Drinks

Easy Lemoncello

1/2 pt Vodka 

3 lemons - zest only
1/2 pt boiling water

3 oz granulated sugar

Place the lemon zest in a sealable bottle or jar with the lemon zest and leave for at least a week
Dissolve the sugar in the water and leave to cool
Once cooled add the sugar water to the vodka and lemon zest mix and leave for a further week

At this point, if you wish to, you can strain out the lemon zest
Place the bottle in the freezer for a few hours before needed so that the drink is really cold.  

I used just ordinary 40% proof vodka to make this drink, but traditional, authentic, Italian  lemoncello would usually be made from a much higher %proof base drink. 

Lime Gin 

600ml Gin
Zest of 3 limes
1 oz sugar

Place all of the ingredients into a sterilised bottle or jar, shake and leave in a dark cupboard
Gentle shake each day until the sugar has dissolved
Leave for 2-3 weeks and then strain and bottle

I strained mine twice through coffee filter papers to ensure that it was nice and clear and all bit of zest had been removed. 


Blackberry Vodka or Blackberry Gin  

500ml Vodka or Gin 

12oz Blackberries

4 oz granulated sugar

Place the ingredients together in a sterilised bottle or jar

Gently shake and leave in a dark cupboard

Gently shake the bottle each day until all the sugar has dissolved

To get the best flavour this will need to steep for 2 to 3 months

Before straining taste a small amount of the liquor to see if it is sweet enough for your taste, if not, then add a bit more sugar, shake and leave for another week before straining and bottling. 

I don't like mine to be too sweet, or to become syrupy, so I use much less sugar than a lot of people.  I strain through coffee filter paper in a fine sieve.  I currently have one bottle of each on the go which will be ready just before Christmas. 

Marjoram Mojito

1/2 a lemon - cut into wedges  
10-12 marjoram leaves - leaves only, stems removed  
15 ml sugar syrup  
30 ml white rum  
soda water  
ice cubes  

Place the marjoram leaves and lemon wedges into a glass and muddle (bash with the handle end of a wooden spoon to release the flavours!) 
Add the sugar syrup and white rum and stir
Place a few ice cubes into the glass and top up with soda water 
Stir again before serving and decorate with the very top small marjoram leaves from the tips of the stems

I also tried this recipe with lime instead of lemon which is the traditional fruit used in a mojito.  Both tasted really nice.  I have a lot of marjoram growing in my garden and so am always looking for new ideas and ways to use it. 

Christmas Pudding Vodka

1 pt vodka

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1 lemon

3 cardamom pods

1/2 nutmeg - grated

4 cloves

2 tsp ground mixed spice

3 oz sultanas

1 oz mixed candid peel

1 cinnamon stick

2 oz sugar

Use a vegetable peeler to pare the zest from the orange and the lemon and place in to a sterilised bottle or jar

Add in the vodka, cardamom pods, cloves, sultanas, candid peel, cinnamon stick and sugar

Put on the lid and gently shake the bottle/jar to mix the ingredients

Grate the nutmeg

Make a bouquet garni with the nutmeg and ground mixed spice and add to the other ingredients in the bottle/jar

Place in a dark cupboard for two weeks. Gentle agitate the liquid every couple of days to ensure that the sugar dissolves and all the flavours infuse

After two weeks strain the vodka and bottle for Christmas

Throw away the cloves, fruit peel, cinnamon, cardamom and the bouquet garni to leave the sultanas and mixed peel.  These will have taken on the flavours within the vodka and can be used for another recipe.  They could be used in cakes, muffins or ice-cream/gelato. 

When I made this recipe last year I put the nutmeg and ground mixed spice straight into the vodka, but then found it hard to strain it all out of the final drink.  I had to strain through coffee filters 3 times until most of it was removed.  This is why I am using a bouquet garni this time.  Hopefully this will reduce the number of strains needed to get a clear final drink. 

Last year I added the soaked fruit to a gelato to give it a Christmas pudding flavour.  

Ingredients needed for the drink 

All ingredients added to bottle to steep

Spiced Arancello

This is a spicy orange version of limoncello.  It is ideal for Christmas. 

5 large oranges - zest only 

1 cinnamon stick

4 cardamom pods

1 vanilla pod

1 litre vodka

12oz sugar

500ml boiling water 

Using a vegetable peeler, pare the zest from all the oranges

Place the orange zest, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, vanilla pod and vodka into a large clean bottle or jar, shake and place in a dark cupboard (the bottle or jar needs to be big enough to hold almost another litre of liquid)

Shake the bottle every day of a week

After a week:

In a heatproof bowl or jug, dissolve the sugar in 500ml of boiling water 

Leave to cool and then add to the vodka mix

Leave for another week, shaking every day

After two weeks: 

Strain out and discard the orange zest and spices

The Arancello is now ready to drink 

This recipe will make about 1 1/2 litres.  

I alway leave the vanilla pod in the bottle with the Arancello as this continues to mellow the drink.  It can be drunk straight away, but the longer it is left the more mellow the flavour becomes. 

I always buy a 2 litre cheap bottle of water, empty out the water (often into my kettle) and use the bottle for the Arancello ingredients.  This saves having to sterilise a bottle or jar and is not so heavy or awkward to lift and shake each day. 

To make into gifts, decant into small bottles and decorate each bottle with a vanilla pod

(I always soak the vanilla pods in vodka for a couple of days and then wipe over with kitchen paper before adding to the small bottles to ensure that they are plumped up and any bits from the outside of the pod are removed - the vanilla pods flavour this vodka too which makes another nice drink!)

Loobie Wallbanger 

1 shot vodka
Orange juice
1 shot grenadine 
small amount of galliano

Put vodka and orange juice into a glass with some ice
Slowly pour in the grenadine (this will sink and colour the bottom of the drink)
Pour the galliano carefully on to the top of the drink.  

Basically a harvey wallbanger with a 'sunrise' look and with the extra flavour of the grenadine. 

Water Infusion

1 bottle cold tap water
A few sprigs of lemon thyme
6 thin slices of root ginger

Place in the fridge to chill and steep for 24 hours.  Makes a really refreshing drink on a warm day.

Iced Green Tea 

It's really quick and easy to make your own iced green tea.  Just make a jug or pot of tea.  I use about 1 1/4 pints of water to one tea bag.  Steep the tea for about 5 minutes - don't make it too strong or it will be bitter when cold.  Remove the tea bag and leave to cool.  Place in the fridge in a jug or bottle to chill.  Serve with a slice of lemon or lime. 

Other fruit infusions can also be made and chilled in this way - just remember to remove the tea bag.