Bars needn’t hold a monopoly over nice drinks. Ahead of Birmingham Cocktail Weekend, the team behind the festival took over the controls at Island Bar to bring Brum Notes three cocktails that can be knocked up at home with no fancy footwork or specialist ingredients.
Beginning this Friday 10th July and running all weekend, BCW will see events, tastings and fun new drinks pop up in bars across the city. A £6 wristband – bought online and collected, along with a guidebook, at Island Bar – grants the wearer £4 signature cocktails at twenty-three venues across the city (see the full list here . To find out more and buy your wristbands, visit BCW’s website.
- The Elderflower Collins
Sharp lemon juice and headily floral elderflower make perfect summer partners in this simple Collins.
50ml gin
25ml fresh lemon juice
15ml elderflower cordial
soda water
ice cubes
Mix the gin, lemon juice and cordial in a long glass (or jug if you’re catering for a crowd) and add a couple of ice cubes. Top up with soda water, mix with a long spoon and garnish with a lemon wedge or – if you’re loving the flora – a whole peeled lychee.
- The Brum Punch
A simple and delicious stirred drink that addresses the woeful under-representation of dark and spiced rum in the cocktail world.
50ml Brugal spiced rum
100ml pineapple juice
25ml fresh lime juice
15ml grenadine
ice cubes
Place a few ice cubes in your glass. Mix the rum, pineapple juice and lime juice in a separate glass and pour over the ice. Add the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom. Garnish with a lime wedge or umbrella – or go freestyle.
- The Lemon BonBon
This one’s a little bit more advanced, requiring a cocktail shaker and some spirits you won’t find lurking in your drinks cabinet (find them online), but is wholly worth it for a special occasion, delivering the wow factor for relatively little effort.
25ml vanilla vodka
25ml limoncello
15ml butterscotch schnapps
25ml fresh lemon juice
ice cubes
Fill the glass you’ll be using with ice. Put the vodka, limoncello, schnapps and lemon juice in your shaker, along with some ice, and give it a good shake. Lose the ice from your chilled glass and strain your Lemon BonBon into it.
