It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And even though the weather outside is frightful, the fire is so delightful so just relax and hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling too… Ok, we’ve been listening to A LOT of Christmas songs and we have decided to shake things up with cocktail recipes inspired in some of the most popular seasonal tunes.
For this we have teamed up with award-winning bartender Pat Thomas, who runs the bar at Zozimus, one of the coolest bars in Dublin, and who has came up with four recipes filled with Christmas spirit.
“This drink in essence uses the flavors of turkey stuffing in a nice dry aperitif to be enjoyed before dinner. Don’t worry if you have no sparking wine, a splash of sparkling mineral water will do”, says Pat, as he shares a recipe that puts the GIN in gingle all the way.
Ingredients:
– 40 ml Cranberry gin
– 20 ml Lemon juice
– 15 ml Elder-flower cordial
– 2 leaves of fresh sage
– 40 ml cranberry juice
– 40 ml Dash of Champagne
Method:
1. Combine all ingredients except the Champagne in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake vigorously. Be sure to strain the liquid through a fine sieve as the sage will break up on shaking.
2. Pour into your favorite cocktail glass and top with a splash of chilled champagne. Garnish with a leaf of sage or if you have them an edible flower.
Make your own Cranberry Gin: “A few days in advance, get bag of dried cranberry’s from your local supermarket and put a cup or so into a bottle of your favorite gin, I like Tanqueray. This will mean you will have to pour a little bit our of the bottle (my advice is pour that bit into a glass and add ice, lemon and tonic and enjoy) to make room for the berries. Shake the bottle whenever you see it over the next few days.
An international take on the classic cocktail, using Mexican Mezcal as the base. Often classified as a “World Spirit”, it offers a warm and smokey character, which remind us of a joyful evening by the fireplace. At Zozimus, Pat uses special bitters made in house. These artisan creations often feature in their craft cocktails.
The following adaptation is inspired in the recipe they serve, which is one of their most popular drinks and well worth a visit to the bar.
Ingredients:
– 60 ml Quiriquiri Mezcal
– 4 dash of Angostura Bitter
– Dollop of Guinness
– 5 ml muscovado syrup
Method:
1. Stir in a jug with plenty of ice for a few seconds, until the syrup has dissolved.
2. Strain into tumbler glasses filled with ice.
3. Garnish a zest of orange.
The following recipe has been adapted by us for home mixing, but with the marshmallow infused vodka that they make at Zozimus, the drink is taken to the next level and it’s actually one of their signature cocktails.
Ingredients:
– 60 ml vodka
– 4 dollop of egg whites
– 25 ml cream liqueur
– Juice of 1/4 lemon
– 1 tsp vanilla sugar
– 1 strawberry, pureed
– Chilled soda water (enough to top)
– Toasted marshmallow
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake. Strain through a fine sieve. Top with chilled soda and a toasted marshmallow.
Ingredients:
– 60ml Zacapa
– 4 dash of Angostura Bitter
– 20ml PX Sherry
– Twist of orange peel
– Golden raisins
Method:
1. Stir for approx 12-15 seconds in a largish jug with plenty of ice.
2. Strain into tumbler glasses filled with ice.
3. Garnish with a skewer of raisins and perhaps a zest of orange.
Expert tip: If PX Sherry is hard to find and you have a bottle of Cream Sherry for the aunty-in-law this will work fine but add a spoon of sugar, or, perhaps a spoon of maple syrup.”
“I love to create drinks and to work with new flavors, but working with the team here at Zozimus creating new seasonal menus and drinks for different events and competitions is a real treat”, says Pat Thomas, head of the team behind the bar at Zozimus, regarded as one of the best cocktail spots in Dublin right now.
Regarding the process behind developing new cocktails, Pat points out that a lot of bartenders use “flavor mapping and webbing and a technique called flavor bouncing to create drinks.” He adds that often people feel intimidated about the idea of inventing a drink, but “all it takes is a bit of familiarity with the products, a belt of inspiration and the willingness to try, and you never know where your taste adventures might take you!”
For the Christmas season, he mentions that they’ll be introducing new cocktails and expanding the range of spirits at the bar, so “keep an eye out as soon we will be releasing details for our New Years Eve party.”
Gabriela’s passion for writing is only matched by her love for food and wine. Journalist, confectioner and sommelier, she fell in love with Ireland years ago and moved from Venezuela to Dublin in 2014.
Since then, she has written about and worked in the local food scene, and she’s determined to discover and share the different traditions, flavours and places that have led Irish food and drink to fascinate her.
Gabriela Guédez Gabriela Guédez
