winter
WARMERS
Cocktails anyone?
Now we know snow and frost won’t be a problem (hopefully) over
the next few months, but the time for frothy, bubbly cocktails by the
pool, with a little paper brolly to spear the cherries, is long gone.
‘Cocktail time’ now calls for something a touch more substantial.
We’re not talking ‘hot toddies’ here, but nectar that warms the soul
as well as the body when it swishes deliciously round the mouth.
Our good friends at Cairo
InterContinental Citystars have
come up with three suggestions
just right for the season. So for you
‘movers, shakers and mixologists’
out there, here are the recipes …
but maybe first pop along to Bellini
at the InterConti and Lime Lounge
at Holiday Inn so you know what
you’re aiming for.
Let’s begin with a cocktail that
begins with a bit of history … the
Sidecar.
The Sidecar is a classic cocktail
traditionally made with cognac,
orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand
Marnier) and lemon juice. The
origin of the Sidecar is unclear, but
is thought to have been invented
around the end of World War I in
either London or Paris. The Ritz
Hotel in Paris claims origin of the
drink. The first recipes for the
Sidecar appear in 1922, in Harry
MacElhone’s Harry’s ABC of Mixing
Cocktails and Robert Vermeire’s
Cocktails and How to Mix Them. It
is one of six basic cocktails listed in
David A. Embury’s The Fine Art of
Mixing Drinks (1948).
In early editions of MacElhone’s
book, he cites the inventor as Pat
MacGarry, “the Popular bartender
at Buck’s Club, London. The drink’s
name is credited to an American
Army captain in Paris during
World War I “and named after the
motorcycle sidecar in which the
good captain was driven to and
from the little bistro where the
drink was born and christened,”
according to Embury. Apparently
the Sidecar became famous in
Harry’s Bar in Paris.
Brandy
Alexander
The Brandy Alexander is a
luxurious, creamy cocktail that
has been popular throughout
the 20th Century. This is the
Brandy version of the ginbased Alexander cocktail;
it’s warmer and silkier and
absolutely perfect for winter
afternoons. The Brandy
Alexander is also a luscious
after dinner drink that pairs
best with chocolate desserts.
20 ml Brandy
20 ml Crème De Cacao
20 ml Double Cream
Ground nutmeg
Preparation:
Pour Brandy, Double Cream and Crème De Cacao into
a cocktail shaker. Shake well with cracked ice then
serve. Garnish with dusting of nutmeg.
(Served at Bellini)
Sidecar
50 ml Brandy
25 ml lemon juice
25 ml Cointreau
Preparation
Pour the lemon juice, Brandy and Cointreau
into a cocktail shaker. Shake well then serve.
(Served at Bellini)
Blue Nile
Dash Blue Curacao
20 ml Apple Juice
20 ml Soda
Dash Cinnamon Syrup
Preparation:
Shake the
apple juice
and the Blue
Curacao, pour
the mix in a
Martini glass
top it with soda,
cinnamon and
serve.
(Served at
Lime Lounge)