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Tag: orange

September 14, 2017

Cinnamon Old Fashioned

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The third cocktail in a row – am I on a roll or what? Look – nah, I won’t even. You don’t need convincing anyway. Drinks are always front page news in these parts. I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a few years now, but only a few months ago did I discover the ultimate version of the Old Fashion by adding cinnamon syrup. The cinnamon doesn’t punch you in the face, which is what I like and need in my life. The world is way too oversaturated with cinnamon-spiced things as it is.

This is one of the easiest and quickest drinks to have around – everyone should have bitters at home anyway, and a jar of maraschino cherries doesn’t take up much room in the fridge either. All you need to do is go out and buy a juicy (and preferably organic – you’re getting a bit of the rind smooshed into the drink, kay?) orange and make that cinnamon syrup. YAHM.

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Cinnamon Old Fashioned

Makes 1 glass

1/2 slice of orange, plus another half for decoration

1 maraschino cherry, plus another for decoration

3 shakes of Angostura Bitters

2 tsp (10ml) cinnamon syrup (recipe below)

ice

60ml whiskey (I used Red Label)

 

In a jug, combine the orange slice, the cherry, the bitters and the syrup. With a muddler or even a spoon, mash everything together until you feel certain that the orange oils and cherry juices have done the best they can. Add about 3 ice cubes and the whiskey, and give it all a good stir. Fill a pretty tumbler with a few more cubes of ice (or a fancy big one if you have it) and sieve the delicious golden liquid right over the top of it. Add the additional orange slice and cherry to garnish. Done.

When I feel lazy (which is mostly) I skip the sieving and the additional cherry and orange slice and just pour that into my glass. Do whatever your level of lazy requires of you.

 

Cinnamon Syrup

Makes about 130ml

110g raw sugar

125ml water

1 big pinch salt

1 cinnamon stick, or 1/2 big chunky one

 

Combine everything in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and darkened in colour. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon by sieving the syrup into a glass jar.

Keep it in a jar in the fridge – it’ll last quite a long time there.

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June 22, 2016

Spring Fizz

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It’s summer guys! Confusing Swiss summer. I’m surprisingly okay with that. No sweating! No sunburn! And lots of happy green trees having a ball of a time. Gentle monsoons is where we’re at.

In order to celebrate the very agreeable climate had here, I thought I’d serve you up a nice little tipple. This is what I’ve been nipping at in the past few months, at first because I was in the mood for something a little less heavy, and then later because there was an inordinate need for something refreshing and citrusy to reflect the parasol- and gumboot clad world outside.

 

Spring Fizz

Adapted from this recipe . Serves 1.

Ice

2 tsp orange, lemon and vanilla syrup – recipe below

2 tsp lime juice

3 shakes bitters

15 ml sweet vermouth

30 ml gin

1 strip lime rind

30 – 60 ml sparkling water

Fill a tumbler with ice. Drizzle over the syrup and juice. Add the bitters, vermouth and gin. Rub the lime rind around the rim of the glass, give it a bit of a squeeze and drop it in. Give everything a good stir and top it with as much sparkling water as you’d like.

 

Orange, Lemon and Vanilla Syrup

1 orange

1 lemon

½ tsp vanilla seed paste or ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped

250g sugar

300ml water

Using a vegetable peeler, remove as much of the orange and lemon peel as you can. Transfer to a small saucepan. Juice the orange and the lemon, adding that to the peel. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes (maybe more), until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let it cool. When it’s reached room temperature, remove the peel and pour into a large jar. Keeps for a few weeks in the fridge.

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June 19, 2015

Mulled Winey Goodness

mulled wine‘Tis the season my friends. Time for mulled everything. Everyone is trying to top everyone else in winging about how cold it is, but secretly they love it, because who doesn’t love a steaming mug of something spiked warming up their frozen nose hair. Warmed nose hair for everyone! We’ve had hot buttered rum before, which went down a treat – but now it’s time for the antioxidant-rich grape to take centre stage and charm our socks off.

mulled cloves

This recipe calls for the creation of a complexly spiced syrup, to which later you add some red and a few splashes of ginger wine. That way you can either store it in the fridge for a few weeks, use half, or have it all straight away. This method also ensures that most of the alcohol is still present by the time of serving. None of this boiling-wine-for-two-hours business. And honestly? Most bars, no matter how craft and boutique and amazing they are, their mulled wine won’t be as good as this. Promise.

mulled orange

Delicious Mulled Wine

via the Guardian

This will make about 12 servings. If you aren’t up for cracking open two bottles of red because you’re a smallish group, make the syrup and only use half, combined with half of the rest of the ingredients. The syrup will last for a few weeks in a jar in the fridge.

2 oranges, washed
1 lemon, peel only
150g raw sugar
5 cloves, plus extra for garnish
5 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 bottles of fruity full-bodied red wine – Shiraz-Cabernet for me please
150ml ginger wine

Remove the peel from one orange using a vegetable peeler, then squeeze out the juice. Add both to a big saucepan along with the lemon peel, the sugar and the spices. Add a few small glugs of wine, enough to cover the sugar, and let it simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. You should be left with a thick syrup. If I have the time I like to let it sit for a bit to let the flavours meld.

If you’re keen on doing some shmancy decorating, get the remaining orange and the remaining cloves, and make a few (as many guests as you have)vertical clove lines down the side of the orange. slice it into segments  and voilà,  your garnish is complete.

Once you’re ready to serve, add the rest of the red wine as well as the ginger wine, and gently heat the mixture until hot. Ladle into cups and squeeze an orange segment onto the edge of each. Yum!

 

 

 

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