Showing posts with label Flavour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flavour. Show all posts

Friday, 12 February 2016

Rhubarb and Rose

A pretty pink cocktail, just in time for Valentine's Day. Not that I believe in nonsense like pink drinks.




rhubarb and rose love (serves one)

55mL rhubarb vodka
20
mL rose liqueur
20
mL rose hip syrup
20
mL fresh lemon juice
Couple drops rhubarb bitters
Couple drops Aphrodite bitters 
 
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker or a large glass. Add plenty of ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a dried rose petal.


You can hear me talk about this cocktail on Cambridge 105's Flavour programme. Catch up here.

Saturday, 12 December 2015

Christmas rescue cocktail


I love Christmas. At all times of the year I am very set on what is right and what I definitely don't approve of (I'm looking at you Rod Stewart). Christmas is a time of tradition for everyone so my obsession with having everything just so doesn't seem quite so strange. However all my self-imposed festive rules and regulations became overwhelming recently. On the floor, surrounded by cards, wrapping paper and many, many lists I thought to myself "I need help". Then I realised I just needed a cocktail. A rescue cocktail.

There is likely to be many occasions over Christmas when just such a potion will be required. Between making sure we have the right sort of tree (real, particular type of needle) and the correct Christmas cards (has to be charity ones), making sure there is no chocolate in the advent calendar (the excitement of counting down to Christmas should be enough) and stressing about where I am going to get a supply of Irish crisps in England, it is an exhausting time. Cocktail!

This is a selfish cocktail, for one or two people. Not for making in large amounts, not for parties. Just for me and you if you need it. If you would like some Christmas party cocktail ideas I have plenty on this blog and my older blog. There is last year's pomegranate cocktail (3 variations on a theme),a Christmas pudding vodka cocktail, a Christmas apple punch and a spicy rosehip, rhubarb combination.
But leave the party planning for the moment; put down your notebook and pen. Let the Christmas clementine, the fresh lime and passion fruit, not to mention the alcohol, refresh and revitalise you.



I've used Kamm & Sons here as it has lots of botanicals including ginseng roots, freshly peeled grapefruit and Manuka honey.  Basically it's a health drink. You could just use gin which is also a health drink in my book.

Christmas rescue cocktail (serves two)
clementine juice  100mL
lime juice  40mL
Kamm & Sons 30mL
vodka 30mL
simple syrup  30mL
3-4 drops rhubarb bitters
2 passion fruit 
ice
lime and clementine zest to garnish


Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice. Shake until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a prepared cocktail glass. Use a fine strainer if you don't want the passion fruit seeds but I quite like them in there. Garnish with lime and clementine zest. 
You can hear me talking about this Christmas cocktail on the Flavour programme (Cambridge 105) at 12 noon today (Saturday 12th December).

Friday, 26 June 2015

Cocktail of the month: Midsummer potion


I took this dress to a fabulous party last weekend, although I'm starting to think it took me. It only gets out of the wardrobe for the best invitations and I am a mere vehicle for its wonder. The last time we ventured out together was to the opening of a sculpture exhibition in the garden of a beautiful inn overlooking the Pacific Ocean.


On that occasion the artist admired my dress and I planned to take one of the sculptures home before remembering the tyranny of the baggage allowance.


At the party last weekend, which was in The Fens rather than California, the artist (the wonderful Karen) also admired my dress. Apparently, we (my dress and I) had nailed the "Margot from the The Good Life" look. Happily this was the exactly the look we were going for.

I had promised to bring a cocktail. The party was to be a wondrous midsummer extravaganza focused on fire. I had to attempt a themed drink. Aperol seemed a suitable summery choice and the right colour for this fire festival. The addition of vodka (or gin) was essential to keep the booze hounds happy (a guest at this party invented The Sugar Wolf cocktail: I had some serious drinkers to impress). I added herbs and bitters to complete the potion and cast my spell. It is designed to be assembled in a jug in large quantities, then poured out into glasses as needed and topped with sparkling water. 


