Oh guru of the cocktails I seek your guidance on a subject matter which should be known as 'the cocktail whose name should not be spoken'

(for those of a nervous disposition do not continue)







The Non-Alcoholic Cocktail


My family and I have been invited to attend Xmas dinner with friends in the village. The decision has been made by the men of the house that cocktail drinking into oblivion is the way ahead. Thanks to this thread I have been voted the expert and will be producing them . 6 adults, 1 teenager and 3 children ranging from 4 to 8 (girls so pink frothy stuff is not a non-starter )

To enable them to join in with the proceedings can you recomend some solutions which you may have in your knowledge bank? Really good would be ones I can mix up the day before, pour into the shaker with some ice and make life easy while the real business of getting the adults merry can take my full concentration.

I can’t believe you asked for non-alcoholic drinks, but now I have finished spluttering, I suppose I must. The thing to remember with kids is that if you dress it up properly and present it right anything can be a cocktail so focus on the right glass(plastic)ware and garnish. And try to avoid huge amounts of sugar.

1. Virgin Strawberry Mojito:

10-12 mint leaves
1 lime
3 barspoons of sugar
3-4 Strwberries
Crushed Ice
Canadian Ginger Ale

Cube the lime and put in a Collins glass
Add the Mint, Sugar & Strawberries
Muddle thoroughly
Add the ginger ale and a little crushed ice and stir/churn through thoroughly
Top with more crushed ice and Ginger Ale
Garnish with a sprig of mint & half a strawberry

2. Saudi Champagne

Good one for a large pitcher, used to drink this by the bucket load as a kid, in Saudi strangely enough:
Fresh Apple Juice mixed with sparkling water (1:2) add diced fruits

3. Fruitades

These are simplicity itself and simply involve citrus fruit and sugar
Simple rule of thumb is for each fruit use 3 barspoons or sugar
• Lemon
• Lime
• Orange & Passion fruit

Muddle your chosen fruit in the bottom of your shaker or glass with the sugar
Shake (if using shaker)
Add Ice & Top with soda/Lemonade

4. Virgin Pina Colada

3oz Pineapple Juice
1oz Coconut Cream
1oz Cream/Milk
1scoop ice cream and a little ice
Blend all ingredients together and serve
Garnish with pineapple

Try adding strawberries to the mix for something a little different


5. Virgin Berry Daiquiri

1 lime
3bspn Sugar
12 Mixed Berries (Strawberries/Raspberries etc)
2oz Apple Juice

Cube the lime and add all ingerdients to shaker, and muddle
Add the apple juice and ice
Shake like hell
Strain into glass

Can be served either short or long, short in a Martini Glass, long in a Collins Glass over ice either topped up with soda or lemonade

6. El Castro

A virgin Cuba Libre
1 lime
Coke
Cube lime and muddle in the bottom of an Old Fashioned/Rocks Glass
Add Ice and Top with Coke

7. Smoothies

These always end up being some of the easiest to make it just depends on what fruits you want to use:
Mango, Passionfruit & Peach
Mixed Berries
Kiwis & Apples
Use anything u like
Use Cranberry Juice and Apple Juice to lengthen and thin the smoothie and blend away to your hearts content.
Or use yoghurt and describe them as lassi

8. Soft Floats

Really easy these, simply a soft drink of the child’s choosing
Coke/Lemonade/Irn Bru etc etc
Use a tall glass and add a scoop of ice cream to the soft drink (not the otherway around otherwise it will fizz everywhere

9. Fruit Juice Cooler

• 1.5 oz. Cranberry juice
• 2 oz. Ginger ale
• 1.5 oz. Grapefruit juice
• 1.5 oz. Orange juice
• 1.5 oz. Pineapple juice
Add all ingredients to glass and stir

10. Limler

10cl apple juice
1lime cubed
2bspn Brown sugar
Crushed Ice

Muddle the lime and sugar in your glass
Add crushed ice and top with apple juice



More recipies can be found here:

http://www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/cockt...&flavour_id=12

http://www.cocktail.uk.com/db/viewAl...ils.asp?type=4

http://www.greatcocktails.co.uk/NonA...sCategory.html

My dad's "Merry Christmas Summertime Cocktail"...Sluggy can vouch for this one!

1 shot each of vodka,bacardi and malibu per serving
squeeze of fresh lime juice and top up with pineapple juice and lots of ice

To reduce alkyhole you can leave out the malibu and use one of them pineapple and coconut juices!!

To be drunk by the jugful on christmas eve, rendering all partakers incapable of coherent speech until long after Her Maj has done her bit on the big day!!

