100 Popular
Cocktail Recipes
By Matthew Driver
Editor: Matthew Driver
Cover Design and Illustrations: Wells Gray Press
Published by Wells Gray Press
Great Britain
Copyright © Matthew Driver 2011
All rights reserved.
Smashwords Edition
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any other means electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
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This book introduces 100 of the most popular cocktail recipes from around the world, featuring a wide variety of classic and modern drinks, all of which regularly appear in top lists of favourite cocktails.
Together, they create a comprehensive introduction to cocktail making, allowing you to prepare and serve great tasting cocktails that suit any occasion.
All the recipes are presented in alphabetic order to make them easy to search and find. There is also a guide to the basic techniques that will help you to make fantastic-tasting drinks.
Read, mix, shake and serve!
List of Recipes
Search by Alphabet
A B C E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T V W Z
Techniques & Terminology
Blending
Some recipes require the ingredients to be combined and mixed in a blender. A standard household electric blender is perfect for this process. Some recipes will require the ingredients to be mixed with ice and blenders are a good way of creating crushed ice. Simply place a handful of ice cubes in the blender and blend briefly.
Building
Different liqueurs/spirits have different weights and therefore will layer (float) on top of one another as you create each cocktail. This can create very colourful, impressive cocktails, so it is useful to learn the weights of different liqueurs. In other recipes a swizzle stick is placed in the cocktail and used to mix the ingredients together.
Straining
Most standard shakers will have a built-in strainer, and this can be used to strain any cocktails that require the body of the liquid to be separated from any other shaken ingredients. The strainer should be placed at the mouth of the shaker and used to catch any unwanted ingredients, prior to pouring into a glass. Essentially, the aim is to catch any ice or solid/thicker ingredients that are unwanted in the final drink.
Crushed Ice
Many cocktails require crushed ice, either during the preparation of the cocktail or in the final presentation. One way of producing crushed ice is to use a blender. An alternative method is to place ice-cubes in a plastic bag and crush using a rolling pin or meat hammer.
Muddling
Muddling is the term used to describe the process of crushing fruit or herbs, to allow the flavours to be released. This can be done using a muddler, a pestle or even the end of a rolling pin. Push down into the fruit or herbs with a twisting motion. This process would be used for ingredients like mint leaves.
Shaking
When a drink contains a variety of ingredients particularly fruit juices, or cream, then it will be necessary to shake all the ingredients to ensure that they combine properly. Shaking is also used to chill all the ingredients at the same time, in the same way. The best way to do this is to use a traditional cocktail shaker. Three-quarters fill the shaker with ice, and then with one hand on the top of the shaker and one hand on the base, use a short sharp shaking motion. The shake should combine all the ingredients and chill them at the same time. A good measure of when the ingredients are suitable chilled is, to observe when water begins to condense on the outside of the shaker.
Stirring
Many cocktails will require stirring prior to serving. This can be done using a cocktail swizzle, or a metal/glass mixing rod.
Salt/Sugar Rim
To salt the rim of a glass, moisten the edge with a wedge of lime and dip the upturned glass into a saucer of salt. For sugar, moisten the edge with a damp sponge first and then dip into the saucer.