Cocktail No 81 Monte Carlo Imperial

I was a bit unsure about this one as the amount of Crème to menthe is quite high and that usually makes it taste like toothpaste, but rest assured it doesn't. It is minty, but the lemon juice and the Champagne counter it. The gin isn't terribly noticeable as a flavour, but it does make a subtle contribution and binds the flavours together.

Refreshing, light and the more I taste it, the more I am growing to like it.

Recipe

25 ml Birkdale Gin
15 ml Crème de Menthe
10 ml Lime Juice
Champagne
Ice

Add ice to shaker with Gin, crème de menthe and lime juice. Shake and strain into a tall champagne flute. Top up with Champagne.

Cocktail No 72 Green Fizz

So after making the Gin Oyster I had an egg white going spare. What to do? Make some tiny meringues or another gin cocktail - you can guess which one won the contest.

As with other fizz's the shaking of the egg white creates a froth or crema that float to the top of the dring. The gin is hidden by the mint and the tang of lemon juice. The sugar made it a little sweet for my taste and if I was to remake it I would be heavier on the lemon and lighter on th sugar, but that is just personal taste.

I am becoming a real fan of soda water. When younger I disliked it for the slight bicarbonate taste and the fact it didn't really add much of anything else - to be fair that was with whisky & soda and I'm still not a fan of that, but in this drink it provides the bubbles and lets all the other flavours come through without distortion.

And don't forget to drink the crema at the end of the drink - like drinking liquid minty meringues.

A great cooler for a summer's day, but I still think the Green Hat has the edge on this one.

Recipe

4-5 ice cubes
1 egg white
2 teaspoons sugar syrup
1 measure lemon juice
2 measure Birkdale Gin
1 teaspoon green Crême de Menthe
Soda water

Crack ice and add to shaker with egg white, sugar syrup, lemon juice,
Birkdale Gin, and crême de menthe. Shake very well and strain into a tall glass. Top up with soda water and serve with a straw.

Cocktail No 70 - Green Hat

Incredibly refreshing on a hot summer's day. First time I used old soda water and it was like drinking a polo mint. Not bad, but when I made a second one with freshly opened bottle of soda water it was completely transformed. You mouth actually feels chilled before you can taste anything and I don't mean from the coldness of the ice. The bubbles from the soda seem to leach warmth from the mouth and dull any taste sensations. Then the mint comes through - actually after a few sips you notice that it is there at the beginning, but hidden in the freeze. Then it grows, starting at the tip of the tongue, then moving backwards.

To be honest, I am not sure I can taste the gin, but you would certainly miss it if it wasn't there. The sweetness of the crême de menthe completely disappears, partly dilution by the soda, but more by blending with the gin I suspect.

And the colour is to die for - pure emerald green

This is definitely one to try in the summer.

Recipe

2-3 ice cubes
1 measure Birkdale Gin
1 measure Green Crême de Menthe
Soda Water

Put ice in large goblet or tumbler with Birkdale Gin and crême de menthe. Stir and top up with soda water. Serve with a straw.

Cocktail No 42 Green Hat

I will confess to putting off making this cocktail for a number of years. My previous experiences with Crème de Menthe have not been good and most drinks with it in seem to taste like toothpaste. So this came as a pleasant surprise.

Yes it is minty, but there is a sweetness and the Soda Water transforms the balance of flavour - perhaps its the bicarbonate of soda in the Soda Water that neutralises some of the excessive mintiness. Its very cold on the tongue and I wonder if some of that is due to the Gin in addition to the obvious ice.

So if you have a bottle of Crème de Menthe languishing at the back of the cabinet, dust it off and give the Green Hat a go.

Recipe

Add one measure of Gin and one measure of Crème de Menthe to a tall glass. Add ice and stir. Top up with Soda Water.