39: Make 5 Cocktails

You can't buy happiness, but you can make a cocktail and that's kind of the same thing!

The Espresso Martini

1 shot - Kahlua

1 shot - Grey Goose Vodka

1 shot - Espresso

1/2 shot - Sugar Syrup

You will need a cocktail shaker and an espresso machine. First, make the espresso shot using ground coffee beans. Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a generous serving of ice. Shake well for 10 seconds. Strain the contents into a martini glass and garnish with 3 or 4 coffee beans.

The Watermelon

1- Watermelon

1/2 litre - H2COCO Coconut Water

1/2 litre - Captain Morgan's White Rum

3 - Limes

1 bottle - Prosecco

100ml - Pimms No. 1

You will need a sharp knife, a stick mixer and a strainer. Cut about a 1/2 inch into the pointy end the watermelon to use as a flat base. Resting the watermelon upright cut open a lid about 1 inch from the top. Blend the insider of the watermelon with the stick mixer until it becomes a slushy consistency. Strain the watermelon slush into another bowl, removing the chunky pieces . Add the coconut water, rum, prosseco, Pimms and watermelon juice back into the watermelon bowl. Zest the three limes into the bowl and then squeeze them into the mixture. Stir well with a large spoon. Taste and add ingredients as necessary to balance out the flavours.

Apple Pie

1 shot - Jack Daniels Cinnamon Whisky

1 shot - Absolute Vanilla Vodka

3 shots - Nudies Cloudy Apple Juice

Ground Cinnamon

Caster Sugar

Cinnamon stick

Lime

Mix together a handful of caster sugar and ground cinnamon on a small plate. Use a slice of lime to moisturise the rim of a short whisky glass (tip: hold the glass upside down so that the moisture doesn't run down the side!). Dab the rim of the glass onto the plate with the sugar/cinnamon mix. Add the whisky, vodka and apple juice into a cocktail mixer with a generous serving of ice. Shake well for 15 seconds. Add 5-6 large ice cubes to the glass and pour the cocktail mixture in. Garnish the drink with a cinnamon stick.

Backpacking in Japan lychee G n' T

2 shots - Bombay London Dry Gin

1 shot - Japanese lychee juice

1 shot - Japanese lychee soda

2 shots - Japanese soda water

Lime

Add a generous serving of ice into a plastic red beer cup from the local Family Mart. Add the gin, lychee juice, lychee soda and soda water to the mixture. Taste, and adjust with more soda water/gin based on your preferred level of sobriety for tonight's shenanigans. Squeeze in a slice of lime to balance the taste.

Clover Club

2 shots - Four Pillars Dry Gin

1 shot - Fresh Lemon Juice

1 shot - Raspberry Syrup

1/2 Egg white

Add the gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker. Dry shake the cocktail for 10-15 seconds to emulsify the egg. Add a generous serving of ice to the cocktail shaker and shake for another 10-15 seconds. Strain the mixture into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a skewer of 3 raspberries.

BONUS: Raspberry Syrup

2 punnet of raspberries

1 cup of water

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tspn fresh lemon juice

1 tspn of vanilla extract

Add 1/2 a cup of water and the raspberries to a short saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over a high heat until the raspberries have broken down. Stir well. Once the mixture has come to a boil cook for 10-15 minutes over a medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of water to the mixture and cook over a high heat for another 2-3 minutes. Take the mixture off the stove and let it cool to room temperature. Strain the warm raspberries into a bowl (tip: use the excess berries to make a salad dressing!). Add the strained berries, brown sugar and lemon juice to a clean saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture simmer for about 5-7 minutes over a low heat. Take off the heat and add 1 tspn of vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool to room temperature and strain into a bottle.