Ingredients:
25ml Courvoisier VSOP Cognac
120ml Champagne
1 Sugar Cube
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Method
Soak the sugar cube in bitters, drop into the glass, add cognac and top with Champagne. Finally, garnish with a lemon swathe. Glass: Coupe.
Fancy trying your hand at some more cocktails? Then, make sure you check out our White Russian and Apple Pie cocktails. If you don’t fancy making your own here are some must-try delicious pre-made cocktails.
Bottled cocktails are tipped to be the big winners this rather strange festive season and we have seen a plethora of RTD cocktail companies spring up, some good and some… not so good. The perfect pre-made cocktail should be able to be served quickly and easily by anyone, yet still have the quality and consistency that you would expect from a professional mixologist. Here are five companies that should be on your radar, each offering quite a different experience. They make great ideas for gifts as well as spicing up your own festive times. Cheers!
NIO cocktail’s founders Luca and Alessandro brought in professional mixologist Patrick Pistolesi to help create a menu of sixteen delicious cocktails ranging from the classics to signature house fusions. They even have two alcohol free cocktails! The beauty of these is that they come in sleek envelopes within a box that fits through your letterbox. Each cocktail is packaged in its own uniquely-designed sleeve, so you can line them up on your shelf with your record collection! Their cocktail boxes are designed to hold 3, 6, or 9 cocktails, so you can pick your own choices from the menu to add to the box too. Simply shake the sleeve, pinch and tear off the corner, and pour over Ice.
Try the delicious Milano Torino, Winter Sidecar or the Gimlet particularly but there are many others to choose from.
Gift idea: Nio Cocktails x GQ box
Find here: Prices starting from £22.50 for 3
Tom Savano bottled cocktails are making a name for themselves very quickly thanks to their founder, James Kerslake’s passion for flavour and authentic ingredients. Only using small-batch, artisanal spirits from around the world, James’ ethos is to deliberately avoid the big distilleries and instead, choose smaller, regional distilleries that can tell a good story. As he puts it, “When I sip a margarita, I want to feel like I'm on a Rancho at the end of a long day of agave harvesting, the smell of earth, smoke and Mezcal in the air. That’s what Tom Savano is about.”
Beautifully packaged in two-serving and five-serving bottles, these cocktails look as good as they taste. Try the Single Estate Reposado Margarita or the Kentucky Winter Old Fashioned for the festive season particularly, but all of them rock, to be honest. Get 15% off your first order on their website.
Find here: Prices start from £12
Welcome to Asia's first artisanal bottled cocktail brand! Created by Michael Chen, former bar manager of The Roosevelt and bartender at Eau-De-Vie Sydney (ranked as the 13th best bar in the world), Chen is now bar director of three of the top bars in Shanghai. His goal for LAIBA was to bring the professional experience and flair of these top Asian bars to the bottle. They use award-winning craft spirit and cold pressed juices with natural remedies that allow them to keep for 18-36 months in some cases, despite being all-natural. Everything is sustainably sourced and each cocktail is 100% carbon neutral, to boot.
To celebrate their UK launch, they have created an exclusive collection of 8 or 16 bottles in a stunning package at a fantastic introductory price of £49 (for 8). Cocktails include the likes of a Twisted Negroni, In Love With Rosemary, Earl’s Old Fashioned and the LAIBA Sour. A brilliant gift and a swanky stash to have on hand for Christmas. Their shops also ships them around the world! A very smart offering indeed.
Find here: £49 for 8
This little bar and bottle shop located in Catford East, London is run by a couple passionate about creating small batch, tasty drinks with all-natural ingredients using well-loved spirits brands. Each cocktail is infused, mixed, prepared and bottled by hand at their shop; there are no additives or flavours anywhere to be seen. The bottles are super cute too! Try their Espresso Martini or their Passion fruit Daiquiri for a delicious treat. They’re also doing a cocktail called ‘Christmas in a Bottle’ right now which sounds incredible, with vodka, spices and bitters. Yum!
