Cool cocktails
Beth Furness - Assistant Nutritionist | 12 Jul, 2023
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Nutracheck brings you recipes and calorie counts for 37 summer favourites. Please drink responsibly.
Mai Tai
Ingredients
- 30ml white rum
- 30ml dark rum
- 30ml triple sec
- 15ml grenadine
- 15ml almond syrup
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- Ice
- 1 slice of orange, to garnish
Method
- Put all the ingredients, except the cherry, in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
- Half fill a glass with ice, pour over the cocktail and garnish the glass with the orange slice.
Espresso Martini
Ingredients
- 25ml espresso flavoured vodka
- 25ml coffee Irish cream liqueur
- 25ml cold espresso coffee
- 10ml honey
- Ice
- 3 coffee beans, to garnish
Method
- Put all the ingredients, except the coffee beans, in a cocktail shaker with some ice and shake vigorously.
- Strain into a glass and garnish with the coffee beans.
Dark 'n' Stormy
Ingredients
- Ice
- 50ml dark rum
- 50ml ginger beer
- 2 wedges of lime
Method
- Half fill a glass with ice and pour in the rum and ginger beer.
- Squeeze in lime juice from the lime wedges, then add the wedges to the glass.
Bloody Mary
Ingredients
- Ice
- 50ml vodka
- 100ml tomato juice
- 10ml lemon juice
- 4 dashes of tabasco sauce
- 4 dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 stick of celery
Method
- Half fill a glass with ice and pour over the vodka and tomato juice.
- Add the lemon juice, tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper to the glass and stir everything thoroughly.
- Garnish with the celery.
Cuba Libre
Ingredients
- Ice
- 50ml dark rum
- 125ml coca cola
- 1 wedge of lime
- 1 sprig of fresh mint
Method
- Half fill a glass with ice and pour over the rum and cola.
- Squeeze in the juice of the lime wedge, stir well and garnish with the lime and mint.
Singapore Sling
Ingredients
- 25ml dry gin
- 25ml cherry brandy
- 5ml Benedictine
- 25ml lemon juice
- 10ml Grenadine
- Ice
- Dash of soda water
- 1 slice of orange & 1 maraschino cherry, to garnish
Method
- Put all the ingredients, except the soda water, in a cocktail shaker with some ice and shake vigorously.
- Strain into a glass and top up with the soda water. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.
Peach Bellini
Ingredients
- 100mls of Prosecco
- ½ ripe peach, peeled and stoned
Method
- Place the peach in a blender and blitz until completely smooth.
- Spoon into a chilled champagne flute, slowly top up with Prosecco and serve.
Cosmopolitan
Ingredients
- 50ml vodka
- 25ml orange liquor
- 25ml cranberry juice
- Ice
- Squeeze of lime
- 1 slice of lime, to garnish
Method
- Place the vodka, liqueur and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker with some ice and mix vigorously.
- Pour into a glass and add a good squeeze of lime juice to serve. Garnish with the lime slice.
Mojito
Ingredients
- Handful of mint leaves
- 25ml lime juice
- 5g of syrup
- Ice
- 50ml white rum
- Soda water to taste
Method
- Crush the mint, saving a sprig as a garnish. Add the crushed mint to a small jug with the lime juice and syrup, and mix.
- Add some ice to a glass and pour in the mixture, top with the rum and stir well.
- Top up with soda water to your taste and serve, garnished with mint leaves.
Pina Colada
Ingredients
- 50ml of white rum
- 100ml pineapple juice
- 25ml fresh double cream
- 25ml coconut cream
- 1 wedge of pineapple & 1 maraschino cherry, to garnish
Method
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse.
- Pour in to a glass and serve, garnished with the pineapple and cherry.
Margarita
Ingredients
- 50ml tequila
- 12.5ml lime juice
- 25ml orange liqueur
- Ice
- 1 slice lime, to garnish
Method
- Add the ingredients to a shaker along with some ice and mix well.
- Pour in to a chilled glass and serve with a wedge of lime.
Amaretto Sour
Ingredients
- 50ml amaretto almond liqueur
- 25ml lemon juice
- Ice
- 1 slice of orange, to garnish
Method
- Add the ingredients and some ice cubes to a shaker and mix well.
- Pour into a glass and garnish with the orange slice.
Screwdriver
Ingredients
- 25ml vodka
- 37.5ml fresh orange juice
- Ice
- 1 wedge of lime, to garnish
Method
- Add the ingredients into a shaker with some ice and mix well.
- Strain into a glass and serve, garnished with the lime wedge.
Kir Royale
Ingredients
- 90ml of Prosecco
- 15ml crème de cassis
Method
- Add the crème de cassis to a chilled champagne flute.
- Slowly top up with the Prosecco and serve.
