Cocktail O'Clock: drink recipes for London Cocktail Week
It's London Cocktail Week. The capital city is alive with cocktail classes, drinks tours and exclusive alcohol combinations from your favourite bars and some exciting new ones- you'd be mad not to get involved. Simply register for a £4 wristband online here and gain access to enjoy the week long festival. Not in London? Well, there's no need to miss out with Team LBD's top cocktail recipe picks from Simon Difford, the king of all cocktail making masters at Diffords.
From chic Parisian tipples to modern twists on old favourites Simon promises you'll be the hostest with the mostest with his handpicked and dressed-to-impress concoctions...
DEVILISHLY DARLING: DAIQUIRI
The Daiquiri – pronounced ‘Dak-Ker-Ree' – is an absolute classic. Crisp, light, refreshing and easy to make, it's perfect for serving at a party. The recipe uses sugar syrup, which you can find in most good stores, but better still, you can make your own: pour one mug of filtered water into a saucepan over a very low heat, then stir in two mugs of caster sugar. Do not allow to even come close to boiling. Allow to cool, bottle and store in a refrigerator where it will last for a couple of months.
You will need:
2½ shots of Rum
¾ shot of freshly squeezed lime juice
½ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
To make the cocktail, add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds so that you get enough dilution from the ice and then pour through a fine strainer into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime on the rim of the glass.
RELIABLY RETRO: OLD FASHIONED
The ultimate in classic sophistication the Old Fashioned is short and strong. As with the Martini, the glass this cocktail is served in has taken the name of the drink. The cocktail's creation is credited to a bartender called Martin Cuneo at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA – he is said to have made the drink for a Kentucky Colonel (and bourbon distiller) named James E. Pepper sometime between 1889 and 1895- impress your guests with that nugget of knowledge!
You will need:
2½ shots of Bourbon
½ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters (available at all good supermarkets)
To make the cocktail stir one shot of bourbon with two ice cubes in a glass. Add the sugar syrup and the Angostura bitters and two more ice cubes. Stir more and add another two ice cubes and the rest of the bourbon. Stir more and add more ice. Garnish with a twist of orange.
OOH LA LA: FRENCH 75
The perfect aperitif? The citrus in the French 75 will stimulate your appetite, the gin will leave a clean finish and the champagne will add a fabulous sense of occasion. Serving this cocktail in a champagne flute not only adds that essential touch of class, but it retains the bubbles in the champagne better than a standard cocktail glass. Legend has it that the drink was created by Harry MacElhone at Harry's American Bar, Paris, in 1925 and was named after the 75mm Howitzer field gun used by the French army during the First World War. It was hugely popular again during Prohibition, and is still a sophisticated option today.
You will need:
1½ shots of dry Gin
½ shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
Top up with the best champagne you can afford
To make the cocktail pour the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker and fill to the top with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds and strain the mixture into a chilled champagne flute. Top up with champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
CAFFEINE COUTURE: ESPRESSO MARTINI
So much more sophisticated than a Vodka Red Bull! This cocktail was created by famous London bartender Dick Bradsell and adapted from his ‘Vodka Espresso', invented in 1983 at the Soho Brasserie, London. The coffee is the important part of this cocktail – the espresso you use needs to be fresh and very, very strong. Additionally, although it might seem counter-intuitive, it works much better if the espresso is hot – even though you are shaking it with cold ice.
You will need:
2 shots of Vodka
1½ shots of hot espresso coffee
½ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
¼ shot of coffee liqueur
To make the cocktail, put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and fill to the top with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds to ensure the espresso has cooled completely and that there is proper dilution from the ice. Fine strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass and top with three whole coffee beans as a beautiful garnish.
ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA...: PALOMA
Tequila isn't just a shooter, it's a wonderful base for a cocktail – and the fruity Paloma is absolutely delicious. The cocktail is very popular in mexico and the name is the Spanish for Dove.
You will need:
2 shots of Tequila
2 shots of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
½ shot of freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ shot of Agave syrup (available at all good supermarkets)
Top up with Caribbean 'Ting' grapefruit soda
To make the cocktail, first prepare the glass which needs a salt rim. Run a wedge of lime around the top of the glass, then dip the glass into some salt which you have spread out on a plate. The salt should lightly coat the rim of the glass. Pour the tequila, grapefruit juice, agave syrup and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and fill to the top with ice. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds to make sure the cocktail is really cold. Fill your glass with ice, then pour in the cocktail. Top with the Ting soda and garnish with a wedge of lime.
