Cocktail No 95 Rose

I was a little unsure when I saw this contained Apricot Brandy as that can often be too sweet for me, but I was light on my measures for both the Apricot Brandy and the Vermouth and it has turned out really well. It has the base of a dry martini, with a hint of sweetness and flavours from the apricots and sour from them lemon juice - classic sweet & sour mix. The herbs in the vermouth are also very pleasantly evident.

The grenadine provides the lovely Rose colour, somewhere between a light red and pink.

Really nice on the sunny Bank Holiday Sunday Evening.

Recipe

15 ml Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon caster sugar
3 Ice cubes
25 ml Birkdale gin
15 ml Apricot Brandy
15 ml Dry Vermouth or Noilly Prat
1 dash Grenadine
1 Cocktail cherry

Dip the rim of a cocktail glass in the lemon juice  and then in the sugar. Allow the frosting to dry. Since we are in lockdown and everyone is baking I can't get hold of caster sugar, so I skipped this step.

Add ice and liquids into mixing glass and stir until icy cold. Strain into the cocktail glass and garnish with the cherry.

Cocktail No 84 Mule's Hind Leg

I knew this was going to be sweet when I read the ingredient list, but for me it is too cloying. This not one of my favourites. The taste is quite good, the herbiness of the syrup, benedictine and the body of the brandy does make a complex and interesting taste profile, but the sweetness and viscosity from the apricot brandy, benedictine and syrup is something I can do without.

I didn't have calvados or maple syrup so substituted brandy and honey instead - I don't think the correct ingredients would redeem this one for me.

Recipe

2-3 Ice cubes
15 ml Birkdale gin
15 ml Calvados
15 ml Apricot Brandy
2 teaspoons maple syrup.

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, stir well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Cocktail No 82 Moulin Rouge

This one is really interesting. Very complex.

Quite sweet which we would expect from the inclusion of apricot brandy. The lemon juice completes the classic sweet & sour for this style of cocktail. The gin is noticeable but not overwhelming. The grenadine privides more colour than flavour. The sparkling wine works very well, in contrast to my previous comments on not enjoying sparkling wine with gin.

Its the apricot brandy that makes this one work so well.

Recipe

Ice cubes
25 ml Birkdale Gin
20 ml Apricot Brandy
20 ml Lemon juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Sparkling wine

Add gin, apricot brandy, lemon juice and grenadine to shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into shallow glass and top up with sparkling wine.

Cocktail No 66 - Empire

Another brilliantly clear cocktail, on the sweeter side.

The viscosity of the Apricot Brandy is felt before the actual taste - the Calvados dominates with a nutty apply taste followed by the apricot. The gin is omnipresent as a base under pinning everything else.

Normally I don't like too sweet a drink, but this one has everything going for it - complexity, changing flavours on the palate, each element distinctive yet blending and supporting the others. And then of course there is the booze laden Maraschino cherries for double th epleasure.

Recipe

25 ml Birkdale Gin
15 Calvados
15 ml Apricot Brandy
2 Maraschino cocktail cherries

Put ice in mixing glass with Birkdale Gin, Calvados and Apricot Brandy. Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Decorate with cherries and serve.

Cocktail No 59 - Angel's Face

Well this is bizarre. The overwhelming note on the nose is Marzipan, with the characteristic Birkdale Gin notes hiding behind. On tasting, the almonds disappear and the apricots come through.

Its a sweet drink, so not my personal favourite, but I am sure many others will disagree. The gin gives it great complexity, which is why its the base for so many great, classic cocktails. It doesn't bring down the sweetness, but adds an undercurrent layer of flavour - its almost as if you have 2 flavour streams in the one drink that are equally present and not mixing - like oil and water, but in taste terms.

I notice the recipes on the internet call for equal measures, whereas my cocktail book calls for half the measure of Calvados, which may make a difference.

For those with a sweet palate, this is worth trying. If you prefer sours, it may be a little too much for you.

Recipe:

1 measure Birkdale Gin
1 Measure Apricot Brandy
1/2 Measure Calvados.

Crack Ice and put in shaker with other ingredients. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

I tried to take a different photo shot - no awards for including my feet.

Cocktail No 37 Lieutenant

Back to the sweet and strong. Bourbon based, the Apricot Brandy comes strongly though with that characteristic "jam-like" taste, smoothing out the sour mash. The other sour is grapefruit juice which is much more delicate and subtle than lemon or even orange in other drinks.

Very pleasant on a cold winters night. I don't think it would work as well in a hot tropical night, as its a bit sweet for me.

Recipe

Add 1 measure Bourban Whisky to a cocktail shaker with 1/2 measure Apricot Brandy and 1/2 measure of Grapefruit Juice. Sweeten with 1 teaspoon of Sugar Syrup. Shake on ice and strain into a Cocktail glass. Decorate with a cherry on a stick.

Cocktail No 10 Copacabana

This one is for a sweet tooth - far more than I am happy with. Its probably sexist, but I would say this was a girlie cocktail.

The predominant note is the Apricot Brandy, hence the sweetness. The Cointreau adds even more. Lemon cuts it and lessens it a bit and thins out the viscosity, but overall its a bit cloying for my palate.

Recipe

Add 1 measure of apricot brandy with ice to a cocktail shaker. Add 1/2 measure of brandy, 1/2 measure of Cointreau and 1/2 measure of lemon juice.. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
Decorate with orange slice.

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)!

Cocktail No 2 Red Shadow

Late home after driving most of the day called for an whisky based cocktail to start the night.

Red Shadow is a sweet & sour mix. First impressions is of overwhelming sweetness and powerful cherry - better palates than mine may be able to detect the blend of apricot and cherry, but I can't. Then the lemon juice kicks in to lift it and give it bite. The whisky was masked as a separate flavour but definitely there in the body of the drink.

Overall, a little sweet for me, but then I am more a sour than sweet tooth. I think it will appeal very much to those who prefer sweetness with a bit of bite. Ensuring it is very chilled will also help.

Put 3-4 ice cubes in cocktail shaker.

Add 1 measure Whisky, 1/2 measure Apricot Brandy and 1/2 measure Cherry Brandy with 1 teaspoon lemon juice (personally I would increase this).

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Drink whilst still chilled.

Enjoy.