Winter Cocktails To Remind You Of Summer

We’re blessed here in the deep South to not suffer long, dark winters. Sure it gets chilly and (in the Cape) can rain for days on end. We’ve got some great recipes for those days, these refreshing drinks are for those days in between though, those ‘Indian Summer’ days.

Winter Citrus Tequila Smash
Fresh ingredients and punchy flavours

Ingredients:
60ml x Ocho tequila
4 x wedges of blood orange
4 x mint leaves
1 x T-spoon grated ginger
20ml x Pomegranate juice
10ml x Honey
20ml x freshly squeezed lime juice
100ml x Fitch & Leedes Soda

Method:
Add the blood orange chunks and grated ginger to a mixing glass and muddle well. Then add in Tequila, pomegranate juice, honey, lime juice and mint leaves. Fill mixing glass with cubed ice, cap closed with a shaker and shake well. Single strain into a tall Collins glass over cubed ice and top with Fitch & Leedes soda. Garnish with orange zest and mint sprig.

Classic Mojito
As good in winter as it is in Summer, how can you go wrong.

Ingredients:
50ml x Havana Club Añejo 3 Años
6-8 x Fresh lime chunks
2 x teaspoons white castor sugar or 20ml sugar syrup
8-12 x mint leaves
50ml x Fitch & Leedes soda

Method:
Start by adding the lime chunks and sugar to a large Collins glass. Muddle lime and sugar well squeezing out all the lime juice to help dissolve the sugar. Place the mint in the palm of your hand and smack them, giving the leaves a slight bruising to release the aromas and drop them into the glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in the rum. With a long spoon churn up all the ingredients mixing everything well. Top with soda, garnish with a mint sprig and then enjoy!

Absolut Watermelon Spritz
Absolut Watermelon has a rich, smooth taste profile with the distinct character of watermelon juice, making it a taste of summer you can enjoy all year long. Combing with sparkling wine makes for a refreshingly light and fruity spritz.

Ingredients
35ml x Absolut Watermelon
5ml x Sugar syrup
4 or 5 x Fresh watermelon
150ml x Sparkling wine

Method:
Muddle the watermelon cubes in mixing glass and add the vodka and the sugar syrup. Fill the mixing glass with cubed ice, cap closed with a shaker and shake for about 8 seconds. Fine strain into a wine glass over cubed ice and top it up with sparkling wine. Garnish with a thin slice of watermelon.

Iced Irish Coffee

Irish Coffee is a long-standing winter favourite. When the afternoon winter sun hits your porch at just the right angle, why not turn it on its head…
Ingredients
35ml x Jameson
15ml x Kahlua
30ml x chilled espresso
5-10ml x sugar syrup

Method

Combine Jameson, Kahlua, espresso and sugar syrup (to taste) in a mixing glass, fill mixing glass with cubed ice, cap closed with a shaker and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice.

Garnish with 3 coffee beans & a cinnamon stick.

Breakfast martini

There are many reasons to love winter, but Grapefruit must surely be one of them. That flavour profile… The health benefits. It might well be the king of fruits. Perfect cocktail ingredient then.
Ingredients
50ml x Wilderer Gin
25ml x fresh lemon juice
25ml x grapefruit juice
12,5ml x Triple sec
20ml x vanilla syrup
1 x barspoon orange marmalade

Method:

Add the marmalade and gin to a mixing glass making sure to dissolve some of the marmalade. Then add lemon juice, grapefruit juice, triple sec and vanilla syrup. Fill mixing glass with cubed ice, cap closed with a shaker and shake well. Fine strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange zest.
At Salute we serve a range of bespoke signature cocktails, fresh twists on old classics as well as the expertise to craft custom drinks and menus tailored to your event. Learn more here *