Mad Bean Vanilla Iced Coffee

Iced coffee made well is a fabulous thing, especially as a cocktail with cream liqueur and using the finest ingredients. These drinks are typically found in the best bars and restaurants and, because of the ingredients employed, are very difficult to make at home. They also have to be kept chilled as dairy products don’t do well out of a fridge.

This has changed, however, with the introduction of the Mad Bean Iced Coffees and, in particular, the Mad Bean Vanilla Iced Coffee. Mad Bean wanted to create an iced coffee that can be consumed anywhere at any time. Made from 100% Arabica beans, this naturally occurring caffeinated beverage is a unique twist on the traditional Irish coffee. Mad Bean Hard Coffee provides a great blend of popular coffee flavours with an alcohol kick. It can be drunk hot or cold.

Mad Bean Vanilla Hard Coffee does exactly what it says on the tin. The vanilla flavours are natural and very well-balanced with the coffee, and it has a little kick of alcohol. It can be put over ice but also stands alone. It’s very good straight from the can.

The Mad Bean Vanilla Iced Coffee can also be used as an extra ingredient in cocktails. An espresso martini can be made smoother and sweeter by adding Mad Bean Vanilla Iced Coffee to the glass before the other ingredients, or by pouring it into the shaker.

Espresso Martini with Mad Bean Iced Vanilla Coffee:

Ingredients

3 parts vodka

1 part Kahlua

2 parts espresso (cooled)

2 parts Mad Bean Vanilla Iced Coffee

Place the all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, strain mixture into a cocktail glass and garnish with a few espresso beans.

From a can in your bag to a sophisticated cocktail, the Mad Bean Vanilla Iced Coffee really is all things to all coffee-loving folk!

One Drink, Three Ways: Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

Originally used as a tonic for medical purposes, a vermouth is wine that has been infused by botanicals and fortified with spirit. It can be dry or sweet, red or white and currently, most vermouth comes from France and Italy, though we are starting to see other brands appear globally. Noilly Prat is the original French vermouth and their dry white is the benchmark. Created in the fishing village of Marseillan in the south of France using local grapes high in acidity such as Picpoul, grape juice is part-fermented, then fortified to 18% to keep the sweetness. After that, some of the liquid is aged in casks inside and some outside in the elements, allowing a slow oxidation to take place. The two are blended, then macerated with a herbs and spices for several weeks before resting and bottling.

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Helena’s Choice: The Original Apéro

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The Original Apéro

Ingredients

Tumbler or wine glass

50ml Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth

Lemon or lime slice and /or rosemary sprig

Ice

Perrier water to taste

In the heat of the south of France, simplicity is king and it's easy to forget that with Noilly Prat Original Dry, you don’t actually need anything at all other than a large chunk of ice, a twist of lemon and if you can rustle one up, a lovely view. If you’re particularly thirsty, you could spritz it up with some Perrier water. Serve as an aperitif before any meal or more drinks and it’s the ideal way to cleanse the palate. I like mine with a sprig of rosemary too for that extra southern French je ne sais quoi.

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Aidy’s Choice: The Vodka Martini

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The Vodka Martini

Ingredients

Martini Glass

25ml Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth

25ml Grey Goose Vodka

Dash of orange bitters

Twist of lemon

No vermouth, no Martini. It really is such a key player in this classic cocktail and Noilly Prat is the go-to. My recommendation is to have 50% vodka (I like Grey Goose) to 50% vermouth, stirred together simply in a mixing glass over ice, then poured into a cool glass. Add a dash of orange bitters if you’re feeling a bit crazy and garnish with lemon. It’s simple and super elegant.

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Colin’s Choice: The Pink Daisy

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The Yellow Daisy

Ingredients

Nick & Nora glass

30ml Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth

30ml Gin

5ml Triple Sec

5ml Pastis

Maraschino cherry or Rosemary to garnish

Ice cubes

Going a little left-field with the vermouth cocktail here, there’s a surprising combination we discovered recently that just works and will appease those Martini drinkers who prefer gin to vodka. The Pink Daisy is an explosion of French flavours from the vermouth to the pastis and the triple sec and it looks rather glamorous too. Combine the wet ingredients in a mixing glass over ice, stir, strain and pour. The cherry gives it extra retro pizazz though if you’re not into that, rosemary works too!

If you like this, check out our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces on Macallan Whisky, Tanqueray Gin or Rémy Martin Cognac.

