Drink Adornments

Various garnishes and adornments can be added to drinks to add that something extra. One type of adornment is the tuile made from fruit, honey or sugar. See my tuile recipes for ideas.

Aperol Spritz

Discovered on my 2023 trip to Europe, the Aperol Spritz is ubiquitous there. Aperol is a bitter aperitif from Italy. I had it straight at a museum cafe and found it too strong but interesting. Next tried the Spritz while on a bicycle ride and needing a thirst quencher. Refreshing and delicious.

I had 7 or 8 and found that the proportions of ingredients changed from one establishment to another. It was apparent by how strong the Aperol tasted and the intensity of the reddish colour, and tasted either too strong or too weak. After trying various proportions, I found that I prefer the standard formula as shown on Aperol's website – 3:2:1

3oz Prosecco
2oz Aperol
1oz Club soda

A variation on the spritz is to substitute Lemoncello for Aperol. Another variation is the fancy Aperol Sour.

Campari is the popular Italian bitter. It has a more intense flavour and a higher alcohol content than Aperol. Mionetto is another bitter aperitif that might be worth trying.

Hanky Panky

Ada Coleman, the famous head bartender of the American Bar in the Savoy Hotel, created this cocktail around 1910. The inspiration for the drink came from actor Charles Hawtrey. He had asked Ada to give him a drink with "a bit of punch in it." Ada then spent hours experimenting until she had a new cocktail. The next time Hawtrey came in, Ada served him her new drink and he said, "By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!"

From Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book.

In a cocktail shaker over ice pour:

1½ oz Italian red sweet vermouth
1½ oz dry gin
2 dashes Fernet-Branca

Stir and strain into a 4 oz. cocktail glass.
Garnish by squeezing an orange peel over the top.

Whisky 'Mac'

A classic British cocktail of notably of the hunting set is this whisk-ginger cocktail. Created at a time when ginger was consumed for what was thought to be its health enhancing properties. It was created around 1900 by Colonel Hector “Fighting Mac” MacDonald while serving in India.

1½ oz scotch
1 oz Stone’s Original green ginger wine
Slice of ginger for garnish (optional)

Use a blended whisky like Chivas Regal or Johnny Walker. Mix together and pour into an Old Fashion glass. Add ice if desired.

Christmas Cocktails

For the Christmas bring on a few festive cocktails with a taste of the season. For all these use unsweetened cranberry juice.

 

Poinsettia Cocktail

• ½ oz Cointreau or Triple Sec
• 1 oz cranberry juice
• 2-3 oz Champagne or good sparkling wine
• Cranberries for garnish (optional)
  

Put the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into a Champagne flute and serve with a few cranberries on top.

 

Christmas Martini

• 1 oz cranberry juice
• 1 oz vodka
• ½ oz Cointreau
• ½ oz lemon juice
• 2 tsp simple syrup
  
• Slice of lemon peel for garnish (optional)
  

Chill a cocktail glass. Put the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into glass and serve with the lemon peel on a skewer.

 

Rudolph's Sleigh Sidecar Cocktail

• ¾ oz lemon juice
• 1¼ oz Cognac or good brandy
  
• ½ oz Cointreau
• ¼ oz ginger syrup or ½ tsp grated ginger or a pinch of dried ginger
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Ginger slice and/or slice of lemon peel for garnish (optional)
  

Chill a cocktail glass. Put the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into the cocktail glass and garnish.

 

Christmas Margarita

• 1½ oz cranberry juice
• 1½ oz Tequila (use blanco or reposado)
• 1 oz Cointreau
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• cranberry and lime wedge
• flaky sea salt or coarse salt
  

Chill a Margarita glass and rim with salt. Put the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into the cocktail glass and garnish with a wedge of lime and a cranberry on a skewer.

 

Pepperment Alexander

• 1 oz Peppermint schnapps
• ½ oz Vodka
• 1½ oz Creme de Cacao
• 1½ oz Heavy cream
• Mini candy canes
  

Crush some of the candy canes into fine chips. Chill a cocktail glass and rim with the crushed candy cane. Put the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into the cocktail glass and garnish with a candy cane.

Peppermint Alexander

Kástra Elión vodka

Kástra Elión is an interesting vodka from Greece made from olives and grains. It has a distinctive but light olive taste. Great alone or, of course, in a Martini or other cocktail.

The Thin Man

From the classic movie series The Thin Man from the 1930s, the lead character, Nick Charles (as portrayed by William Powell), epitomized the style of post-prohibition New York high-life. "Highballs and cocktails, he announced, "the long and the short of it."

Here are just a few of the cocktails from the movies of the golden age of Hollywood.

Nick Charles' Dry Martini (from The Thin Man)

2½ oz gin
½ oz dry vermouth

Stir ingredients with cracked ice and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with either a lemon zest, olive or cocktail onion (which makes it a Gibson).

General Sternwood's Champagne Cocktail (from The Big Sleep)

1 sugar cube
2 or 3 drops Angostura bitters
⅔ oz Cognac
6 oz Champagne

Soak sugar cube with Angostura bitters. Place cube in bottom of Champagne flute. Add Cognac, fill with Champagne. Garnish with a twist.

Sugar Kane's Manhattan (from Some Like It Hot)

2 oz rye whisky
½ oz sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake ingredients with cracked ice; strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.