Strawberry Daiquiri
Ingredients
- 50ml of white rum
- 12.5ml of lime juice
- 6ml of sugar syrup
- 3 strawberries
- Handful of crushed ice
- 1 wedge of lime, to garnish
Method
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix well.
- Pour into a chilled glass to serve, garnished with the lime wedge.
Long Island Ice Tea
Ingredients
- 12.5ml gin
- 12.5ml white rum
- 12.5ml tequila
- 12.5ml orange liqueur
- 12.5ml vodka
- 5g of sugar
- 12.5ml lemon juice
- Ice
- 5ml of coke
- 1 sprig of mint & 1 slice of lemon, to garnish
Method
- Place ingredients in a cocktail shaker apart from the coke and shake well.
- Strain the drink into a glass filled with ice, top with coke and serve garnished with the mint and lemon.
Aperol Spritz
Ingredients - serves 2
- Ice
- 100ml Aperol
- 150ml Prosecco
- Soda, to top up
- Orange slices to garnish
Method
- Put a couple of cubes of ice into 2 glasses and add a 50 ml measure of Aperol to each. Divide the Prosecco between the glasses and then top up with soda, if you like. Garnish with the orange slices.
Classic Gin Martini
Ingredients
- 50ml dry gin
- 1 tsp dry vermouth
- Ice
- 1 green olive to garnish
Method
- Put a martini glass in the fridge to chill for 10 mins.
- Pour the gin and vermouth into a mixing glass or jug filled with ice cubes. Stir with a mixing spoon until the outside of the glass is very cold, then taste to check the dilution. If needed, continue to stir until the martini is diluted and chilled to your liking.
- Strain the martini into the chilled glass and serve garnished with the olive.
New York Sour
Ingredients
- 50ml rye whiskey
- 25ml lemon juice
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- Dash orange bitters
- 1 tbsp egg white
- Ice
- 20ml red wine
Method
- Pour the whiskey, lemon juice, maple syrup and bitters into a cocktail shaker.
- Stir the egg white with a fork to loosen it, then add it to the shaker. Shake really well to froth up the egg white. Add a good handful of ice and shake again.
- Once the outside of the shaker is really cold, double strain into a glass filled with ice.
- Slowly pour the red wine on top and leave to settle for a few moments – the wine will rise to just under the frothy egg white.
Martini
Ingredients
- 60ml gin or vodka
- 1 tbsp dry vermouth
- Olive or lemon peel, to garnish
Method
- Stir the gin or vodka, dry vermouth and a little ice together or put them in a cocktail shaker to combine.
- Strain into a chilled martini glass. Serve with an olive on a cocktail stick or a twist of lemon peel.
Tequila Sunrise
Ingredients
- 2 tsp grenadine
- Ice
- 50ml tequila
- 1 tbsp triple sec
- 1 large orange, or 2 small ones, juiced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 cocktail cherry
Method
- Pour the grenadine into the base of a tall glass and set aside. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the tequila, triple sec and fruit juices. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels cold.
- Add a few ice cubes to the serving glass then carefully double strain the cocktail into it, trying not to disturb the grenadine layer too much. Add more ice if needed to fill the glass then garnish with a cherry on a stick or cocktail umbrella.
Sex on the Beach
Ingredients – serves 2
- Ice
- 50ml vodka
- 25ml peach schnapps
- 2 oranges, juiced, plus 2 slices to garnish
- 50ml cranberry juice
- Glacé cherries, to garnish (optional)
Method
- Fill two tall glasses with ice cubes. Pour the vodka, peach schnapps and fruit juices into a large jug and stir.
- Divide the mixture between the two glasses and stir gently to combine. Garnish with the cocktail cherries and orange slices.
Blue Lagoon
Ingredients – serves 4
- Few handfuls ice cubes and some crushed ice
- 100ml blue curaçao
- 100ml vodka
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 8 maraschino cherries and 1 tsp of the syrup
- 200ml soda water
Method
- Put the ice cubes in a large jug. Pour over the curaçao, vodka, fruit juices and 1 tsp syrup from the cherries. Stir until the outside of the glass feels cold.
- Half-fill four hurricane glasses with crushed ice, then strain in the cocktail.
- Top up the glasses with the soda water and gently stir, then garnish with the maraschino cherries.
Daiquiri
Ingredients
- 50ml white rum
- 25ml lime juice
- 10ml sugar syrup
- Ice
Method
- Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.
Cachaca Caipirinha
Ingredients – serves 4
- 2 limes, chopped into wedges, plus extra lime wedges to serve (optional)
- 5 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 200ml cachaça
- Ice
Method
- Put the lime wedges in a large jug with the sugar, then use a muddler or the end of a rolling pin to break them down. Release as much juice from the wedges as possible, and let it mix with the sugar to create a syrup – you can also do this with a large pestle and mortar. Discard the lime peel.
