Making your own cocktails, even if you're not a bartender or mixologist? No problem. The secret is in having the right ingredients and the right equipment. It's not just about having a handy shaker on hand (indispensable!), but also the right glasses. Why? Because of the experience, of course. That immediately shoots up by ten points. Think of those distinctive triangular Martini glasses. If you are standing with one of these glasses in your hands, the only thing your conversation partner still wants to know - while subtly raising an eyebrow - is: shaken or stirred?
1 | The unsurpassed Mai Tai
Mai tai is a Tahitian word and means something like excellent. It seems that "Mai tai" was the first thing the Tahitian friends of one Vic Trader said when he gave them a taste of his homemade cocktail . With that, a new cocktail saw the light of day. And what a one! The Mai Tai is a tropical tiki-cocktail rum-based and with lots of garnishes. Several recipes are rotating, so feel free to put your own spin on it. Mix 30 grams of white rum with 20 ml of orange liqueur and 10 ml of almond liqueur. Then pour in the juice of half a lime and shake everything well in a cocktail shaker. Pour the contents into a glass and carefully add another 30 ml of dark rum. As a cocktail glass, of course, choose a real tiki glass. Finally, garnish your Mai Tai with lime or pineapple, a sprig of mint and a bamboo straw and you will feel like you are in the middle of the Amazon jungle.
2 | The summer Margarita
A Margarita makes you daydream about endless sandy beaches, colorful sunsets and clinking glasses. Could it be because of that salty edge along the glass? Or is it the tangy tequila flavor combined with the freshness of the lemon? Either way, a party isn't a party without a Margarita on the menu. Pour 45 ml of good tequila into a shaker with ice cubes and add 20 ml of triple sec and the juice of 1.5 limes. Shake the shaker until a frosting appears on top. A Margarita drink you make without ice; you can use a so-called strainer to stop the ice cubes when pouring into your Margarita glass. By the way, you make the salt layer by dipping the rim of the glasses in lime juice. Then dip each glass in a bowl of salt. There you are.
3 | The Tropical Blue Hawaiian
Another typical tiki-cocktail is the Blue Hawaiian. This cocktail contains not only 30 ml of rum, but also 45 ml of coconut milk which makes the cocktail excitingly opaque and immediately gives it a tropical taste. To get that intense blue color add 30 ml of Blue Curaçao. Then shake the ingredients well. Of course, you pour this cocktail into a hurricane glass, in which that beautiful blue color stands out perfectly, on top of a bed of ice cubes or crushed ice. Add an umbrella, pineapple slice and candied cherry and your 15 Minutes of Blue can begin!
4 | The Creamy Piña Colada
Speaking of coconut, a cocktail that definitely belongs in this list is the Piña Colada. Did you know that Piña Colada is the national drink of Puerto Rico? No doubt that's because they have pineapples and coconuts in abundance there. Piña means pineapple and colada means strained. Here's the recipe: fill a blender with 60 ml of rum, 30 ml of coconut cream, 30 ml of whipping cream and 180 ml of fresh pineapple juice. Add another 120 ml of ice cubes and blend until smooth. (Don't have a blender, but a shaker? Then replace the ice cubes with crushed ice.) The yellow color of the pineapple juice and cream create a perfect, summer look. You finish that off by serving the Piña Colada in a pineapple cocktail glass. Of course a pineapple slice and an umbrella can be placed on the rim of the glass, and in the cocktail itself you place a bamboo straw and a pineapple leaf. The more, the merrier.
5 | The classic Martini
And then that Martini we already started this blog with. James Bond had a clear opinion on that: shaken, not stirred. That opinion will not be shared by everyone. A shaken martini makes the cocktail cloudy and already lets the ice melt a bit, reducing the flavor intensity. Why James preferred that anyway? Because the screenwriters thought "shaken, not stirred" sounded better than "stirred, not shaken. So much for the history lesson. For an original Martini, mix 15 ml of dry white vermouth with 60 ml of gin or vodka. For the best taste experience, chill your glasses in the refrigerator beforehand. Then fill a measuring cup or shaker with a few ice cubes and add the drink. Stir the ingredients gently for about half a minute. Then remove the ice cubes and pour the cocktail into triangular Martini glasses. Finally, skewer one or three drained olive/olives on a cocktail stick and place one in each glass.
Yes, I think we agree: these five cocktails will get you through the summer. Chin chin!