From Brandy Alexander to a Winter Nightcap
This time of year, we can revert back to our old reliable tastes and methods. In the period of festive cheer, nostalgia reigns supreme, from the top of the tree to the tinkle of your bar cart. With all that time on your hands and with your family, it's always a good idea to have some diversions, a lightly-involved task to while away an afternoon. Cue some festive cocktail recipes from some of the country's best hospitality establishments:
14. The Shelbourne's Soleir
Ingredients
20 ml Gin Bertha's Revenge
20 ml Montenegro Amaro
40ml Homemade cherry liqueur
25 ml Milk
Pineapple
Citric acid
Dehydrated pineapple for garnish
Method
Mash two pineapple slices inside a pot with a muddler. Add a pinch of citric acid. 5 minutes later, add Gin, Amaro and Liquor into the mixture. Stir gently a couple times and let it sit. Pour the warm whole milk in a second pot. Fine strain the first mixture into the pot with the warm milk and stir gently.
After 10 minutes strain it through a sifter and a coffee filter. Leave it filtrating in the fridge. The mixture is then ready to be served into a Nick and Nora glass. Serve with a spiced dehydrated pineapple slice and enjoy.
13. The Ice House's Brandy Alexander
Ingredients
50 ml of Hennessy VS Brandy
25 ml of Crème de Cacao
25 ml of Fresh Cream
Method
Shaken and strain into a chilled Martini glass
12. Slane Distillery’s The Amplifier
Ingredients
50mls Slane Irish Whiskey Batch Strength
25mls Campari
10mls Dry Vermouth
10mls Sweet Vermouth
1 x dash Orange Bitters
Ice cubes
One large ice cube to serve
1 x fresh orange
Method
Collect your equipment. You’ll need a mixing jug, copper spoon strainer, jigger and mixing spoon. Add Slane Irish Whiskey Batch Strength and the rest of the ingredients to the mixing jug. Add ice to the jug, making it ¾ full, and stir for 30 seconds to cool the temperature of the liquid. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel, rimmed on the glass before placing into the drink.
11. Slane Distillery’s Slane Rose
Ingredients
50mls Slane Irish Whiskey
25mls Chambord
15mls Honey Syrup (2:1)
15mls Fresh Lemon Juice
150mls Pineapple Juice
I x Dash Barnbrack Off the Cuffe Bitters
2 x Blackberries
Ice Cubes
Dehydrated lemon wheel to garnish
Method
Collect your equipment. You’ll need a cocktail shaker, hawthorn strainer, fine mesh strainer, jigger and bar mixing spoon and muddler. Add Slane Irish Whiskey and the fresh blackberries to the cocktail shaker and muddle. Once the flavour has been released from the fruit, add the rest of the ingredients as listed. Dry shake together for 10 seconds with no ice before adding ice cubes to half-fill the cocktail shaker. Shake for another 20 seconds and double-strain into a large martini glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel on top.
10. The Dyflin Bar's Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh
Ingredients
40ml of Roe & Co. Blended Irish Whiskey
10ml of Mead
30ml of Coconut Water
5ml of Honey
1 dash of Salt
Honeycomb for garnish
Method
Put 40ml Roe & Co. in a mixing glass, add coconut water, meade, honey and a dash of salt. Stir until mixed, pour into glass (coupe preferable), add honeycomb for garnish.
9. The Dyflin Bar's The Winter Nightcap
Ingredients
60ml of Bulleit Rye Bourbon
10ml of sugar syrup
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
2 dash of orange bitters
Method
Add 60ml of Bullet Rye Bourbon to a mixing glass, add 10ml of sugar syrup, Angostura Bitters & Orange Butters. Add all ingredients to mixing glass and stir until mixed. Pour into a glass (rock tumbler preferable). Best served with dark chocolate
8. Fota Island Resort's Christmas Cocktail
Ingredients
35ml vodka,
30 ml baileys,
25ml espresso coffee
50 ml salted caramel sauce.
Method:
Mix all the ingredients together with caramel sauce with ice in shaker. No particular order. For the garnish, use edible glitter, and cocoa powder, and sieve through a star stencil. Serve in a martini glass.
8. The Kingsley's Snow Martini
Ingredients
35ml Vodka
2 shots Cream
Half shot White cacao
Half shot Vanilla syrup
Fresh squeeze of orange juice
Method
Mix all together in shaker with ice and strain. Grate chocolate on top to garnish. Serve in a martini glass.
7. The Kingsley's Christmas Cracker
Ingredients
1 shot Whiskey
1 shot Disaronno
1/2 shot of sugar syrup
Lemon syrup
Egg white
A dash of angostura bitters
Method
Mix all together in a shaker with ice and strain. Serve in a tumbler glass.
6. The River Lee's Christmas Alexander
Ingredients;
4cl Dark Rum
2cl Brown Cacao Liquor
1cl Prune Syrup
4cl Cream
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with nutmeg and serve in a Martini glass.
5. The River Lee's Winter Cobbler
Ingredients:
6cl Winter Tale Sherry
2cl Orange Juice
2cl Lemon Juice
2cl Date Syrup
Method
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain and serve into a hi ball glass filled with cubed ice. Garnish with some dried orange and serve.
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4. The Heritage's Sugar Cookie Martini
It’s sweet, creamy, rich, and has the delicate vanilla flavour of your favourite frosted sugar cookie (with sprinkles!). And while it tastes like an innocent sugar cookie, it definitely has a boozy kick that will add a little holly jolly to your holidays!
Ingredients:
1.5oz Vanilla Vodka
1.5oz Irish cream
2oz whole milk
1oz Amaretto
Method
Shaken with ice and poured into a Martini glass. Vanilla syrup and choc sprinkles to rim the glass.
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3. Faithlegg's Boltons Blizzard
Ingredients:
25ml Muldoons Whiskey
35ml Baileys
Splash of orgeat
50ml almond milk.
Method:
Pour into a shaker, add ice and shake. Strain into a chocolate-rimmed glass.
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2. Carton House's The Library
Ingredients:
20ml Carton House whiskey
40ml Porto LBV
15ml lime juice
15ml fig syrup
15ml egg white
Berries to garnish
Method:
Add all ingredients to the shaker. Dry shake for roughly 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake thoroughly for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass. Add berries to garnish.
- Carton House's The Earl
Ingredients:
50ml Bulleit bourbon
35ml Guinness
20ml sugar syrup
2 dash angostura bitters
1 egg
Chocolate powder to garnish
Method:
Add all the ingredients to the shaker and dry shake for roughly 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake again for 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass and add chocolate powder to garnish.
Will you be trying any of these this Christmas? Let us know how you get on!
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