- Divide the syrup and cachaça between four glasses, then top with the crushed ice. Serve garnished with lime wedges, if you like.
Bucks Fizz
Ingredients
- 117ml champagne
- 58ml orange juice
Method
- Pour 1 part orange juice into a flute and then add 2 parts champagne.
- Stir gently and enjoy!
Spice 75
Ingredients – serves 6
- 60g golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp allspice
- 200ml rum
- 90ml lime juice
- 600ml Champagne
- Orange twist to decorate
Method
- To make the spiced syrup, gently warm golden caster sugar in a pan with 30ml water and 1 tbsp allspice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then leave to cool.
- Strain through a sieve lined with a double layer of kitchen paper (or a coffee filter if you have one).
- Pour the spiced syrup into a cocktail shaker along with the rum and lime juice.
- Shake with ice and strain between six flute glasses. Top up with the champagne and garnish each with an orange twist.
Snowball
Ingredients – serves 4
- 200ml advocaat
- 50ml lime juice
- 375ml lemonade
Method
- Shake the advocaat and lime juice together.
- Pour into an ice-filled highball and top up with lemonade.
Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
- 50ml bourbon
- 35ml lemon juice
- 12½ml 2:1 sugar syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- ½ fresh egg white
- Ice
- 50p-sized piece of lemon zest
- Slice of orange and a cherry on a stick
Method
- Shake all of the ingredients (except for the lemon zest) hard with ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass.
- Squeeze the lemon zest, shiny side down over the drink so the scented oils spray across the surface. Discard the zest, add the garnish and serve.
Manhattan
Ingredients
- 75ml bourbon
- 15ml sweet vermouth
- 15ml extra dry vermouth
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 5ml cherry eau de vie
- Ice
- 1 strip of orange zest
Method
- Pour all of the ingredients into a mixing glass, add cubed ice and stir.
- When the desired dilution has been achieved, strain into a martini coupe.
- Garnish with orange zest, making sure to release the oils with and around the glass.
Boulevardier
Ingredients
- 25ml bourbon
- 25ml sweet vermouth
- 25ml Campari
- Ice
- Orange peel twist, to garnish
Method
- Pour the bourbon, vermouth and Campari into a mixing glass, jug or cocktail shaker. Add a large handful of ice, and stir until the outside of the glass feels very cold.
- Strain the cocktail into an ice-filled tumbler, and garnish with a twist of orange peel.
Mimosa
Ingredients – serves 6
- 1 bottle champagne or Prosecco, chilled
- 1l freshly squeezed orange juice, chilled
Method
- Half-fill each of 6 glasses with champagne.
- Then carefully pour in the orange juice until the glass is full.
Negroni
Ingredients
- 25ml gin
- 25ml sweet vermouth
- 25ml Campari
- Ice
- Slice of orange
Method
- Pour the gin, vermouth and Campari into a mixing glass or jug with ice.
- Stir well until the outside of the glass feels cold.
- Strain into a tumbler and add 1 large ice sphere or some fresh ice, and garnish with an orange slice, using a blood orange when in season.
Dirty Martini
Ingredients – serves 2
- 4-6 green olives, pitted, plus 25ml of the brine
- Ice
- 150ml London dry gin
- 25ml dry vermouth
Method
- Put two martini glasses in the fridge to chill. Thread the olives onto two cocktail sticks and set aside.
- Fill a jug or mixing glass with the ice, then pour in the gin, vermouth and olive brine. Stir until the outside of the jug feels cold. Taste to make sure that it's icy cold and that you're happy with the dilution.
- Strain the mix into the chilled glasses and garnish with the olive skewers.
Tom Collins
Ingredients
- 50ml gin
- 25ml lemon juice
- 25ml sugar syrup
- 125ml chilled soda water
Method
- Build the drink over plenty of ice in a Collins glass, stir gently and garnish with a slice of lemon.
White Russian
Ingredients
- 60ml vodka
- 2 tbsp Kahlúa
- 1 tbsp cream
Method
- Mix together all the ingredients. Put some ice cubes in a small tumbler and pour the cocktail over the top.
Black Russian
Ingredients
- 50ml vodka
- 25ml coffee liqueur
- Ice
- 1 maraschino cherry
- Cola to top up, chilled (optional)
Method
- Put the vodka and the coffee liqueur into a tumbler filled with ice and stir gently for 30-60 seconds.
- Add the cherry and serve. Top with a splash of chilled cola if you prefer a longer drink.
Nutritionist Beth Furness (ANutr), holding a BSc in Nutrition and Health, is deeply dedicated to applying evidence-based knowledge to all aspects of nutrition. Her passion lies in fostering healthy relationships with food, ensuring that everyone maintains a balanced and sustainable approach to nutrition.
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