Photo by the amazing Karen Harvey
Midsummer potion

3 parts Aperol
3 parts gin or vodka
4 parts freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 parts herb infused simple syrup (I used a mixture of lemon balm, rosemary and lavender)
Several drops lavender bitters
Several drops rhubarb bitters
Several drops Angostura bitters
Herbs to garnish and soda water to finish

Combine all of the ingredients in a jug. Stir until combined. Add plenty of ice to a glass, fill 3/4 glass with cocktail mixture, top with soda water and garnish with fresh herbs. Prancing around in a flowery dress is optional.

You can hear me talking about this cocktail on Flavour on Cambridge 105 on Saturday 27th June at 12pm.

Photo by the amazing Karen Harvey

Saturday, 4 April 2015

Cocktail of the month: rhubarb lavender daiquiri


Easter holidays call for a celebratory cocktail. I'm celebrating because I'm in Ireland spending time with my lovely family and hanging out with old friends. 

A daiquiri is a fine cocktail if you ignore anything frozen or strawberry flavoured (I don't approve of strawberry flavour - it's one of my things). It's a classic that follows the fail-safe cocktail formula I've talked about on many occasions. 


I couldn't resist infusing the rum with the first pink stalks of rhubarb I found in the market. I used exactly the same process as I use for rhubarb vodka, you can find the recipe here
I first tried ginger syrup in place of the simple syrup in a standard daiquiri. That was very nice indeed, ginger and rhubarb do go very well together. Then by chance I remembered my lavender syrup. I was feeling dangerous so I decided to experiment. It was a revelation. The combination of rhubarb and lavender are spring time expressed through the medium of the cocktail.


rhubarb lavender daiquiri (serves one)

60 mL rhubarb rum
30 mL freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
15 mL lavender infused simple syrup (rough recipe below)
1 drop lavender bitters
1 drop rhubarb bitters
lime wedge to garnish

Combine all of the ingredients in a large glass or cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice. Stir or shake until chilled. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and a cocktail umbrella for extra spring in your step.


lavender infused simple syrup

Oh I how long to be pottering around my allotment, smelling my lavender hedge. Not too long to go now that spring is here.

This syrup was a great experiment. It all began with a bunch of lavender:



I picked off the individual flowers into a bowl:



And covered them with boiling water:



I let it infuse for twenty minutes, then strained out the lavender bits. I then measured how much liquid I had and added an equal amount of sugar. Once all the sugar was dissolved, I transferred it to a sterilized bottle.

See this post for more details on the method for making infused simple syrups. 
 
You can hear me talking about this cocktail on Flavour on Cambridge 105 on Saturday 4th April at 12pm.

Saturday, 13 December 2014

Cocktail of the month: Christmas cocktails


I'm not going to lie to you. There is some effort involved this month. But once you've put in a bit of work making a versatile syrup, it's all easy. I have three (yes three!) cocktails for you based on the same syrup. You will be flouncing around looking fabulous and drinking cocktails in no time.

The syrup that ties this cocktails together is made from pomegranate and fresh orange juice. I decided it was a step too far to juice pomegranates myself so I bought pomegranate juice with no added sugar from the health food shop. The exact instructions are in the recipe below. Once reduced, the pomegranate syrup is the most fantastic deep purple colour and has an intriguing sweet but bitter, slightly spiced fragrance.

The first cocktail is based on my classic sour recipe. I hope you've memorized the formula by now. 4 parts alcohol: 2 parts sour: 1 part sweet. I spiced up the gin I'm using here by adding a cinnamon stick, a vanilla pod, a star anise and a cardamom pod to the gin bottle and leaving it to infuse for a week or two. The spices are still in there, infusing away until Christmas. The recipe below serves one but simply multiply the proportions and make in a jug if you have lots of cocktail drinking guests.


The second is a fizz based cocktail, extremely simple and perfect for when visitors call in. It's not too alcoholic either so you could have a good few of these without getting too messy.

The last cocktail is non-alcoholic. Perfect for children or anyone who has to drive. In fact it is also excellent when recovering from a Christmas hangover. It is extremely refreshing due to that slightly bitter tang from the pomegranate combined with the sweetness and the fresh citrus. It is actually quite addictive. This could also be made in a large jug ready to pour out.