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The Best Cocktails To Make With Macallan

Macallan have an extensive range and sitting at the core of the range are three twelve year old whiskies which all have a different twist on the core flavour that makes up Macallan. With these different flavours, it makes them ideal to compliment the three most made whisky cocktails. Not everyone is well versed in making cocktails and it’s easy to forget the simplest of ingredients if you are not using them regularly. Here we lay out the ingredients and method for making three classics which, once mastered, will give you and your friends endless, delicious pleasure.

The Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

Ingredients

Pinch of brown sugar

1 strip of orange peel

Splash of water

2 drops of bitters

50ml of Macallan 12 year old sherry cask

For this classic cocktail we would suggest the Macallan 12 year old Sherry cask. Classic cocktails, plus classic Macallan is the perfect mix. This cocktail lets the whisky shine, with little other ingredients to get in the way of all that Christmas cake flavour, this cocktail is brilliant, especially if you like soft spices and sweetness all balanced and warming.

Method: Place the sugar, orange peel, water and bitters in a tumbler and muddle (crush gently with the back of a spoon). Fill the glass with ice and add the whisky. Stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tip: If you pour in the bourbon bit by bit allowing it to chill slowly and soak up the flavours of the bitters and sugar without diluting quickly, the experience will be more intense.

Whisky Sour

Whisky Sour

Ingredients

50ml of Macallan 12 year old Triple Cask

25ml of lemon juice

Splash of water

Pinch of sugar

The whisky sour is probably the simplest of the whisky cocktails beyond a highball. To balance the lemon you need a whisky which isn’t going to let the lemon take over and also helps with some complexity. We think the Macallan 12 year old triple cask does the trick. With its mix of European and American oak ex sherry casks and American ex bourbon casks, there is plenty of complexity and smoothness to balance the bitterness of the lemon.

Method: Simply place the ingredients in a tumbler filled with ice, stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Tip: Put the sugar in bit by bit after the other ingredients and taste as you do so to get the cocktail to just the right level of sour sweet balance for you.

Rusty Nail

Rusty Nail

Ingredients:

3 parts Macallan

1 part Drambuie

This cocktail is one of Colin’s favourites. It’s the simplest to make and is like an iron fist in a velvet glove. It is all alcohol so be careful with this one, but it is also a real sweety. If you like sugar and spice and all things nice, then this is definitely for you. We like the Macallan double cask for this one as the mix of ex sherry casks and ex bourbon casks can really shine through with just one other ingredient in the glass.

Method: Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously, and pour.

Tip: Make sure to fill the cocktail shaker with ice. The more ice will actually create less dilution, and chill the cocktail more quickly. 

Macallan 12 Triple Cask: UK £125 // US $74.99

We hope this article helps clear the memory blank and keeps your cocktail enjoyment ticking along. For more Macallan check out Helena’s ‘Mac-Hattan’ for a great twist on the American cocktail.

The Best Whisky For Sunny Weather

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Over the last few weeks the sun has come out to play. I find that my tastes in whisky change a little with the seasons. I don’t want a big rich smoky whisky quite so often, or a cask strength sherried whisky whilst walking in the snow. I’m drinking more long drinks to while away the summer evenings, or having a little light cocktail at the weekend, and with the sun staying higher in the sky as the days go on, I’m still looking for whiskies with complexity to sip as I sit on my balcony, and perhaps whisky which is a little lighter in style. If you are similar in your changes of tastes as the seasons change, then here are a few suggestions to help you transition into summer.

For the Highball

Johnnie Walker Red label

Made for mixing. Johnnie walker red label is literally designed for mixing, within the mix of casks used to create the whisky the blenders choose some which have been rejuvenated. This is a process where an exhausted cask has a few millimetres shaven off the inside to expose fresh wood to bring the cask back to life. The wood which lies slightly deeper is exposed to new spirit and has a slightly spicier flavour profile. This spicy flavour profile goes particularly well in long drinks, like a whisky and ginger or a whisky and soda with a herbal garnish like Rosemary. Or it even livens up a good old whisky and coke. 

J&B 

J&B is a blend which is designed to be lighter than other blends, making it perfect for a slightly fruitier and sweeter highball. Whether that be with soda water, coke or a number of different new sparking flavoured waters which are on the market, J&B makes a good addition. It is gentle enough not to overpower a highball so you can experiment with your mixer. Try blending mixers or creating your own. Leave citrus fruits or herbs marinating in a jar of water for a few days and mix with your whisky and add a little soda for some fizz.

