As the Covid19 lockdown continues and stay-home requirements are in place globally, we’re all turning to entertainment and activities in our homes. This includes a good ol’ tipple or two on a Friday night, or perhaps celebrating a special occasion like your birthday, stuck indoors.
It’s easy to stockpile the bottles of wines, but a delicious bar-made cocktail is a different matter entirely. We usually leave that up to the experts, but when mixologists are also serving stay-home notices, it’s time to take it into our own hands, literally.
So without further ado, here’s a decent list of some iconic cocktail recipes to re-create at home, from some of the best bars and cocktail makers on the planet. We’ll cheers to that.
Bob’s Bar at Capella Singapore – Bob’s Old Fashioned
An ode to Capella Singapore’s rich heritage, Bob’s Old Fashioned is a rendition of a classic, international cocktail with hints of Asian spices, made with Capella Singapore’s exclusive Navegante Rum.
Ingredients:
- Navegante Rum
- Sugar syrup
- Angostura bitters
- Homemade allspice dram (overproof rum, brown sugar, allspice berry, cinnamon)
- Cigar tincture
- Served with Navegante rum chocolate.
Directions:
- Place a large ice cube in an Old Fashioned glass.
- Combine rum, syrup, angostura bitters, allspice dram and cigar tincture.
- Garnish with orange twist.
Singita Sweni Lodge – The Spirit of Sweni
Singita Sweni Lodge sits within the expansive Kruger National Park in South Africa. Sweni’s signature cocktail The Spirit of Sweniis a zesty, refreshing cocktail that reflects the bright, colourful and playful nature of the property, as well as the verdant landscape of Kruger National Park.
Ingredients:
- 25ml of your favourite gin
- 100ml fresh lemonade
- 100ml tonic water
- Ice cubes
- ½ Lime
- ½ Kiwi Fruit, chopped up into chunks
- 2 slices of Green Apple
- A sprig of mint
Directions:
- Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes
- Stir well
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
- Serve straight with a garnish of lime, add the kiwi chunks, green apple and mint
- Stir well and enjoy!
JING Bar at The Temple House – Sichuan Mule
Incorporating Chengdu’s iconic spicy Sichuan flavours into memorable refreshing tipples, JING Bar at The Temple House have produced the Sichuan Negroni and Sichuan Mule featuring ingredients such as Sichuan Osmanthus fragrance infused with G’Vine Floraison, and Sichuan pepper infused with Campari.
Ingredients:
- Vodka infused Ginger & Pepper 45m
- Mint Leaf 15 Pieces
- Lime wedge 4
- Syrup 5ml 5ml
- Ginger beer top
- Suggested: Garnish: Mint Spring
Directions:
- Fill your mug (or glass) with crushed ice;
- Add infused Vodka;
- Squeeze the limes;
- Top everything off with ginger beer
- Give it a stir and add a pretty garnish
Café Gray Bar at The Upper House – Upper Southside Cocktail
Bring the flavours of Hong Kong’s renowned Café Gray Bar to your home with the Upper Southside Cocktail. A rejuvenating concoction of Hendrick’s Gin, fresh lime juice, mint leaves and cucumber chunks – this tipple is an invigorating addition to your list of recipes.
Ingredients:
- Hendrick’s Gin 50ml
- Fresh Lime Juice 20ml
- Sugar Syrup 20ml
- Fresh Cucumber Chunks 3-4 pieces
- Fresh Mint 3-4 leaves
Directions:
- Place mint and cucumber chunks into cocktail shaker
- Add the sugar syrup, lime juice and gin
- Lightly smash the mint and cucumber
- Add ice and shake for 5-8 seconds
- Double strain the liquid into a chilled Martini glass
- Add cucumber slice as garnish
UNION Bar at The Opposite House – Negroni
The Opposite House’s new destination bar UNION, draws its cocktail inspiration from ingredients and materials from the Silk Road – an ancient network of trade routes. Their Negroni is a classic aperitif loved by all, garnished with a slice of dry ginseng as opposed to the usual orange peel, which gives the drink a nice herbal flavour that is a good balance between bitter and aromatic.
Ingredients:
- 30ml Citadelle Gin
- 30ml Campari
- 30ml Mancino Vermouth
- Dry Ginseng Slice (suggested)
Directions:
- Simply stir ingredients together and garnish with a slice of dry ginseng.
Sugar at EAST, Hong Kong – French Kiss
Sugar’s French Kiss cocktail is a refreshing tipple boasting floral notes which help to alleviate stress. The faint sweetness from the honey offers the perfect equilibrium to the sour characters of Elderflower Liqueur, making it the best ‘pick-me-up’ on a warm day.
View this post on Instagram
Ingredients:
- Pisco 50ml,
- Dry Rosé 20ml
- Elderflower Liqueur 25ml
- Orange peel
- Honey 1 tsp
Directions:
- Chill the martini glass and the mixing glass with ice
- Drain out the water in the mixing glass
- Add Pisco, Rosé, Elderflower Liqueur and honey one by one into the mixing glass
- Stir until cold and well mixed
- Empty the martini glass
- Use a strainer to pour the mix into the martini glass
- Garnish with an orange peel
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney – Sydney Sling
The Fullerton Hotel Sydney has shared a recipe for its signature cocktail, the Sydney Sling. Sweet, but with a touch spice, this cocktail is the ultimate happy hour tipple. The Sydney Sling is a nod to The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts Singaporean roots, featuring the signature Singapore Sling cocktail – the Sydney Sling is local version of the Singaporean classic.
Ingredients:
- 45ml gin -The Fullerton Hotel Sydney uses Four Pillars 58.8 Gin
- 45ml blood orange juice – grapefruit juice is a great substitute
- 15ml hibiscus liqueur – elderflower Liqueur is a great substitute
- 10ml ginger liqueur – alternatively, double up on ginger juice
- 25ml fresh lime juice
- 10ml fresh ginger juice
- 10ml Grenadine
- 20ml sugar syrup – see recipe below
- Dehydrated ginger slice – or any fruit of your choice, to garnish
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and shake together vigorously for five seconds.
- Strain into your desired glass over ice and enjoy.
Sugar Syrup:
Making sugar syrup requires equal parts sugar and water. You can also make a thicker style syrup by adding two parts sugar to one-part water.
- Boil the water in a saucepan, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Store in a firmly sealed bottle or container in the fridge where it can keep for a few weeks.
