Saturday, 24 December 2011

Advice for making the perfect cocktails frm The Great Courses

I've joined up with The Great Courses, which features Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan (Master of Wines) in a fun, engaging and educational DVD or downloadable course called The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Taste and Traditions.It features everything the budding mixologist would need to know about spirits and cocktails so they can wow friends and family this holiday season without breaking the bank or eating into precious free time. Check out these informative videos.

First up, some useful advice on how to shake a cocktail :



Now you can get practising by making a Hot Buttered Rum :


Fancy being a Vodka Connoisseur ?


And for your last test, try comparing Tequila and Rum :


Now, if you fancy a couple more cocktails to try out, here are two recipes to help your Christmas and New Year celebrations go with a bang :

Chocolate Martini (Mixologist: Josh Berner)
For this recipe, you’ll need:

1 ½ oz Godiva original chocolate liqueur
1 ½ oz vodka
1 oz cream (or skim milk to save calories)
Dark chocolate bar for garnish


Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake.

Pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Shave chocolate over top. For a more complex chocolate flavour, add Crème de Cacao. There are many variations for this drink made with vanilla vodka, Crème de Menthe, Cointreau, Kahlúa, and others. For a low-fat version, use skim milk or even no dairy at all.

Brandy Van Alexander (Mixologist: John Hogan; his recipe)


For this recipe, you’ll need:

1 oz brandy (Courvoisier VSOP)
1 oz coffee liqueur (Fair Trade Coffee Liqueur)
1 heaping tablespoon of vanilla ice cream, softened (or more to taste)


Build in a brandy snifter or ice cream glass. Stir to blend

The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions is just one of more than 350 educational and inspiring courses for lifelong learners available from The Great Courses. To download or purchase this course as a holiday gift, please visit http://bit.ly/u5dnNt  or http://www.thegreatcourses.com/cocktail-courses .

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

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