For the cocktail

Glenfiddich 12

During winter I really get into cocktails which use big sherry style whiskies like a Glenfiddich 15 year old, but as summer gets nearer and nearer, I start to look at lighter cocktails with more acidity like a whisky sour for example. I still want lots of fruit flavours from the whisky, but a little less sherry and weight, so I tend to stick with Glenfiddich but go to the 12 year old which is full of fresh orchard fruits and touches of apricot and vanilla which balances out the lemon in a whisky sour perfectly. 

Glenmorangie Original

The Glenmorangie Original is my all time favourite summer whisky, with light orange blossom and vanilla flavours it simply tastes of summer. I love making Rob Roys and Mint Juleps with this whisky. There is lots of sweetness to the drink as the whisky only uses ex bourbon casks twice in its production keeping the classic American flavours. It’s great for only a for a ten year old whisky. A simple cocktail to make at home involves steeping orange peel in water for 48 hours, and mixing that with Glenmorangie Original, if you like it a little sweeter a touch of sugar syrup can be added.

For sipping

Jura Seven Wood

As you can tell from the name, this whisky uses seven types of oak in its maturation. There's American white oak, and six other French oaks, Limousin, Tronçais, Allier, Vosges, Jupilles, and Les Bertranges. This gives lots of complexity, but with most of the oak being French, there is an elegant light touch to the whisky which is perfect for summer. Think, sipping away in the Tuscan sun or on the Algarve having found yourself at the 19th hole. Smooth, delicious and screams summer to me.

Balvenie 14 Carabbean Cask

When I think of the sun, and although I spent may years in Africa as a child, my mind wanders to the Caribbean, and even in the UK, when the sun comes out and I close my eyes, this is what I think of, and it is made all the easier with a Balvenie 14 year old Caribbean Cask in my hand. With lots of tropical fruit flavours of pineapple and banana running though both the aroma and palate, it is the perfect whisky to dream about summer climates.

If you fancy a little bit of Caribbean fun, and want to try something other than whisky, head over to my article all about the best luxury rums.  

Rosé and Grapefruit Sparkle

Words by Aidy Smith

I always try to look on he bright side of things which is why during the past 2 months of lockdown my mixology skills have been tested like never before. I’m no stranger to the cocktail, in fact I spend quite a lot of time experimenting, some stuff works, other stuff… not so much, but at the end of the day it’s the exploration.

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Mirabeau, which is why I was extra delighted to discover a cocktail using their signature gin and sparkling rosé La Folie. All you need is a bottle of these Provençal gems a grapefruit and some ice and you’re good to go.

Ingredients (serves 2)

60ml Mirabeau Rosé gin (or equivalent)
60ml freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
120ml sparkling rosé La Folie (or equivalent)
Sugar (optional - for rimming the glass)
Sprig of lavender or rosemary (optional garnish)
Ice cubes

Method:

1. In a shaker, shake together gin, grapefruit juice and a handful of ice cubes.

2. Rim the cocktail glasses with sugar (optional). Pour the grapefruit mixture through a sieve directly in the glasses.

3. Top up the glasses with La Folie.

4. Serve right away with a a sprig of lavender or rosemary!

Strawberry Gin Sour Recipe

Created by Aidy Smith

It’s no secret that I adore gin, I also absolutely love strawberry - that’s why when you combine the two together they create a truly beautiful cocktail, you guessed it - The Strawberry Gin Sour!

Super simple to put together, amazingly tasty and quite frankly REALLY impressive when you’ve got company over. You’re welcome.

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What You Need

60ml gin
30ml lemon juice
15ml strawberry syrup (I like Monin)
1 egg white

Time To Make One

1. Shove all the ingredients in a shaker with ice

2. Shake vigorously with your best shake face

3. Strain out the ice

4. Shake again with an even better shake face

5. Fine-strain into a cocktail glass.

6. Garnish with cut strawberries (optional)

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Our Top Drink Discoveries: April

We’re fortunate to try a lot of beautiful drinks from around the world, in fact, sometimes our homes end up a bit like warehouses… but it’s all in the name of research. Research which leads us to writing pieces like this to share the very best discoveries we make with our amazing community… you!