Find here: Prices starting from £12
Empirical is a Danish company created by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of flavour and playing on the role flavour plays in the creation of our memories. To this end, the team builds drinks with their own quirky personalities, using unusual ingredients to create intriguing flavours. There are some excellent names for their concoctions too, from ‘F*ck Trump and His Stupid F*cking Wall’, to ‘Fallen Pony Blend’, to ‘Helena’ (YES!) Try: 'The Plum, I Suppose', where sweet plum and strawberry is balanced by an unusual note of salted caramel and a subtle, floral nose. Unique and utterly moreish.
Find here: UK £51.99 // US $85
Looking for a particular spirit? Then check out our vodka, gin or tequila gift inspiration!
Cocktails: you’re either a lover or a hater. If you’re anything like me, you’ll love the idea of making one but when it comes down to it, you’re either missing the ingredients or it all just seems too faffy. If this sounds like you too, let me bring you a clever solution to your cocktail woes: Sociovino.
What is ‘Sociovino’?
Sociovino, previously called ‘delivered by Astrum’ are a team of sommeliers and wine experts based in Italy and the UK that have been around since 1997 and whose main aim used to be to supply the top restaurants in the UK with some of the best wines and spirits. With the world going to pot recently however thanks to Uncle Covid, they have branched out to bring their wonderful bottles and creations to people at home too.
What does this have to do with Cocktails?
You may well ask. The Sociovino team got together with one of the UK’s top mixologists and a man famed for making one of the world’s most sought-after Martinis, Alessandro Palazzi, and asked him to put together cocktail kits and tutorial videos. Now, if you can’t get out to your favourite cocktail bar, you too can make the perfect sip at home with his expert guidance.
Which Cocktail Kits Can I Buy?
There are currently 5 different cocktail kits available, ranging from the fruity ‘Berto Bramble’ to the rich ‘Dutch Espresso Martini’ kit and they all come with enough ingredients – and, satisfyingly, in normal sized bottles - to create at least 14 serves. We particularly liked the Cosmos À L’Orange: an easy to make, sweet orange cocktail with a touch of spice. What more could you ask for?
The kits range from £45 to £69 and make brilliant gifts too, each arriving with everything you need and a recipe card. To get your hands on some head over to their website here to see the other options available.
Also, don’t forget to check out our One Drink Three Ways Cocktail series: Tanquerey Gin and Mad Bean Mocha Iced Coffee.
It’s getting around to one of our favourite times of the year! Fresh, Autumnal air, walks with the leaves crunching under your feet, a warm fire when you get home… oh, and a yummy apple pie cocktail to celebrate the season! Here’s how you can make yours… you’re welcome ;)
Ingredients
60ml Premium vodka
60ml Glen Moray Scotch whisky, sherry cask finish: ‘Elgin Classic’
230ml fresh apple cider or apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional rim:
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Honey
Method
Combine the sugar and cinnamon and place it on a shallow plate.
Rim 2 glasses with honey and dip them into the mixture.
Fill the glasses with ice.
Combine the vodka, whisky, and apple cider in a shaker and mix well.
Divide between the two glasses.
Garnish with sliced apples and a cinnamon stick if desired.
If you like the sound of this don’t forget to check out our Clover Club and The Daiquiri cocktail recipes too!
Often misunderstood as an overly sweet, alcoholic slushy, when made well, a Daiquiri is quite literally a simple stunner that really should be given a second chance.
Ingredients
2oz rum (we recommend Havana Club 3 year old rum)
1oz lime syrup
¾ oz sugar syrup*
garnish lime twist
*N.B. this cocktail will work with strawberry / banana syrup also
Method
Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes.
Shake well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add the garnish.
Check out Aidy’s short history of the Daiquiri in episode 20 of our podcast here and if you are a fan of a good cocktail don’t forget to check out our White Russian and Clover Club recipes too.
Whether it be summer and you don’t fancy a dessert but still want something sweet, or winter when you want to curl up in front of the fire with a good drink, this cocktail really is a hug in a glass that suites all occasions. Use a decaf coffee liqueur and it won’t keep you up all night too!