In addition to the recipes given below you can find other Christmas cocktail recipes on my older blog: a Christmas pudding vodka cocktail, a Christmas apple punch and a spicy rosehip, rhubarb combination.




pomegranate and orange simple syrup

pomegranate juice (no added sugar) 500mL
freshly squeezed orange juice 500mL
sugar 500g
zest of one orange 

Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer until reduced by approximately half the volume. Allow to cool and then strain through a muslin (or clean J-cloth) lined sieve into a jug. Decant into a sterilized bottle and store in the fridge if not using immediately. I put mine in a conical flask for show because I have one and I'm a big chemistry nerd.



spiced pomegranate sour (serves one)
 
spiced Christmas gin (see above) 60mL
freshly squeezed lime juice 30mL
pomegranate and orange simple syrup  15mL
3-4 drops cranberry bitters (if you have them)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large glass or cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with lime zest.


pomegranate fizz (serves one)

pomegranate and orange simple syrup  20mL
cava/prosseco/champagne 
pomegranate seeds and orange twist to garnish

Add the syrup to a champagne flute. Carefully top up with your choice of sparkling wine. Add pomegranate seeds and a piece of orange zest to garnish.



pomegranate refresher (serves one)

pomegranate and orange simple syrup  40mL
juice of 1/2 a lime
sparkling water
pomegranate seeds and orange slices to garnish

Add the syrup and the fresh lime juice to a large glass. Fill the glass 3/4 full with ice. Add the pomegranate seeds and orange slices before filling with sparkling water. 

You can hear me talking about these Christmas cocktail on the Flavour programme (Cambridge 105) at 12 noon today (Saturday 13th December).

Saturday, 15 November 2014

Cocktail of the month: sloe warmer



I was struggling with the loss of summer last month. A few Autumn acclimatisation cocktails later and I am back with the seasonal programme. I am out a lot enjoying the scarf and gloves weather (I'm really going for walks so I can listen to the Serial podcast).

When I get back after a late afternoon ramble a warming cocktail seems like just the ticket. This weekend I hope to get organised enough to make it in advance and bring it out with me in a flask.

This is a really easy cocktail. A light sugar syrup infused with spices forms the base and is topped up with sloe gin. You can make a little or a lot of the base depending on how many people are coming out to enjoy the Autumn weather with you.

sloe warmer

2 parts water (I used 2 cups)
1 part sugar (I used 1 cup)
1 part apple juice (I used 1 cup)
spices: cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods, juniper berries
squeeze of lemon
sloe gin or vodka

Heat the water, the sugar and the apple juice with the spices in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for at least an hour. Your house is going to smell fantastic at this stage. Strain out the spices, return to the pan and add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Ensure the mixture is nice and hot. Warm a cup or heat proof glass with boiling water. Half fill the glass with the light syrup and then top up with sloe gin. Garnish with lemon slices and spices.

You can hear me talking about this Autumnal cocktail on the Flavour programme (Cambridge 105) at 12 noon today.

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Cocktail of the month: Autumn acclimatisation


I find the change in the seasons the most difficult. Once I get into the swing of Autumn I adore it: scarves, tights, hats, soup, bonfires, leaves, harvest hymns. I love it all. But while I'm adjusting, I find it tricky. I made it hard on myself this year by grabbing a few days in sunny Spain at the start of October which just delayed the inevitable. This change of season manifests itself as extreme tiredness, crankiness and an overwhelming urge to hibernate. I prescribed myself an Autumnal cocktail in an attempt to get over it. It had to be sloe based. It serves as a reminder to get out into the hedgerows and pick the last of the sloes.
 
Autumn acclimatisation

50mL medium apple juice (I like the juice from Watergull Orchards)
30mL sloe gin or vodka
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker or pint glass. Taste and add more lemon juice if necessary. Pour into a lowball glass filled with ice. Top with slices of apple and sloes if you have them (I freeze some every year when I collect them for garnish purposes).

Hear me talking about this lovely Autumnal cocktail on the Flavour programme (Cambridge 105) at 12 noon today.


Saturday, 23 August 2014

Cocktail of the month: cigarettes and alcohol


On a quiet day recently the strains of a song from my teenage life reached out across the years. "......'cause all I need are cigarettes and alcohol". Oasis; boy had it been a long time since we were acquainted. But, as is the way, I just couldn't get the damn song out of my head. I slowly realised it was in fact a cocktail vision. A challenge from the universe.

