Page 57 - Phonebox Magazine July 2016

Summer Drinks
With the weather warming up, it’s a great time to sit out in the garden. And what more could you want than a refreshing summer cocktail to accompany you in the sunshine?
Cocktails
Rose-Ecco
Apparently invented by Sophie Dahl, this is a sweet, perfumed cocktail, which is very quick to make. First things rst, ll your favourite glass with Prosecco. Then, simply pour approximately one tablespoon of rose syrup down the inside of the glass so that it slides to the bottom. It should separate from the Prosecco and with every sip of Prosecco, you will taste the rose syrup.
Elder ower Delight
Heat 5kg of white sugar and 3 litres of water in a large pan, stirring every minute or so to help the sugar dissolve. Next, wash 35-40 elder ower heads under some water and put them in with your sugary mixture along with the zest of 5 unwaxed lemons and the lemons themselves. Also add 170g of citric acid at this point. Now, just cover it over and leave it for 24 hours. Once you’ve left it to infuse, line a colander with a clean tea towel and sit it over a large bowl. Pour in the syrup, letting it drip through the tea towel into the bowl below. Discard the elder ower heads and lemons left in the tea towel. Then, use a funnel to ll several glass bottles with the cordial, which lasts for around 6 weeks in the fridge. Use it like you would a squash drink; pour around 2cm of cordial into the bottom of a glass and add water. Or jazz it up by replacing water with sparkling wine for the ultimate Elder ower Delight!
Raspberry Prosecco Bellini
Take a champagne ute and pour one part raspberry liqueur then simply top up with four parts Prosecco. This cocktail looks lovely served with a sprig of fresh basil. These Bellinis are really simple to make, and you can make several at once, so they are ideal for serving at large gatherings and BBQs.
Elder ower Prosecco
Into a cocktail shaker, pour one part elder ower cordial, one part lemon juice and one part gin. Shake well and strain into your favourite glass. Top up with Prosecco and serve with a couple of mint leaves. To make this non-alcoholic, simply swap the gin and Prosecco for lemonade and a squeeze of lime juice.
Cranberry Blush
A zingy, summery cocktail, this is de nitely one to try out if you haven’t before. Add 200ml of vodka and 200ml of
Cointreau to 600ml of cranberry juice and 400ml of orange juice. Mix with a cocktail mixer and add a good amount of crushed ice to serve. You can also add frozen berries, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, to this drink to add some extra colour.
Mocktails
Pomegranate Blush
You’ll need to do a little preparation
for this one. A day or so ahead, divide
four tablespoons of pomegranate seeds between the holes in an ice cube tray, then top up with water as normal and freeze, so that you’ve made pomegranate ice cubes. Tear up some mint leaves and add 900ml of pomegranate juice, 700ml of lemonade and the juice of a lime. Strain this concoction through a cocktail strainer and pour into your favourite jug. Garnish with mint leaves and add your pomegranate seed ice cubes. This should make several servings.
Blood Orange Punch
This de nitely packs a punch! Take 100 grams of fresh cranberries and freeze until completely solid. Into a large jug, pour 150ml cranberry juice, 700ml blood orange juice, and the juice of two limes. This is your main mocktail. Then, take your frozen cranberries and smash them up into small pieces (use a rolling pin for ease). Put the smashed cranberries into several glasses and pour the mocktail over the top. Top up with a little lemonade if needed.
Peach Nectar
Pour the juice of 2 lemons and 2 limes into a large jug. Add 2 handfuls of ice cubes and some lemon and lime slices. Then pour in peach nectar to ll nearly half of the jug, topping the rest up with lemonade. Garnish with mint leaves to serve. You can also add a tablespoon of caster sugar to this recipe too, if you prefer your mocktails a bit sweeter! Alternatively, to make this drink alcoholic, add some peach schnapps.
[Some recipes taken and adapted from bbcgoodfood.com]
July 2016 | Phonebox Magazine 57