5 drinks – recipes

5 drinks for the wedding reception

Pink Bride

PRE DINNER (pre-dinner drink) 2 cl Beefeater Gin
2 cl Martini Bianco
2 cl lemon juice
2 cl strawberry purée
1 cl simple syrup
7 cl Mumm Cordon Rouge
½ strawberry “Sparkling pink luxury, perfect for enjoying in the sunshine”

When making the drink at the bar

Shake together the Beefeater, Martini Bianco, lemon juice, strawberry purée and simple syrup. Strain into a champagne glass, then layer in the Mumm using a bar spoon. Garnish with ½ a strawberry.

When making several drinks in advance without a bar

Mix Beefeater Gin, Martini Bianco, lemon juice, strawberry purée and simple syrup in a jug. Chill. Serve in champagne glasses (approx. 9 cl), top up with Mumm. Garnish with ½ a strawberry.

Elderflower Lady

PRE-DINNER (aperitif) 2 cl Beefeater Gin
2 cl St Germain elderflower liqueur
4 cl freshly squeezed lemon juice
1–2 cl sugar syrup
1 red cocktail cherry
1 quarter
of a lemon Ice cubes “A fresh drink with a cooling sensation of sun and warmth”

When making the drink at the bar

Shake with plenty of ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon quarter and a red cocktail cherry.

When making several drinks in advance without a bar: Mix the gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a jug (taste and add extra sugar syrup to taste), then leave to chill in the fridge. Prepare the cocktail glasses on a tray with a lemon wedge on the rim and a red cocktail cherry at the bottom of each glass; place in the fridge until ready to serve. Pour approximately 10 cl (1 dl) per glass and serve chilled.

Sences

DRINK 2 cl Ballantine’s Whisky
2 cl St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
3 cl freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cl sugar syrup
6 thin slices of ginger
1 tsp egg white
4 drops Lagavulin 16y
1 cube of ice””A drink created to awaken your senses with a jolt, ending on gentle notes of pleasure”

When making the drink at the bar

Muddle (see explanation at the bottom of the page) the ginger with the lemon juice, then add the Famouse, St Germain, simple syrup and egg white. Shake, strain into a highball glass over fresh ice, float (see explanation at the bottom of the page) the Lagavullin 16y and run a little along the rim of the glass. Garnish with ginger.

When making several drinks in advance without a bar

Mix Ballantine’s Whisky, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and ginger in a jug, then chill (depending on how long it will be kept chilled, wait to add the ginger until an hour before serving). To serve: Strain the drink into a new jug. Add egg white and whisk until frothy. Serve in a cocktail glass with ice (approx. 10 cl / 1 dl); moisten a napkin with Lagavulin 16-year-old and wipe the rim of the glass. Garnish with a slice of ginger on the rim of the glass.

Björkluden

AFTER DINNER (after the meal) 2 cl Absolut Vodka
2 cl Midori
4 cl cranberry juice
“A dash” of watermelon “Be careful not to drink too many of this juicy cocktail”

When making the drink at the bar

Shake the ingredients. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of watermelon.

When making several drinks in advance without a bar

Mix the Absolut Vodka, Midori and cranberry juice in a jug, then chill. Garnish the cocktail glasses with a slice of watermelon on a tray and chill. Serve directly into the cocktail glass, approx. 8 cl.

Rusty Room

AFTER DINNER (after the meal) 4 cl Jameson Irish Whiskey
5 tsp raw cane sugar
5 cl freshly squeezed lime juice
8 red grapes
Crushed ice “A sinfully delicious take on a classic Caipirinha”

When making the drink at the bar

Muddle (see explanation at the bottom of the page) the grapes and raw sugar in a tumbler, then squeeze the lime directly over the mixture. Add the Jameson. Fill with crushed ice, stir, then top up with more ice. Garnish with a quarter of a lime and half a grape.

When making several drinks in advance without a bar

Crush the grapes in a jug, add caster sugar, lime juice and Jameson, then stir. Leave to chill. To serve: Fill a whisky glass with crushed ice, pour the drink over the ice (approx. 10 cl / 1 dl), garnish with a lime quarter and half a grape.

Good to know when mixing drinks

A few ‘must-haves’ for your own home bar

Shaker. A two-piece Boston shaker or a three-piece Italian shaker. Usually available from shops such as Stockhome, Lagerhouse, In & Finn, etc.
Bar spoon with muddler. These can also be found in similar shops.
Base spirits. Such as vodka, gin, white rum, whisky, Cointreau. They don’t need to be the most expensive the shop has, but nor should they be the cheapest. Liqueurs and other flavoured spirits can, in some – and quite a few – cases, be replaced with fruit juice concentrate or other flavourings.
Measuring glass. Perhaps the most important item; without it, it’ll be difficult to make the same drink twice.

Glossary

Muddle = To crush or mash one or more ingredients in a glass using a hard ‘muddler’.
Float = To let something ‘float’ on top. As a finishing touch to a drink, you can add a few drops of a flavouring or spirit that doesn’t mix with the drink but sits on top, floating over it.
Shake = Shaking a drink in a shaker with ice cools it down quickly; you shouldn’t shake the drink for too long – you’ll get the best results if you shake quickly and vigorously; if you shake for too long and too slowly, the ice will melt too much.
Strain = Once you’ve shaken a drink, use a bar strainer to remove the ice and any other larger ingredients you don’t want in the drink.
Garnish = Decorate the rim of the glass or otherwise adorn the drink.

Tips & advice

Real Lime and Real Lemon work perfectly well.

Are you squeezing your own juice in advance? Remember to strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve. Nobody wants to strain fruit pulp through their teeth.

Freshly squeezed juice will stay fresh for a maximum of two days in a sealed container.

Sugar syrup is easiest to make with one part caster sugar and one part boiling water. Stir in a heatproof container until the mixture has become a clear liquid. Sugar is a natural preservative and will keep for up to a month before it goes off. BUT bear in mind that it’s still sugar – if you get any fingers or dirty utensils in the syrup, it can go off in a matter of hours.

Strawberry purée can easily be made at home or bought from websites such as barkonsult.se or snacksbolaget.se. Are you making your own? For one packet of frozen strawberries from, for example, ICA, you’ll need ½ dl caster sugar and ½ dl water. Blend in a blender, such as the OBH Nordica Frutti.

Egg white is used to create a fluffy foam on top of the drink when you shake or whisk vigorously.

Substitutes

Are you missing any ingredients? Finding it hard to get your local Systembolag to stock a specific product? Are the ingredients too expensive? Don’t worry; some of the ingredients can be swapped for others:
St Germain elderflower liqueur can easily be replaced with classic elderflower juice concentrate, but not with a light drink.
Lagavulin can be swapped for a cheaper whisky; it needs to be smoky so as not to compromise the flavour experience.
Mumm Cordon Rouge can be replaced with cheaper alternatives such as Jacobs Creek Brut or similar. The substitute needs to be dry and ‘bready’.

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