The alcohol component I  have covered, it's got to be bourbon. But cigarettes, in a cocktail? How was I going to pull that one off? I toyed with infusing my bourbon with tobacco but even my adventurous spirit draws the line at experimenting with ingredients likely to poison my drinkers. I turned instead to an ingredient I have had my eye on for a while, Jade Perique Tobacco Liqueur. This liqueur is flavoured with Louisiana Perique tobacco, apparently one of the rarest tobaccos in the world. It's delicious: smooth, woody and herbal. I didn't want to over complicate a cocktail called cigarettes and alcohol so I based my recipe on an old-fashioned.



cigarettes and alcohol (serves one)

30mL bourbon
30mL Jade Perique Tobacco Liqueur
10mL simple syrup (I used my Christmas spice syrup for additional spice notes)
3-4 dashes of orange bitters (you could use angostura instead)
large piece of orange zest
ice
cherry and orange wheel to serve 

Combine the bourbon, tobacco liqueur, simple syrup, bitters and orange zest in a large glass or cocktail shaker. Add ice and stir well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice and garnish with a cherry and an orange wheel.

You can here me talking about this cocktail on the Flavour, Cambridge 105 podcast here.

Sunday, 17 August 2014

Simple cocktail: flat peaches, elderflower and lime


I had just polished off a cocktail I call "cigarettes and alcohol" recipe coming soon). I felt it was time to redress the balance a little. 

I was inspired by a bag of overripe flat peaches, given to me free by a lovely Cambridge market trader at the end of the day. I pureed the peaches, added a dash of agave nectar (the health freak's choice of sweetener) along with lime zest and lime juice. Delicious just by itself, I had to stop myself eating it there and then. Loosened by a glug of elderflower gin (approx 30mL), it still looks healthy even if it does have a little kick. Served over ice and garnished with slices of peach and lime it is extremely pretty and would work equally well with rum, gin, vodka or even (whisper it) as a non-alcoholic drink.



You can here me talking about this cocktail on the Flavour, Cambridge 105 podcast here.

Friday, 11 July 2014

Cocktail of the month: gooseberry margarita

I'm seventeen years old and Sarah and I are doing our best to get through a bottle of cheap tequilla in one night, armed only with table salt and some disappointingly dry limes. Those first experiences with tequila will certainly not be filed in the classy section of my cocktail memoirs. 

Oh but the youthful abandon, the joy, the hope for the future. The alcohol snob I fear I have become would secretly trade the vintage glasses, the bitters collection and the library of cocktail books to spend one night in a sweaty, youthful, worry-free and crap tequila-fueled fervour.


But then I pull myself together and get right back to the alcohol snobbery. The tequila we drank was horrific. I wish I had known then that the only tequila to drink should be clearly labelled 100% agave. If it doesn't say that on the label it will contain 51% agave and then rest will be made up with added sugars. Now, I'm not going to claim that tequila is some kind of health food but surely it makes sense to begin with the best ingredients we can. I'm a big fan of the Aqua Riva brand: fantastic taste, understated but pleasing labeling and available at a great price. 

I do love tequila and I was reminded of this at a fabulous brunch "supper club" I went to hosted by the lovely Ivana and Jenna. A Bloody Maria was served up alongside the brunch and as the warm tequila glow began to spread through me I knew I was going to have revisit tequila myself. I couldn't hold my head up if I didn't make it somewhat local and seasonal. Luckily for my cocktail cred the universe intervened and sent me a box of gooseberries in my veg box.

So it had to be a gooseberry margarita. Let's revisit how to make a standard margarita first. It's really not hard.


margarita (serves one)
45mL 100% agave tequila
30mL triple sec
15mL freshly squeezed lime juice
ice
salt for the rim

First prepare your glass. Run a spent lime wedge around the rim and then rotate the wet lip through a dish of salt to create your salt rim. Fill the glass with ice. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice, shake or stir for about 30 seconds. Strain into your prepared glass. Drink and feel tequila happy.

