Cocktails
or straight up?
We
love having our predilections challenged. We like good brandy, gin and
whisk(e)y. We didn't think that we liked cocktails. Distell threw us in at the
deep end and taught us how to make some cocktails with their brandies.
We had a ball and loved the experience, although it did have an effect on the
rest of the afternoon. And yes, we took the bus there and back
Brandy Alexander day is celebrated on January 31st every year. It is the only
cocktail to have a day officially named in its honour. Bet you didn't know
that; neither did we. The motivation for the day, therefore, was to teach us how
to make them. The venue was at the Shaker Bar School, a school for bartenders
and the public. First, we sampled some great brandies and imported cognacs like these
Just in case the cocktails made us hungry, some
snacks were provided. The sweet ones went very well with what we were sampling.
Yes, chocolate brownies, almond biscuits and macarons are the perfect match
The savoury options were good if you had skipped
lunch. The lecture started at 2.30
Beetroot and cream cheese
Also has a proper mixologists' bar
Dr Winnie Bowman CWM talked us through the brandy
tasting and gave some history and some tasting hints
Professional snifter glasses
The French Cognacs. We didn’t taste the
Bisquit XO, sadly. Our South African brandies stand up well to the French ones. We
consistently win lots of international awards with them
Discussing the finer points
Then it was time to learn from the expert. Anil
Sabharwal was our instructor and he is the Director of the Shaker Bar School at 235 Bree St Cape Town. They also have a school in Johannesburg. He is a
Londoner, so we got on well
Here he is showing us how to make the Brandy
Alexander. Preciseness is important. Chill the glass with ice too. Here is the recipe:
This relatively simple cocktail is a concoction of 1 part brandy, 1 part
chocolate liqueur and one part cream, garnished with a dusting of nutmeg. And
for a decadent dessert, just add a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream and
transfer to a bowl. You will need for one cocktail:
25 ml crème de cacao - 25 ml cream - 75 ml Van
Ryn’s 10 year old brandy - Nutmeg, - Ice cubes
Add all the liquid ingredients to a cocktail
shaker, fill the shaker halfway with ice cubes and shake for about 30 seconds
or until the outside of the shaker is getting nicely frosted. Strain into a
glass, traditionally a cocktail glass or martini glass which, ideally, you’ve
been chilling in the freezer. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg and you’re
ready to celebrate!
This is the cocktail he made. Dark Crème de Cacao
chocolate liqueur is difficult to get in South Africa. He used the Bols white
version. You can use Klipdrift Black
Gold, a chocolate coffee liqueur, or other brands of chocolate liqueur on the
market
We get to make our own and were encouraged to try
and make other versions. Here Lynne receives instructions on making a variation
Shaking well is the key. And chilled glasses
TaDa! Lynne has invented a new Alexander, named
by her the Almond Alexander, using DiSaronno Amaretto liqueur, a favourite
We all made the Alexander and then an old
fashioned cocktail, The Side Car from the 1920's. Wow - we absolutely loved this
sour cocktail made with Brandy, fresh lemon juice and Cointreau. Perfect if you
don't like very sweet cocktails. And not drowned in ice as Mojitos so often
are
Fiona MacDonald getting in the spirit
Benika Palfi enjoying a very popular cocktail which originated in
Harry's Bar in Paris. Thank you Distell and Dayne Stern. We are converted
A creative Bree Street sign
We were amused. We hope it
works
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