Whether, wine, spirits or no-lo are your thing, check out our April ‘Best of’ picks and add something new to your discovery shelf today. You may just find a new favourite…

Gusbourne Rosé Brut 

I just wrote a massive article about English Sparkling Wines so it would be a little silly if I didn’t highlight one. This gem has been one of my favourites for quite some time – so much so that whenever I travel internationally, I make sure I’ve at least one bottle to share with those I know have a fond appreciation for sparkles. Fact is, we’re creating some dazzling sparkles and it’s the texture and mouthfeel on Gusbournes wines that really impress me. The nose gives you ripe red meadow berries with hints of flowers and apricots. As you take a sip your taste buds are overwhelmed with an assortment of strawberries, cherries and redcurrants which seem to intertwine into a raspberry cream and slight lemon curd. As I mentioned before, the texture is everything and the bubbles gently wrap themselves around the tongue as they glide into a long harmonious finish. This is English sparkling wine at its best. 

Buy now for £45

Gran Moraine Chardonnay 2017

I love a good Chardonnay to wind down in the evening and right now I’m loving this beauty from Oregon. Deriving from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, this rich, fruity and balanced Chard is teaming with flavour and the most important thing for me in a wine like this – texture. Some people love oak, others don’t, but for me this has the perfect in-between balance and just a enough to make it a really well rounded and quality driven Chardonnay. Rich, but now overpowering you can expect to taste apricot, buttery lemon, kiwis and clementine’s. For those who love Chardonnay, this is for you. For those who don’t, I’d dare say it will convert you. 

Buy for £56 (£336 per case)

McGuigan Philosophy 2014

McGuigan is known for being a quality-driven everyday wine at an affordable price – but they’re not just about great supermarket finds. Take for example The Philosophy, a top shelf Cabernet Shiraz blend which was produced in 2014 from some of the wineries top vineyards in Langhorne Creek, Wrattonbully and Clare Valley. This elegant yet dark ink bomb is packed full of blackcurrant and plum offering a combination of terroir driven notes while keeping true to the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. A generous 24 months in French oak barrels paves way to chocolate, black meadow fruits and cedar oak with a velvety texture and soft tannins.  

Buy now for £71

Orin Swift Machete 2016 

This wine is simply divine. It’s a testament to the insanely good Petit Syrah coming out of California, held up in this case with a structured blend of syrah and grenache to complete the story. David Phinney (the winemaker) is a true genius and anything he seems to touch these days turns to gold. This red blend packs a bunch of flavour, with deep dark plum, cassis and cedar oak brought together with vanilla, chalky tannins and a smooth raspberry chocolate finish. If it’s cold outside, this is a sure-fire way to warm up. 

£66 from Great Western Wine

Mirabeau Provence Rosé Gin

When it comes to rosé my top choice for quality and value is always Mirabeau, which made me pretty god damn excited when they announced they were making a gin. While the base botanicals consist of juniper, citrus, orris root, angelica root and coriander it’s the Provençal twist containing a variety of herbs such as bay, thyme and rosemary alongside the neutral grape spirit and base distillate of Mirabeau Classic Rosé that really makes this gin stand out from the crowd. The result is a fruity and textured gin with lemon, coriander and citrus bursting with floral notes, rose petals and lavender. The story ends on a final note as those herbs add an extra kick of character to the blend.  

£35 from Waitrose

Gran Patrón Platinum Tequila

I love a good tequila it seems to be one of the spirits I’ve really found an appreciation for over the last few years. If I was to name one house that consistently delivers quality across it’s whole portfolio, my mind takes me straight to Patrón. It seems there’s a little something for everyone and while I’ll happily get my hands on a Reposado for my margarita needs (quick tip, avoid the salt rim, it ruins the drink), I love nothing more than to sip on something of premium quality. That brings me to Gran Patrón Platinum, arguably the world’s first ulta-premium tequila. With each bottle taking around 30 people to create, quality is of the utmost level. Agave is individually sourced for its rich sugar content before being harvested, triple distilled  and left for 30 days in oak tanks to create pure elegance. The result is a smooth and seductive nectar of agave, orange, vanilla. Lime and white peppercorns. Pure bliss if you ask me and don’t even get me started on a Mexican Martini (google it, you won’t be disappointed). 

