On this World Cocktail Day, I am reminded of how a seemingly trivial thought, especially to those outside the sphere of my world, made such a massive impact on the way I continue to shape cocktails today.
It was about simply changing people’s perception of a drink called the Bloody Mary! Served then in a short stubby, occasionally ugly, whisky glass — it brought about a fleeting thought in my mind of calling it a Bloody John! Instead, I decided Mary deserved a makeover. I put her in a shapely glass with a super zingy flavour and gave her a wardrobe of garnishes instead of only one, tired celery stick.
It definitely caused a few raised eyebrows from the trade but people loved the revisited Mary and that went on to change the vision of how good a cocktail could be. It confirmed my conviction that change is good if it elevates the experience of the cocktail and makes it more desirable to its audience. The rest is history.
On World Cocktail Day, here are some of my instantly loveable cocktail recipes for The Telegraph readers.
(l-r) Royal Spritz, Mango & Passion Whiskey Sour, Guava & Grapefruit Gin & Tonic
Royal Spritz
Glass: Large wine Ingredients:
- 150ml cold sparkling wine (to top)
- 5ml blueberry pure
- 10ml peach syrup
- Garnish: Jasmine flower, basil sprig
- Method:
- Fill the glass with ice
- Add gently peach syrup and blueberry puree
- Now, slowly top it with sparkling wine and stir
- Garnish
Mango & Passion Whiskey Sour
Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 60ml bourbon whiskey
- 20ml fresh passion fruit puree
- 20ml mango crush
- 1 wedge lime
- 5 fresh curry leaves
- 1 egg white
Garnish: Curry leaf dust (pan-dried and powdered), curry leaf sprig
Method:
- Add all ingredients to a shaker
- Fill shaker with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds
- Strain and shake again without the ice
- Pour into chilled glass
- Garnish
Guava & Grapefruit Gin & Tonic
Glass: Wine glass
Ingredients:
- 60ml gin
- 5ml pink grapefruit syrup or
- 15ml fresh grapefruit juice
- 15ml guava juice
- 1 lime wedge
- Tonic water (grapefruit tonic if available)
- Garnish: Fresh mint, edible flower
Method:
- Fill glass with ice
- Add grapefruit syrup/juice, guava juice & gin
- Squeeze in a wedge of lime and drop in
- Top with tonic water & stir
- Garnish
(L) Date & Tamarind Sour, (middle) Deeply Citrus Negroni, (R) Kolkata Sunset
Date & Tamarind Sour
Glass: Coupe/rocks
Ingredients:
- 60ml dark rum
- 15ml date syrup
- 15ml orange juice
- 1 bar spoon tamarind chutney
- 1 wedge lime l ¼ spoon crushed pepper
- Garnish: Date, orange peel/ burnt cinnamon
Method:
- Add all ingredients to a shaker
- Fill shaker with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds
- Strain and shake again without the ice
- Pour into chilled glass
- Garnish
Deeply Citrus Negroni
Glass: Rocks
Ingredients:
- 30ml Greater Than Gin
- 30ml Campari
- 15ml white wine
- 15ml dry vermouth
- 1 frozen orange juice sphere/ cubes with a little thyme
- Orange/Angostura bitters
- Garnish: Orange zest and thyme
Method:
- Fill mixing glass with ice
- Add all ingredients on ice
- Stir
- Strain the mixture over fruit ice ball in rocks glass
- Add a dash of orange/ Angostura bitters or both
- Garnish
Kolkata Sunset
Glass: Hurricane
Ingredients:
- 60ml gin
- 90ml orange juice
- 10ml peach syrup
- 2 lime wedges
- 30ml red wine float
- Garnish: Mint sprig, orange slice
Method:
- Fill shaker with ice
- Add all ingredients except the wine and shake
- Pour it on ice in tall glass
- Float the red wine
- Garnish
