortified botanical wine coming in different flavours, sweetness’s &/or flavours.
*Martini cocktail – 1 part Dry Vermouth, 5 parts Gin (or Vodka Martini) – with an olive & twist of lemon. Dirty Martini – add a splash of olive brine!

Midori – A green Melon liquor originally from Japan.
*Japanese Slipper – 1 shot Cointreau, 1 shot Midori, 1 shot fresh lemon juice.

Ouzo – A milky white Greek snapps. Very strong & made for necking!
*TKO Shooter – 1 part Ouzo, 1 Part Tequila & 1 part Kahlua

Pomegranate Liqueur – I’m lucky enough to have a Ukrainian sister in law who brings me regular supplies back from home. Also, popular in America.
*Blushing Bride – 1 shot Vodka (raspberry, strawberry, any red berry! or pink lemonade flavours), ½ shot Pomegranate liqueur, 1 heaped teaspoon caster sugar, dash lime juice. With a cherry on top.

Port – is a Portuguese fortified wine from the Douro Valley. Often used as a dessert drink as red &sweet but can be white & dry or semi-dry.
*Suburban – 1 shot red/ruby Port, 1 shot Whiskey, ½ shot Dark Rum.

Peach liqueur / Peach Snapps / Archers
*Sex on the Beach – 1 shot Peach snapps, 1 shot vodka, topped with equal parts orange and cranberry juice.

Peppermint Liqueur or Snapps
*Alpine Lemonade – 1 shot Peppermint Liqueur topped with cloudy lemonade.

Pimms – Also known as pimms cup a gin based rose coloured drink popular in summer with lemonade with cucumber and strawberry & mint.
*Pimms Classic – 1 part Pimms, 3 parts Lemonade
*Pimms Deuce – 1 part Pimms, 2 parts Orange Juice, 2 parts Cranberry Juice

Raki – The Turkish national drink, an anise liqueur served neat or with water.
*Odyssey – 1 part Raki, 6 parts Lemon & Lime soda, squeeze Fresh Lemon Juice, garnish with a Star Anise.

St Germain – A French elderflower liqueur.
*The Gipsy – ½ shot St Germain, 1 shot Gin, ½ shot Green Chartreuse, ½ lime juice.

Sambuca – An Italian liqueur. Often seen flaming in bars. Made from anise, liquorice, elderflower and spices.
*Slippery Nipple – ½ fill a shot glass with Sambuca, gently fill with Irish Cream – they’ll separate into two layers.

Sherry – Sherry is fortified wine made from white grapes grown near Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusian, Spain.
*Aphrodite – equal parts Cream Sherry, Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth with a dash of Orange Bitters.

Slow Gin – A gin infused with the sloe berry.
*Sloe Gin Fizz – 1 shot Sloe Gin, ½ shot Limoncello top with Sparkling Water.

Southern Comfort – An American whisky based drink with peaches.
*Alabama Slammer – 1 shot Southern Comfort, 1 shot Sloe Gin, 1 shot Amaretto and topped with Orange Juice.

Tequila – Is a Mexican drink for the region surrounding the city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco. Made from the blue agave a dessert succulent and not a cactus plant. Mezcal is not pure tequila but made with e mix of agave.
*Tequila Sunrise – 2 shots Tequila, top with orange juice pour in 1 – 2 teaspoons Grenadine.

Triple Sec – A clear mildly flavoured orange liqueur similar to Curacao. Just a warning over the Long Island Iced Tea below – it’s got 5 shots of alcohol, making it the most potent of all Cocktails and it’s not Tea – just so you know!
*Long Island Iced Tea – 1 shot Gin, 1 shot White Rum, 1 shot Silver Tequila, 1 shot Vodka, 1 shot Triple Sec topped with Cola

Vermouth – As in Martini a fortified wine made with herbs.
*Negroni – 1 part Sweet Red Vermouth, 1 Part Gin & 1 part Campari

Vodka – Made from a distillation of cereal grains or potatoes. Originally from Russia but produced all over the Baltic states and now beyond. Usually 40-50%.
*Mosco Mule – 1 -2 shots Vodka, squeeze fresh lime topped with Ginger Beer.

Wine – Made from the fermentation of wine grapes (sometimes other fruits) usually without sugar, the yeast activates the natural sugars in the grapes to form ethanol & carbon dioxide. White wine white grapes, red wine black grapes, Rose red grapes with the skins removed earlier.
*Spritzer – White Wine topped with Sparkling Water.

Whiskey / Scotch / Bourbon / Jack Daniels & Southern Comfort – A distillation of grain mash.
Old Fashioned – 1 sugar cube in the glass, 1 -2 shots Bourbon or Rye Whiskey, 2 -3 dashes Angostura Bitters. Orange peel twist.

*How to make a cocktail without instructions – – easy, always shake the cream ones, pour the ones topped & stir the basic 2 – 3 alcohol ones, apart from a B52 which should be poured and not mixed. If in doubt shake all else and always shake over ice – as long as it’s not fizzy. Champagne and Wine ones get poured over the liqueur but aren’t stirred as are the beer ones. A few grenadine ones like a Sunrise is poured over at the end as it sinks making a two-tone drink.

Long cocktails are usually served over ice, or with crushed while shots, shooters, Martinis and small unblended cocktails are served neat.

East Anglian Tipples – in no particular order!
Wild Knight Vodka inc Nelsons Gold
St Giles Gin
TippTree Gin and infusions like Damson, Rhubarb
Adnams Copper House Gin – plus tons of ales
Archangel Norfolk Gin
Black Chuck Gin & Loads of Liqueurs inc plum, Raspberry
Bullards Gin inc Strawberry & Black pepper flavour
English Whiskey Company (in Norfolk)
Local Wine like Winbirri
Norfolk Cider
to name a few

By Zena Leech-Calton ©
www.lovenorwichfood.co.uk