Cocktail No 3 Bel Ami

The recipe in my cocktail book is different to the ones I found on line, which is vodka and eggnog, but  many of the components that go into eggnog (brandy, cream, egg yolks) are also in here in different presentations.

Perhaps I am getting a little obsessive, but the recipe calls for ice cream and I didn't have any in, so I made it fresh - is it sad to make ice cream just so you can try a cocktail? I don't care as I think I have died and gone to heaven on this one!

This one doesn't include ice - instead it uses the ice cream to cool down the mix and also provide a delicious mouth feel - think expensive milk shakes but adult version! The apricot brandy, which can often be cloying and too sweet balances the ice cream perfectly - tastes just like apricot jam.

The ice cream is what makes the difference - don't skimp - go for the best flavour vanilla that you can find.

Recipe

1 Measure brandy, 1 measure apricot brandy, 1 measure cream.
2 tablespoons best quality vanilla ice cream
Put all ingredients in an electric blender, mix and serve in a goblet with ice cream wafers if you prefer (I didn't)!