The Next Level of Homemade Drinks
Manuel asked me to create a Spritz-style cocktail using one of his citrus eaux de vie. I was more than happy to oblige, simply combining the eau de vie with some syrup. As with all sparkling wine cocktails, the quality of the wine used is paramount.
The Pomatium Gin comes from the Domaine du Coquerel which usually produces Calvados. Since, it is apple and pear flavoured, it seemed like a perfect fit to pair with a lilac syrup.
Kiyoko still is quite new to the market. It is an aperitif which combines typical Japanese ingredients. For a drink using it, I slightly altered the classic Mizuwari highball.
I have tried a few mandarin eau de vies so far, but I never had one distilled from clementines. Of course, those two citrus varities are quite similar that is why you can only but clementines as fresh fruits. Yet, this did not stop me from using the spirit in another summer highball.
I cannot help myself, but I keep coming up with Negroni variations. I know you could argue, that without the sweet vermouth this is not a Negroni anymore, hence the new name. Nevertheless, as other drinks like Fredrik Yarm’s Caustic Negroni shows, Rhabarbero works excellent with anything bitter / other Amaros.
I based the drink on the modern classic Negroni Bianco / White Negroni. Yet, I went for Reposado tequila as the base spirit. My changes did not stop there, but I also used a rather nerdy liqueur as well as a split wine base of port and Cocchi Americano.
At the beginning of February, Joerg Meyer wrote about the Mango Negroni on his 7cl Business blog. Since, I was planning a tropical party anyway, I thought I give it a go.
It always was a blast participating in the Home Bar Awards challenges. I am very happy that Chris aka Cocktail Chris brought them back! The first quest of 2025 is all about classic sours, but without any citrus!
I discovered the Dr. Jaglas Dry Hibiscus when looking for high-quality San Bitter alternatives. This hibiscus flavoured aperitivo just sounded perfect for a little NA-highball.
I really did managed to come up with a non-alcoholic recipe without using caffein for a change. All in all, the different components all have an Arabic touch and just fell into place. It all started with sumac syrup.