Originally Posted by TankiesYank

Yay booze!

Wotshesaid.

YELLOW FEVER

Hi-Ball glass

5 X Ice cubes

2 oz Stolichnaya/ Absolut /Eristoff
( that is a good quality 40% vodka, not red label Smirnoff sheet)
1 oz Grand Marnier Cordon Jaune
( this is a slightly drier version than the usual Cordon Rouge ......in a pinch use Cointreau or any Triple Sec)

Top up with Tropicana OJ


If the ice is still present by the time you finish it.....lightweight!

Na z'Drovye

--

Originally Posted by rampant

13. Zombie

One of my personal favourites and one to floor anybody.

37.5mls White Rum
37.5mls Pusser’s Navy Rum
37.5mls Havana Especial
12.5mls Apricot Brandy
12.5mls Grand Marnier
25mls Orange Juice
100mls Pineapple Juice
12.5mls Grenadine

Shake Like Crazy in your Boston, and pour over ice in a large Collins or Hurricane,

Float a ½ shot of Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum on the top.

Jaysus H. Christ on his Holy Crutch.......where do you do your shaking Rampant - Broadmoor ? .....that there is a mean-dog killer cocktail.......Wray & Nephew is bad juju on it's own let alone in combination with Pusser's....dear God , that drink needs a Firearms cert (Section 5) .

With naval connections going back to Scapa Flow, I have an inherited partiality for anything with rum in it......ever mixed something based on the notorious Mount Gay* , Cockspur or Havana Gold ?


Goats


* cue laborious, juvenile pongo jokes about sailors.......yawn.......)

Originally Posted by Goatman

Jaysus H. Christ on his Holy Crutch.......where do you do your shaking Rampant - Broadmoor ? .....that there is a mean-dog killer cocktail.......Wray & Nephew is bad juju on it's own let alone in combination with Pusser's....dear God , that drink needs a Firearms cert (Section 5) .

With naval connections going back to Scapa Flow, I have an inherited partiality for anything with rum in it......ever mixed something based on the notorious Mount Gay* , Cockspur or Havana Gold ?


Goats


* cue laborious, juvenile pongo jokes about sailors.......yawn.......)

Mostly in and around Glasgow, so same thing really

Mount Gay is something I really only sell on request, don't use it much, though I have been known to use it as a swap out for other rums in drinks depending on the bar.

Cockspur is something that you don't generally find much these days I'm sad to say but you can get it:

http://www.cockspurrum.co.uk/#

Rum Punch
1oz Sour Lime Juice)
2oz Sweet( sugar syrup)
3 oz Strong(Cockspur Five Star coloured rum)
4 oz Weak (water, ice)
Garnish with Angostura bitters and grated nutmeg to taste. For added attraction include a few pieces of fruit

Havana Gold is now more commonly sold as Especial

My rum tipple at the moment is Pyrat XO

http://www.pyratrum.com/

Which is perfect served straight up over ice with a slice of orange :D

Oi some pass the Cubanos

I'm not trying to out do Rampant, but the I've used the 'Drink Shop' news letter for some good recipes (should that be concoctions?) You can subscribe at no cost. Not only do they have offers and stock a huge range but they have recipes from a different 'mixologist' every month. Not necessarily the cheapest supplier but worth a look.

www.thedrinkshop.com

Rampant

Might I request your preferred method for a White Russian? A number of my friends have seemingly become addicted to these. I favour Kahlua but others have suggested Tia Maria. The person who suggested Baileys is no longer with us, having been ostracised for such a comment.

Ta muchly.

Vodka, Kahlua and Half-Mix

Half-Mix being equal measures of Cream & Milk

Whether you layer it or shaker it is up to you.

My preferred method is to shake the equal measures of Vodka & Kahlua with ice in a Boston and then pour over ice in a tall glass

I then shake my Half-Mix before layering it over the the V/Kmix and then dust with chocolate powder, if I feel really indulgent I add some vanilla ice cream (rather than vanilla vodka which can overpower it with a sickly sweet taste).

Some prefer to shake all the ingredients together, which is fine, but if you have little experience of making drinks its possible to get your measurements wrong, and use too much half-mix which means you waste alcohol.

If you get some ice-lolly molds from lakeland you can make frozen versions for the summer

Originally Posted by rampant

If you get some ice-lolly molds from lakeland you can make frozen versions for the summer

But what should we call them? Frozen Russians? Arctic Russians?

Also, is it permissible to look down your nose at Black Russians?