If diamonds are a girl’s first best friend, cocktails come second. We all empathized with a self-involved Carrie Bradshaw who poured out her feelings to her girlfriends over sleek glasses of cosmopolitans in Sex and the City. Like Carry, every woman has her favourite poison that unleashes the wild side within her. Perhaps it’s the look and feel of a cocktail that makes it such a great hit amongst women – they are ladylike, delicious and above all, they make you feel uninhibited. It’s alright to head to your favourite watering hole once in a while to savour your poison but every now and then, you can take pleasure in making your own cocktails at home and make a pyjama party out of it.
COSMOPOLITAN
Hailing from Provincetown, Cosmo gained popularity in the 90’s through the popular television series Sex and the City
150ml cranberry juice
45ml vodka
30ml Cointreau
A generous squeeze of lemon juice
Ice cubes
Lemon slices, to serve
Pour cranberry juice, vodka, Cointreau and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Add ice cubes to the mix, cover and shake well. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with a slice of lemon.
MARGARITA
There is no one single origin to this legendary drink; with several back stories, the Margarita is a powerful blend of tequila, Cointreau and lemon juice
180 ml tequila
90ml Cointreau
90ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Sea salt, to serve
First, place the cocktail glasses in the fridge so that the drink can be served in chilled glasses. Add tequila, Cointreau, lemon juice and ice cubes in a food processor—pulse on and off until ice is crushedand everything is mixed well.Spread sea salt on a sheet of baking paper and dip the rim of each glass into the salt. Fill the glasses with margarita mix and enjoy the drink!
MOJITO
Touted as author Ernest Hemmingway’s favourite drink, Mojito is originally a traditional Cuban highball
60g white sugar
12 sprigs of fresh mint
6 lemon slices, thinly sliced
300ml lemon juice
250ml white rum
Crushed ice
Chilled soda water, to serve
Divide the sugar, mint leaves, lemon slices equally in two serving glasses. Add lemon juice and white rum in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and pour it equally into the glasses; add crushed ice to this mix and top it with soda water and mint leaves.
MARTINI
The credit of Martini’s invention goes to America; a Martini is not a Martini unless it is served in a Martini glass, garnished with an olive
75ml gin
15ml dry vermouth
3 olives for garnish
Ice cubes
Orange or Angostura bitters (optional)
Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice cubes and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a dash of orange or Angostura bitters, if desired. Garnish with an olive or lemon rind.
LONG ISLAND ICED TEA
As the name suggests, this drink is believed to have originated in Long Island, NY. The cocktail is a lethal combination of vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, and Cointreau
80ml vodka
80ml Tequila
80ml white rum
80ml Gin
60ml Cointreau
60ml lemon juice
Chilled cola
Ice cubes
Sliced lemon
Pour vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, Cointreau and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Cover it and shake it well. Pour it in a tall glass with ice cubes. Add sliced lemon to garnish. Serve immediately.
SANGRIA
Sangria is from Spain and Portugal. This wine based cocktail consists of red wine, chopped fruits, sugar and a touch of brandy
1ltr red wine
70 ml orange juices
120 ml brandy
3 lemons, juiced
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 apples peeled, cored and diced
4 strawberries
Ice cubes
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Combine red wine, orange juice, brandy, lemon juice and sugar in a large jug. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add the apples and strawberries. Place ice cubes in tall glasses, pour the sangria into them and garnish with lemon slices. Serve immediately.
PINA COLADA
A perfect blend of pineapple, white rum and coconut cream, Pina Colada is dessert in a glass
500 ml chilled pineapple juice
125 ml white rum
125 ml coconut cream
2 tbsp finely chopped palm sugar
Crushed ice
Combine pineapple juice, rum, coconut cream, palm sugar and ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a serving jug and serve immediately over crushed ice.