Cocktails – Mix & Match
Cocktails generally mean any beverage containing two or more ingredients. In this context at least one of them should be containing alcohol. History of cocktail’s suggest, that they traditionally were a mixture of water, sugar, spirits & bitters. However, somewhere around 1860s they frequently started including a liqueur as well.
Some of the popular cocktails today include gin, whiskey & vodka as primary ingredient. Martini, Bloody Mary & the Blue Lagoon are some of the most famous cocktails invented by man. Other popular cocktails include the Manhattan cocktail, the Sazerac cocktail & the Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail.
Martini – ‘The Elixir of Quietude’
Made with gin & vermouth, Martini is generally garnished with olive or a lemon twist. One of the most popular & best known cocktails, Martini is American in origin. A traditional preparation of Martini is pouring gin & dry vermouth in a mixing glass containing ice cubes. Strain this alcoholic beverage mix into a chilled cocktail grass only to be garnished with green olive or lemon twist.
The gin to vermouth ratio has steadily increased ever since the cocktail was originally created. So much so that, some Martinis were prepared with a cocktail glass full of gin only to be rubbed by a finger of vermouth along the rim. Then there are others who advocate complete elimination of vermouth.
There are plenty of variations over the traditional Martini. Vodka Martinis which the fictional spy James Bond preferred to be shaken & not stirred; however, proper name for shaken Martini is Bradford. Others, like Somerset Maugham preferred Martini to be stirred & not shaken, so that the molecules lay sensuously on top of each other.
Martinis are also delightfully served on rocks, which means, the mixed ingredients are poured over ice cubes & served in Old-Fashioned glasses. Dirty Martinis contain a splash of olive juice or olive brine typically garnished with olive. Use equal amounts of sweet & dry vermouth for a perfect sensuous Martini.
Bloody Mary – Popular Cocktail
Containing tomato juice & vodka along with other spices & flavorings including Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Piri-Piri sauce, horseradish, bouillon, celery, black pepper, cayenne pepper, olives, lemon juice & salts, Bloody Mary is one of the most popular yet complex cocktails in the world. Erroneously reputed to cure hangovers due to a heavy vegetable base combination, the alcohol in Bloody Mary in fact simply numbs discomfort.
Traditionally served on rocks in a highball tall glass, alongside the two critical ingredients & spices, common Bloody Mary garnishes include celery stalk, olives, lemon wedges & shrimp. Coming with massive garnishes considerable amounts of variations are available in Bloody Mary’s construction & presentation.
Intentionally designed to be a meal as well a drink these garnishes include ribs, mini hamburger sliders, kebabs, grilled or fried shrimp, sandwich wedges, fruit slices or even sashimi as per drinker’s taste.
Blue Lagoon – Frothy Citrus Cocktail
Featuring blue Curacao Blue Lagoon is another popular summer cocktail with vodka as key alcoholic ingredient. Variations of traditional Blue Lagoon include a dash of lime cordial to entice with a ‘Fruit Tingle’. Refreshing on a long hot day, it is basically the lemonade making Blue Lagoon cocktail slightly frothy & absolutely citrus in flavor.
Looking for a kick with lemonade, Blue Lagoon is perfect on an afternoon at the poolside. Pure fun, anytime, anywhere, fix a highball glass with Blue Lagoon cocktail recipe to feel into a tropical paradise.
End Game – Check & Mate Cocktails are romantic in nature, no matter the kind of setting you encounter. Bland alcohol can be boring & sounds more medicinal anyway. On the other hand, blended with natural ingredients cocktails are refreshing chargers tuned to the magical moments revealed within this journey called life.