And of course no LBD cocktail night would be complete without our very own LBD Cocktail mad with BLOOM London Dry Gin! You can get the recipe here.
Or if you're in London this week why not pop by Kettners and try it for FREE with our exclusive voucher here.
The Daiquiri – pronounced ‘Dak-Ker-Ree' – is an absolute classic. Crisp, light, refreshing and easy to make, it's perfect for serving at a party. The recipe uses sugar syrup, which you can find in most good stores, but better still, you can make your own: pour one mug of filtered water into a saucepan over a very low heat, then stir in two mugs of caster sugar. Do not allow to even come close to boiling. Allow to cool, bottle and store in a refrigerator where it will last for a couple of months.
You will need:
2½ shots of Rum
¾ shot of freshly squeezed lime juice
½ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
To make the cocktail, add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds so that you get enough dilution from the ice and then pour through a fine strainer into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime on the rim of the glass.
RELIABLY RETRO: OLD FASHIONED
The ultimate in classic sophistication the Old Fashioned is short and strong. As with the Martini, the glass this cocktail is served in has taken the name of the drink. The cocktail's creation is credited to a bartender called Martin Cuneo at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA – he is said to have made the drink for a Kentucky Colonel (and bourbon distiller) named James E. Pepper sometime between 1889 and 1895- impress your guests with that nugget of knowledge!
You will need:
2½ shots of Bourbon
½ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters (available at all good supermarkets)
To make the cocktail stir one shot of bourbon with two ice cubes in a glass. Add the sugar syrup and the Angostura bitters and two more ice cubes. Stir more and add another two ice cubes and the rest of the bourbon. Stir more and add more ice. Garnish with a twist of orange.
OOH LA LA: FRENCH 75
The perfect aperitif? The citrus in the French 75 will stimulate your appetite, the gin will leave a clean finish and the champagne will add a fabulous sense of occasion. Serving this cocktail in a champagne flute not only adds that essential touch of class, but it retains the bubbles in the champagne better than a standard cocktail glass. Legend has it that the drink was created by Harry MacElhone at Harry's American Bar, Paris, in 1925 and was named after the 75mm Howitzer field gun used by the French army during the First World War. It was hugely popular again during Prohibition, and is still a sophisticated option today.
You will need:
1½ shots of dry Gin
½ shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
Top up with the best champagne you can afford
To make the cocktail pour the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker and fill to the top with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds and strain the mixture into a chilled champagne flute. Top up with champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
CAFFEINE COUTURE: ESPRESSO MARTINI
So much more sophisticated than a Vodka Red Bull! This cocktail was created by famous London bartender Dick Bradsell and adapted from his ‘Vodka Espresso', invented in 1983 at the Soho Brasserie, London. The coffee is the important part of this cocktail – the espresso you use needs to be fresh and very, very strong. Additionally, although it might seem counter-intuitive, it works much better if the espresso is hot – even though you are shaking it with cold ice.
You will need:
2 shots of Vodka
1½ shots of hot espresso coffee
½ shot of sugar syrup (2:1 sugar/water)
¼ shot of coffee liqueur
To make the cocktail, put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and fill to the top with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds to ensure the espresso has cooled completely and that there is proper dilution from the ice. Fine strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass and top with three whole coffee beans as a beautiful garnish.
ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA...: PALOMA
Tequila isn't just a shooter, it's a wonderful base for a cocktail – and the fruity Paloma is absolutely delicious. The cocktail is very popular in mexico and the name is the Spanish for Dove.
You will need:
2 shots of Tequila
2 shots of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
½ shot of freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ shot of Agave syrup (available at all good supermarkets)
Top up with Caribbean 'Ting' grapefruit soda
To make the cocktail, first prepare the glass which needs a salt rim. Run a wedge of lime around the top of the glass, then dip the glass into some salt which you have spread out on a plate. The salt should lightly coat the rim of the glass. Pour the tequila, grapefruit juice, agave syrup and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and fill to the top with ice. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds to make sure the cocktail is really cold. Fill your glass with ice, then pour in the cocktail. Top with the Ting soda and garnish with a wedge of lime.
And of course no LBD cocktail night would be complete without our very own LBD Cocktail mad with BLOOM London Dry Gin! You can get the recipe here.
Or if you're in London this week why not pop by Kettners and try it for FREE with our exclusive voucher here.
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