Buy now for £180

Æcorn Aromatic

In this day and age we are all about balance and I applaud those beginning to discover non-alcoholic spirits. The truth is, we don’t always want to drink booze, but what I do always insist on is creativity when it comes to what’s in my glass. This brings me to Æcorn, my new favourite non-alcohol tipple. My attention has taken me to the ‘Aromatic’ option which is rich and smoky in flavour. The difficulty up until now is that non-alcoholic spirits lack flavour, texture and any form of excitement, but this is where Æcorn has changed the game. I find myself frequently pouring a measure over ice with tonic water or simply just in a chilled ice with a couple of cubes and neat. When it comes to the flavour there’s a lot going on, with vanilla, cherrywood a smokiness and even a little cola combined with a silky-smooth mouthfeel and warming clove and oak on the finish. It may be a little daunting getting into this world, but once you’ve tried it you’ll be just as hooked as I am. Give it a go, you won’t regret it and you’ll likely feel better for it! 

£20 from Waitrose 

Don Papa 10 Year 

I first discovered Don Papa when I took a trip to the Philippines and I had no idea the country was even producing rum. Turns out it became one of the best discoveries I made, as I’m totally hooked on the stuff now. The 10-year old is their super premium version, distilled from some of the finest sugar canes in the world from the Negros Occidental region. Aged for 10 years in re-charred oak barrels it is then blended, leading to dried fruit flavours, pure cocoa, coconut, caramel and a kiss of cedar oak. Few people know that due to the humidity in the Philippines, the barrels are prone to some of the highest angel share yields in the world (that’s where spirit evaporates from the barrel). The thing is, Don Papa never re-fill them with recent vintage stock, meaning what you get in the bottle is not only pure but incrediblt concentrated. Rum is a beautiful drink that more people should be exploring, start here, like I did and you wont be disappointed. 

Buy now for £52

This content was originally published in Oracle Time Magazine under Aidy’s Drinks Column. You can subscribe to the online magazine here to view online or order the magazine in print format.

Whisky Infused with a Severed Human Toe, Anyone?

Photo courtesy of cultofweird.com

Words by Helena Nicklin

"You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow. But your lips must touch that gnarly toe."

Believe it or not, in Canada, this is apparently a ‘thing’. It started sometime in the 1920s during prohibition, when a pair of brothers named Louis and Otto got caught in a blizzard while out doing a touch of ‘rum running’ (basically, smuggling illegal booze). Louis’ toe was frozen solid after they returned home, having been caught in water and running through snow. To prevent gangrene setting in, his lovely brother Otto did him the ‘kindest’ favour by chopping off his dead toe cleanly with an axe. Thanks, bro. For some reason, that surely only they will understand, they decided to preserve the toe in a bottle of whiskey to commemorate such a momentous occasion. 

So, why drink a severed toe?

Why indeed? The bottle of whisky was eventually found in a remote cabin used by the brothers when smuggling rum, by Captain Dick Stevenson in 1973. Being a bloke who obviously had spent time in a rugby team, Captain Dick thought the grisly discovery would make a great token for an exclusive cocktail club - one where to join, you would have to drink from the bottle and have your lips touch the toe. *shudders*.

Where can you drink a Sourtoe cocktail?

In Yukon Bar, Dawson City, Canada, the toe still exists and wannabe members of the ‘club’ must still taste a sourtoe cocktail as described above. There is even a ‘toe master’, called Terry Lee, who looks after the toe, tops up the salt that keeps it in condition and lets people pay five dollars to taste a sourtoe cocktail. It’s a huge thing in Dawson City. It’s part of their history. There’s a real emotional connection to the toe. Can you imagine how sad these people were then, when in 2003, a crazy American tourist called Josh came with the express intention to swallow the toe - and then did so? Terry has still not forgiven him for this act of ‘selfishness and destruction’. The only thing that would right the wrong, he said, was for this guy to donate his big toe to the cause. Eeee. 

Terry ‘Toe Master’ Lee at the Yukon Bar in Dawson City.

What happened next?

Josh had not realised exactly what swallowing the toe would do to the community. He felt so terrible that he changed his will to make sure that Dawson City could take his right, big toe upon his death.

But Terry will still not forgive him. Daaaang.

Make your own Sourtoe cocktail

Ingredients:

50cl American Whiskey
1 x toe

Method: 

Pour whisky into a tumbler glass. Add toe. Drink whiskey. Do not swallow toe. Simples. 

Like this? Try Would you invest in Vagina Beer or Could you drink dead people?