Lavendar mule. Photo / Andy Sewell
Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster is the definitive modern guide to the best of mixology, packed with tempting drinks and the tales of their origin. Here, we’ve picked four tempting libations to raise a glass to the festive season and beyond.
Serves 18 to 20.
Year: 1730s. Origin: Philadelphia, US. Inventor: Unknown. Premises: Colony Club. Alcohol type: Rum. Glassware: Punch.
Note: Freeze water in a small bowl or bundt tin to create a large block of ice the day before serving. This is the best way to keep the prepared punch cool and not dilute it too much as it sits. Additionally, plan to begin making the punch a couple of hours before serving, even the morning (or night!) before.
200g sugar
Four lemons, peeled, with peels set aside
950ml hot water (some prefer using brewed black tea for extra flavour)
240ml lemon juice
950ml dark rum, preferably a mildly estery style, such as those from Jamaica
480ml cognac or good grape brandy
120ml peach brandy
Garnish: Grated nutmeg and at least two lemons, sliced
1. Create an oleo-saccharum in a large bowl by thoroughly mixing the sugar with the lemon peels (best done with clean hands) and letting it sit for at least 30 minutes (a couple of hours is best) to release the lemon oils.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the same bowl with the hot water. Do not discard the peels. Add the lemon juice and spirits and mix. Grate nutmeg over, add ice, and arrange lemon slices over the top.
Serves one.
Year: 1930s. Origin: Colon, Panama. Inventor: Unknown. Premises: Strangers Club. Alcohol type: Gin. Glassware: Highball.
90ml dry gin
30ml double cream
45ml fresh lime juice
One Tbsp egg white (half a whole egg white)
15ml raspberry syrup
Three dashes orange blossom water
30ml club soda
Garnish: Edible flower.
1. Add the gin, cream, lime juice, egg white and raspberry syrup to a shaker filled three-quarters of the way up with crushed ice. Shake “with extreme prejudice” (meaning vigorously, and for a long time until very frothy) and pour, unstrained, into a tall glass with some room at the top.
2. Add the orange blossom water, then club soda, and stir. Garnish with an edible flower.
Serves one.
Year: 2008. Origin: Hamburg, Germany. Inventor: Jorg Meyer. Premises: Le Lion. Alcohol type: Gin. Glassware: Double rocks.
12 fresh basil leaves
60ml dry gin (Rutte Celery for authenticity)
30ml fresh lemon juice
22ml simple syrup
Garnish: Basil sprig.
Simple syrup
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
1. For the simple syrup: Add sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then pour into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid. Will keep, refrigerated, for about a month.
2. Muddle the basil leaves in the bottom of a shaker tin until well-smooshed. Add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice until well-chilled. Fine strain into a double rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a basil sprig.
Serves one.
Year: 2013. Origin: San Juan, Puerto Rico. Inventor: Leslie Cofresi. Premises: La Factoria. Alcohol type: Vodka. Glassware: Mule mug.
15ml lemon juice
22ml brewed ginger tea, cooled
22ml lavender simple syrup
45ml unflavoured vodka
Garnish: Dehydrated lemon wheel, pesticide-free lavender sprig.
Lavender simple syrup
240ml water
One cup sugar
Three Tbsp pesticide-free dehydrated lavender
1. For the lavender simple syrup: Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves - about 10 minutes. Strain into a sealable container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
2. Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice until well-chilled and frothy. Strain into a copper mule mug or tall glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish.
Edited extract from Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster. Photography by Andy Sewell. Published by Phaidon (phaidon.com). RRP $80.
NY Times: Dermatologists explain the benefits – and drawbacks – of this popular option.