Food and drink writer, Aoife Carrigy shares a couple of her favourite cocktail and mocktail recipes for the summer season. You'll find Aoife exploring more beverage ideas at the Drinks Theatre in the Electric Picnic’s Theatre of Food.
Frozen Orange Gin Fizz
INGREDIENTS
- 50 ml of Irish Gin
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of hot water
- 2 tablespoons of cream
- 1 tablespoon of egg white
- 100 ml fizzy orange drink of choice
Makes 1
METHOD
1. Pour the gin, sugar, water and lemon juice into the blender. Put the lid on and blitz.
2. Take the lid off and pour in the cream, egg white and 3-4 ice cubes.
3. Put the lid on again and blitz for 20 seconds.
4. Pour into a long Collins or Slim Jim glass and slowly top it up with fizzy orange drink of choice.
5. Garnish with an orange wedge on the glass and serve with a straw.
Recipe adapted, with permission, from Irish Kitchen Cocktails: 60 Drinks You Can Make at Home with Everyday Equipment by Oisín Davis (Nine Bean Rows Books). Photograph by Jo Murphy.
https://ninebeanrowsbooks.com/products/irish-kitchen-cocktails
Cucumber Collins (non-alcoholic)
This lovely non-alcoholic cocktail is a good option to batch up in a jug for a crowd.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 slices of cucumber
- 50ml Non-alcoholic gin
- ice cubes, to serve
- 125ml soda water
- 25ml lime juice
- 25ml sugar syrup (recipe below)
Makes 1
TO GARNISH
1 slice of cucumber
1 sprig of fresh mint
METHOD
1. In the base of a cocktail shaker, muddle the slices of cucumber with the non-alcoholic Gin. Strain into a tall glass over plenty of ice. Add the soda water, lime juice and sugar syrup and stir well.
2. Garnish with a cucumber slice and a sprig of fresh mint.
Recipe adapted, with permission, from The Old Spot Cookbook: A Decade at Dublin's Favourite Gastropub by Aoife Carrigy (Nine Bean Rows Books). Photograph by Ruth Calder Potts.
https://ninebeanrowsbooks.com/products/the-old-spot-cookbook
Sugar Syrup
Makes about 250ML
200g granulated or caster sugar
200ml hot water
METHOD
Dissolve the sugar in the hot water. If using as is, allow to cool before adding to a cocktail or store somewhere cool and dry.
VARIATION
You can infuse the syrup by adding your choice of fresh herbs, spices and fresh or dried fruit to 250ml of hot syrup and allowing to cool, then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours to infuse. If not using within a week, strain into a sterilised bottle.
As ever, please drink responsibly!