If you have some gooseberries and fancy something a bit more exotic then I highly recommend this variation. First cook down your gooseberries with a little sugar and a tiny bit of water. Once your gooseberries have disintegrated, push them through a fine sieve to create a smooth puree. The resulting cocktail doesn't look pretty but it tastes fabulous.




gooseberry margarita (serves one)

45mL 100% agave tequila
30mL gooseberry puree
10mL triple sec
15mL freshly squeezed lime juice
ice

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add plenty of ice, shake or stir for about 30 seconds. Strain into a glass full of ice. Drink and feel tequila happy.


Hear me talk more about this on Flavour tomorrow (Saturday 12th July) at 12pm.

Friday, 13 June 2014

Cocktail(s) of the month: limoncello adventures

It's cocktail of the month time on Flavour. In case you don't have this exciting date marked in your diary, the programme is on air on Saturday the 14th at 12pm. It is full of food news and features in addition to my cocktail ramblings.

For this month's cocktail (well actually two cocktails but we'll get to that in a minute) I've been playing around with limoncello. Now, if you are like me you'll probably be thinking "Limoncello? That disgusting sweet stuff I get free in dodgy restaurants and only drink because I desperately need more alcohol to attempt to cope my life choices?" Yes that stuff. I had a sneaky suspicion it might not be so awful when it was homemade and that it might just make a very handy cocktail ingredient. I had to try it out.

The limoncello itself was easy to make (the recipe is below), it's a great place to start infusing spirits. Of course you could always buy some, that is perfectly OK with me. But if you're looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon that doesn't involve lying in bed watching The Good Wife and mainlining chocolate then you can't really go wrong with making limoncello.

So today I have two very simple cocktail recipes for you using the limoncello. The first is another cocktail that is perfect for drinking in the sun. It's refreshing and full of flavour but light enough in alcohol that you can drink plenty of it. It turns out that basil and limoncello is a life-affirming combination (it really is that good). The second cocktail is perfect for a party. Mixing limoncello, lemon juice and sparkling wine, it's reminiscent of a French 75 but without that drink's sharp edges.



limoncello and basil cooler (serves one)

30mL limoncello (for recipe see below)
15mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
approx 10 fresh basil leaves
ice
sparkling water
lemon slices to garnish

Muddle the basil leaves and the lemon juice in a tall glass with a large spoon or a pestle. Add the limocello, stir and then fill the glass with ice. Top up with sparkling water. Garnish with a couple of lemon slices. I recommend a straw for drinking this one.



cheat's sweet French 75 (serves one)

30mL limoncello (for recipe see below)
30mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
sparkling wine (I used cheap cava and it was grand)
lemon twist to garnish

Add the limoncello and the lemon juice to a champagne flute or coupe, top up with sparkling wine. Garnish with a piece of lemon zest or lemon twist.

limoncello

4 lemons
500mL vodka
approximately 500mL simple syrup (plain or infused. I used lemon balm infused syrup as I had some in the fridge and I was too lazy to make some plain stuff. It worked beautifully.)

Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, remove the zest from the lemons and place them into a glass Kilner jar. If you can, try to avoid the bitter white pith. Top up the jar with your vodka and seal. Leave it to infuse for about a week. After a week of infusing, strain out the lemon zest and add the simple syrup. I would add it slowly and taste as you go (try not to get too pissed). You might like it more or less sweet than me. It's up to you. Once you are happy with the level of sweetness, pour into a sterilized bottle. It should keep for a year or two. I store mine in the fridge so it's ready for use.


Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Cocktail of the month: sherry cooler

I'm a little bit late getting this post up. Eat Cambridge was so delightful and so busy I haven't had a moment to get my Flavour ramblings down on the page. I'm going to be tying those pieces much more closely to the blog from now on so expect to see more "Cocktail of the Month" blog posts as they come up on Flavour. Don't forget to tune in or subscribe to the podcast, it's lots of fun to chat directly to you.


This month I had a great chat with Alan Alder about sherry and how it might be possible to use it in a light summer cocktail. I do love a good sherry, particularly the light crisp Finos and Manzanillas. At first I thought it might be sacrilege to mix sherry with anything as vulgar as water but with a little bit of research I discovered that sherry has formed the basis of many punches and cobblers throughout cocktail history. Another newsflash for me was that sherry in combination with 7up/sprite (a Rebujito) is an extremely popular drink in Spain. All things considered it was time to try my own version.


