McClelland Cocktail

Need something to brighten a dark winter's evening? Try this cocktail. It's an after-dinner drink conceived in heaven. Pure delight. 

4 cl sloe gin

2 cl Cointreau

2 dashes of orange bitters

Stir with ice in a mixing glass, and strain into a cocktail glass of your liking.

Sloe gin is a liqueur which is actually a sweetened gin flavoured with sloes, small, bitter plums. As to alcohol, Cointreau is the stronger of the two.

The drink harks back to the Twenties, perhaps even further back. In Harry Craddock's famous The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930 a dash of absinthe is used instead of the two dashes of orange bitters. I'm not fond of the switch; perhaps you are? 

Bobby Burns

What is more appropriate to drink on a cold winter's eve than a heart-warming cocktail? And if you want an extra excuse for taking a drink on the 25th of January, then remember it is Burns Night! So join the Scots in commemorating the birth of the famous Scottish poet and lyricist, Robert Burns, who was born on this day in 1759, and in whose memory this drink was created. "Auld Lang Syne" and "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose" crop to mind once you get started on it.

4 cl Scotch whisky

1.5 cl sweet vermouth

0.5 cl Bénédictine

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

This recipe lets the whisky dominate. Other recipes prescribe 1.5 cl Bénédictine to add extra sweetness and a spicier taste.

The Last Word

En vinteraften er et ideelt tidspunkt at smage på en genopdaget, cool og maskulin cocktail fra the Roaring Twenties i Amerika. The Last Word menes at stamme fra Detroit Athletic Club, og den var særdeles populær i mellemkrigstiden. Efter 2. verdenskrig gik den gradvist i glemmebogen, indtil den i 2003 pludselig dukkede op i baren på Zig Zag Café, Seattle, og det takket været stedets navnkundige bartender, Murray Stenson.

2 cl gin

2 cl Maraschino likør

2 cl grøn Chartreuse

2 cl limejuice

Ryst ingredienser i en shaker med is, og si over i et coupe-glas.

Resultatet er en meget afbalanceret og aromatisk drik med styr på det stærke, det søde, det urteagtige, det bitre og det syrlige. Smagen er lettere esoterisk og kræver lidt tilvænning. Det skyldes først og fremmest grøn Chartreuse, der er indbegrebet af en urtelikør. Med en udviklingshistorie, der begynder i 1605, tager den hovedrollen i enhver cocktail, den blandes i. Hvis man fornemmer tilstedeværelsen af urter, blomster, kryddernellike, citrus, timian og rosmarin skal æren tildeles de munke, der skabte Chartreuse.

Jeg glemte vist at sige, at cocktailen kan bruges som apéritif, digestif eller night cap.

Happy Apple

En long drink har flere fordele: den læsker, procenten bliver ikke så høj, og den fremhæver ofte lidt bortgemte smagsnuancer fra den anvendte spiritus. I Happy Apple er det rommens søde, let krydret smag af sukkerrør, der toner igennem og blander sig med det svagt syrlige og sprøde, efterårsagtige bidrag fra en god, gæret cider.

3 cl mørk rom

1 cl citronsaft

6 cl cider

Ryst rom og citronsaft i en shaker med is. Hæld op i et ølglas eller collinsglas med friske isterninger og fyld op med kold cider. Garner evt. med en citrontwist.

Tør fransk eller engelsk cider er at foretrække, men prøv endelig den danske Ørbækgaard cider.

La Coloniale

How about a martini that is a little out of the ordinary? Well, this is it. Simple and quick to make and a wonderful spicy taste. Only two ingredients and a slice of cucumber are needed. As in art, less is more!

4.5 cl gin

3 cl ginger liqueur

Stir in a mixing glass with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of cucumber. 

La Coloniale is a cocktail that tickles your taste buds. The hot, spicy taste of Chinese baby ginger sweetened with Tahitian vanilla and honey from Provence is given and earthy gensing twist that along with the brazing gin makes sure that there is no cloying sweetness. The slice of cucumber provides a subtle and fresh note.

A good drink usually has an appealing look. The glass, the colour of its contents, the garnish, it all has to be pleasing to the eye to be truly successful. Sometimes the bottles with the ingredients add a certain extra touch to the whole feel of the drink, as in this case. Slender, elegant Ginger and stocky, strong Hendrick's are made for each other just like their contents. 

Origin: Anthony Dias Blue

Chelsea Black Tea

Taking its lead from the Frisco cocktail, Chelsea Black Tea is another delightful hot tea drink that will turn your cosy afternoon tea into a real treat.

4 cl rye whiskey

1 cl Bénédictine

Hot black leaf tea with bergamot, e.g. Earl Grey

Sweeten with honey if needed

Stir the ingredients in a toddy glass, serve and relax. A dash of lemon juice will do just fine.

The lovely taste of bergamot blends perfectly with the flavour of spices and medicinal plants from the liqueur.

While the Frisco cocktail is from the 1920s, Chelsea Black Tea is from 2016. 

Chelsea is the London borough. And why choose that name? Because it is so elegant.

Ragtime Cocktail

Need some mental toe-tapping after your holidays? This drink is boogie-woogie in liquid form. Jazzy, syncopated, and just the right thing for an after-dinner cocktail.

3 cl rye whiskey

3 cl Ramazzotti

3 cl Aperol

1 dash pastis

2 dashes orange bitters

In a mixing glass stir the ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Go easy on the pastis; a dash is at the very most half a teaspoon.

The cocktail was created by Jeremy James Thompson, Raines Law Rooms, New York City, 2009.

Green Ghost

In January you may need something to ward off the blues. The monks who centuries ago created Chartreuse certainly knew how.

4 cl gin

1 cl green Chartreuse

1 cl lime juice

Shake with ice, and strain into a martini glass.

A dry, tart and very herbaceous sour for Chartreuse lovers. A masculine drink from the 1930s.

French Apple Lady

Another hot drink that I'm sure you will enjoy. Now is the time for beverages that are soothing, and this toddy brings you sweet memories of summer with the French elderflower liqueur, the falling leaves and apples of autumn in the taste of Calvados, and the warmth of an open fireplace.

4.5 cl Calvados

1.5 cl St-Germain

0.5 cl  honey

1 lemon wedge

Hot water

Pour the first three ingredients into a toddy glass. Top with hot water, and squeeze the lemon wedge into the glass.

Source: Mixologist Lynnette Marreo, New York.

Mexican Tea

Time for 5 o'clock tea? Then why not take it the Mexican way? Simple, hot and a bit more comforting than your usual cuppa. And if you need a pick me up, this is it. So just put the kettle on!

4 cl tequila

2 teaspoons of sugar

10 cl hot black tea

A lime twist

Stir the ingredients together in a toddy glass, and give the lime twist a squeeze over the drink before you drop it into the glass.