January Cocktail & Mocktail

It's Burns night this week, Thursday 25th January.

If you're celebrating the life of one of Scotland's most famous poets, Robert Burns.

Here's a couple of tasty cocktails, and a mocktail, to try with your neeps and tatties.

Tartan breeze - Something to warm your tootsies when the arctic winds blow.

The orange juice in this cocktail calms the heat from the Whisky down, without taking away from the flavour.

Tartan Breeze Recipe

1/2 measure of Scotch Whiskey (15ml)

1/2 measure of Apricot Brandy (15ml)

One measure of Orange Juice (30ml)

Dash Angostura Bitters

Ice cubes

Shake the liquid ingredients well together over ice, strain into a glass and serve with more ice, and an orange peel twist.

Mary Queen of Scots - A drink fit for any queen, or poet.

Go easy on old Mary as this is a potent mix, and possibly a night cap cocktail.

It's a fine mix of sweet and sour. Surprisingly good, but slightly lethal. Drink it slowly (you have been warned).

Mary Queen of Scots Recipe

One lemon wedge

Icing sugar to put a dusting on a plate

Cracked ice

One measure of Scotch Whisky (30ml)

One measure of Drambuie (30ml)

One measure of Green Chartreuse (30ml)

Chill your cocktail glass in the fridge for 15 mins before prepping your drink.

Rub the cut lemon around the rim of the cocktail glass and dip in the icing sugar (use a side plate).

Put some cracked ice into a mixing glass. Pour the Whisky, Drambuie and Chartreuse over the ice and stir to mix. Strain into the prepared glass.

Cinders Mocktail - You shall go to the tartan ball.

This is a lovely little mocktail that despite the content of fruit juice, is rounded off with the bitters to give a flavour that's not too sweet.

Cinders Recipe

Juice of 1/2 an orange

Juice of one lime

150ml pineapple juice

Several drops of angostura bitters

Ice

Soda water or ginger ale to taste, orange and lime slices to decorate.

Shake the fruit juices and a few drops of the bitters together. Strain into a large glass, add a few more dashes of bitter and top up with Ginger Ale or Soda Water. Decorate with fruit slices.

Enjoy! Until next time :)