When I first started experimenting with this drink, elderflower was just beginning to show its pretty face in the hedgerows near me. By now it should be in full bloom. It really is the perfect time to make some elderflower cordial or perhaps some elderflower liqueur. Or you could just be lazy, like I was this time, and buy some; I won't judge. Either way you need some for this drink.

I was quite surprised just how delicious this drink was when I tried it. The delicious flavour of the sherry comes through but it's well balanced by the lemon and elderflower. It's light and refreshing, the perfect drink for a sunny day in the garden. I'd highly recommend scaling the proportions and making a big jug.

sherry cooler (serves one)

100mL fino sherry
25mL eldeflower cordial
30mL freshly squeezed lemon juice

ice
sparkling water
mint, lemon balm leaves or elderflower blossom to garnish

Combine the sherry, cordial and lemon juice in your glass of choice. Taste at this point and add more lemon juice or cordial as needed. Add plenty of ice and top up with sparkling water. Add any pretty garnishes you have handy.


Friday, 24 January 2014

Cocktail Basics: Simple Syrup

I've been banging on about homemade cocktails for a while now over on gastronomicgirls. For my first cocktail post on the new blog I thought it would make sense to go back to basics. Something fundamental for the amateur cocktail maker: simple syrup. It's just a solution of sugar in water, depending on the recipe either a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. But it is important stuff and having it prepped and ready to go will change your cocktail making life.

lemon verbena simple syrup

Sweetness is often needed in cocktails to balance sour or bitter flavours. The sweet can come from liqueurs or a sweetener can be added. If solid sugar is added to the cocktails as they are made, it can take a lot of work to get the sugar into solution and we can end up with unpleasant grains of sugar in the drink. Making the syrup in advance means the sugar is completely in solution as we can use gently heat if necessary. This leaves us ready to bash out cocktails quickly as the need arises which, if you are anything like me, is regularly.

"a vision of Spring": a cocktail dependent on simple syrup

Another advantage of making your own simple syrups is that you can flavour them. This is a great way to get additional tastes and flavours into cocktails, without waiting weeks for spirits to infuse. As well as instructions on making a basic simple syrup I have also included a recipe for my lemon verbena simple syrup that I use in this week's cocktail. This can be adapted to for most herbs, just follow the same principle.

simple syrup
500g sugar
500mL water
1 tablespoon of vodka

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan together. Stir and heat very gently until all the sugar has dissolved. Using a funnel, pour into a sterilised bottle and add the vodka (helps it keep for longer). Once cool store in the fridge until needed.

lemon verbena simple syrup
bowlful of fresh lemon verbena leaves
freshly boiled water
sugar
1 tablespoon of vodka

Cover the bowl of lemon verbena leaves with freshly boiled water. Allow to infuse for an hour. Strain out the leaves. Strain again through muslin to remove any small bits of leaf or random stuff. Measure (by volume or mass) the amount of liquid you now have. Add an equal amount of sugar. E.g. if you have 500mL of liquid, add 500g sugar. If you have 400g of liquid, add 400g of sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved (you may need to heat it gently). Once dissolved, transfer to a sterilized bottle and add a tablespoon of vodka. Store in the fridge.



Today's cocktail came about as I rooted around in the fridge trying to find something to take the edge off the January blues. I also didn't want to go out and buy anything so this is my frugal cocktail from my leftovers. It's fragrant, aromatic, sweet and sour. A vision of the Spring that will come to us soon.

a vision of Spring
30mL elderflower liqueur (homemade or St-Germain is an excellent commercial brand)
30mL vodka or gin (depending how saucy you are feeling)
30mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
15mL simple syrup (I used my lemon verbena syrup)
3 drops of Spanish bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker or large glass. Add plenty of ice. Stir for approximately 30 seconds. Strain into a prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon. 

I'll be talking cocktails on Flavour this Saturday at 12. Do tune in or listen online.


Cocktails from leftovers: near empty bottles of St Germain and lemon verbena syrup