Be the host with the most and impress your guests with a handcrafted cocktail
Celebrating a promotion, anniversary or birthday? If you’re entertaining at home for a special occasion, go above and beyond and impress your guests with a simple yet sophisticated cocktail. Next time, try these three elegant and unconventional cocktail recipes below:
1. Scottish Heatwave
The bracing bitterness of Campari and the smokiness of whisky is tempered with the added effervescence of a dry cider. It’s crisp and elegant, suited for an evening cocktail – but is equally appropriate for a daytime sip in the sun, like the drink’s name suggests. Our recommendation? Use a smoky selection from the Ardbeg Smoketrails Côte Rôtie Edition single malt range for maximum savouriness.
Ingredients:
22.5ml (half jigger) Scotch whisky
22.5ml Campari
15ml Lemon juice
15ml Honey simple syrup
90ml Dry cider to top off
Lemon twist for garnish
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients, besides the dry cider and lemon twist, in a tumbler filled with ice. Enclose and shake vigorously until the sides of the shaker begin to get frosted.
Strain and pour into a coupe or champagne glass.
Top with hard cider and garnish with lemon twist.
2. French Harvest
Gin is typically associated with sipping in warmer climates, but this cocktail – a rustic twist on the classic French 75 – expands gin’s enjoyment beyond the warmer months to year-round. Prosecco is replaced with sparkling cider here, adding more of an apple kick that most guests will love especially during festive occasions. We recommend using Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin for its distinctive flavour and refreshing yuzu tinge to add another layer of enjoyment.
Ingredients:
45ml Gin
22.5ml Simple syrup
10ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
90ml Chilled sparkling cider, to top off
Lemon twist for garnish
Directions:
Combine ingredients except for sparkling cider in a tumbler with ice, enclose and shake vigorously until the sides of the tumbler are well frosted.
Strain and pour into a champagne flute.
Top off with chilled sparkling cider and garnish with a lemon twist.
3. Red Mojito
Every birthday or anniversary deserves an extra bombastic toast to celebrate, and even better when it’s a bold hue to make things extra festive. Looking for a stunning conversation starter at your next soiree? Make this bright red beverage with us — adjustable to your desired type of berry and red juice — as we raise a glass to DFS CIRCLE’s first anniversary this year while elevating the traditional mojito to tasty new heights. We recommend using Bacardi Superior Rum, the classic choice of white rum that’s become synonymous with a mojito.
Ingredients:
1 Cup strawberries, raspberries or cherries
1 Lime, sliced into wedges, and more sliced as wheels for garnish
1 Level tablespoon of cane sugar (light brown)
4-5 Fresh mint leaves
45ml White rum
60ml Pomegranate or cranberry juice
50ml Soda water to top off
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except soda water in a highball glass and gently muddle until the fruits appear mashed.
Fill the glass with ice.
Add rum and red juice and stir until combined.
Top off with soda water.
Garnish with a lime wheel or wedge to your liking.
Attending or hosting your next soiree soon? Our Masters of Wines and Spirits Black Book is where you can explore our wide range of wines and spirits, to fully stock your bar or discover a stellar gift for the host. Be sure to check with individual DFS stores for worldwide stock and availability.