Ingredients
60ml Vodka (we recommend Belvedere / The Oxford Artisan Distillery)
30 ml Coffee liqueur (or Kahlúa). Conker Cold Brew is an excellent decaf version
15ml Cream
Method
Mix all the ingredients together.
Put some ice cubes in a small tumbler and pour the cocktail over the top.
Garnish with some coffee beans or sprinkle over some chocolate powder if you’re feeling fancy!
N.B. If you want to make a decaf version of this cocktail you can mix decaf coffee and sugar syrup together to taste and add instead of the coffee liqueur
A classic cocktail that has been around since at least the 1910s, the Clover Club Cocktail is rich, silky and has a wonderful balance of sweet and sour. To be honest there is nothing not to like about this pretty pink cocktail. Be warned, once you’ve had one you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients
50 ml gin, we used Fifty Pounds Gin
20 ml lemon juice
20 ml raspberry syrup, we used Monin raspberry syrup
1 egg white
2 raspberries, to garnish
Method
Add the ingredients to a shaker, and shake vigorously without ice for around 30 seconds or until the egg white has emulsified.
Add ice and shake again until the drink is well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled martini glass. Thread a couple of raspberries onto a cocktail stick and balance on top.
Sip and enjoy!
N.B. Instead of raspberry syrup, you can muddle 3 or 4 fresh raspberries and 15ml simple syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water).
Fancy trying your hand at more cocktails? Then, check out this Rosé and Grapefruit Sparkle cocktail or one from our One Drink, Three Ways Cocktail Series.
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.
Don Papa Rum: A premium, small batch, single-island, aged rum from Negros in the Philippines, known locally as Sugarlandia. This, their flagship rum, is aged for seven years to produced a light and fruity, amber coloured rum at 40% abv that is perfect for sipping alone or as the key ingredient in epic cocktails.
The Three Drinkers each share their favourite ways to taste it….
A summery twist on the ‘made cocktail’, created by Sam Ross at Attaboy in New York, this is a smooth and mellow cocktail with gentle spice that wakes up on the finish thanks to the tabasco and freshness from the cucumber and mint. A delightful combination of flavours, it’s the kind of taste that can transport you back to far away shores.
Method: Combine the ingredients minus the cucumber and mint into a shaker and gently muddle, before adding ice and shaking vigorously for around 10 seconds. Strain and pour into a tumbler, then garnish with a sprig of mint and a cucumber ribbon. Tip: You can make honey syrup by using 1:1 simple syrup and any honey.
The ‘Manila Made’
Recipe
50ml Don Papa Rum
25ml Fresh Lemon Juice
20ml Honey Syrup
4 Cucumber Slices
Handful of Mint
2 Dashes Tabasco Sauce
Don Papa rum has a special place in my heart since I visited the distillery a couple of years ago. One sniff of this cocktail and I’m right back in the Philippines sipping a cool drink as the sun goes down. With its relaxed vibe and sweet spice, it’s so simple to make and offers something totally unique at a party.
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker, add ice and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a high ball glass and garnish with a couple of pear slices. Wonderful! Tip: make elderflower syrup by using 1:1 elderflower cordial with simple syrup.
Papa Pearfection
Recipe
45ml Don Papa Rum
25ml Lemon Juice
20ml Elderflower Syrup
45ml Fresh Pear Juice
Fresh pear slices to garnish
I like this cocktail because it sounds like it’s good for you and I guess compared to some others, it is! Well, there is fresh apple and fresh lemon in it, so that’s vitamin C and other goodness. What’s a tot of rum between friends?
Method: Very simple and incredibly refreshing, pour the Don Papa rum straight into a highball glass with ice, add the apple juice, lemon juice and stir. Garnish with two fresh apples slices.
The Don Detox
Recipe
30ml Don Papa Rum
15ml Lemon Juice
Juice of 2 Green Apples
Green Apple Slices to Garnish
Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Noilly Prat Vermouth, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.