- Cocktails
Cinematic Cocktails For Your Next Dinner Party
When it comes to hosting a dinner party, we all appreciate convenience: Spotify’s Dinner With Friends playlist is a failsafe fix to the perpetual question of what kind of music to play, while digging into a tub of Messina for dessert simplifies cleanup.
But sometimes a bit of fuss is no bad thing. In fact, it can transform your evening into an altogether more theatrical event.
Enter: the cinematic cocktail. We’re talking about the kind of drink you might expect to be served in a shadowy bar by a blowtorch-welding, waistcoat-wearing bartender. Yes, they require a bit of pre-planning but they’re also a spectacle ready-made for sharing on socials (let’s be honest, we’re all going to do it, so we might as well give our guests something worthy of putting on the grid). The best part? Despite appearance, they’re surprisingly straightforward to master at home.
If you’re ready to bring the drama to your next dinner party – or surprise dad with a special Father’s Day treat – then keep reading.
Caramel Crisp Old Fashioned
Treating Dad to a Father’s Day dinner at home? This revamped old-fashioned lets him satisfy his sweet tooth and enjoy a touch of hands-on fun (just don’t forget the mini hammer for cracking into that caramel crisp).
Ingredients (serves 1)
Old Fashioned:
60mL Starward Nova Single Malt Whisky
1 to 2 teaspoons simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
One 2-inch piece of orange peel
Caramel Crisp:
100mL cold water
200g caster sugar
Bowl of ice water (big enough to fit the saucepan)
Method
Caramel Crisp:
To make the caramel:
1. Place the water and sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Once the sugar reaches a dark amber colour, 150-160ºC remove it from the heat and plunge the saucepan into a bowl of ice water to prevent the sugar from continuing to cook, remove and stand for 2 – 3 minutes until it thickens. Use immediately and if it begins to harden too much, just place it back on to a gentle low heat to soften again.
To make the caramel crisp:
1. Lightly oil baking paper
2. Dip a dessert spoon into the caramel and drizzle a delicate lattice pattern onto the oiled baking paper, making it slightly wider than your cocktail glass. Allow the caramel to cool and harden. Once set, gently lift the lattice and place it on top of your glass.
To make the Old Fashioned:
1. Combine simple syrup, bitters, and whisky in a glass mixer with large ice cubes & stir well.
2. Strain into glass with ice.
3. Garnish with caramel crisp and orange twist.
Flaming Sidecar
The Flaming Sidecar is not just a cocktail: it’s an experience. The lit-up lime infuses a delicious caramelised citrus essence and stops guests from getting too cosy, setting the stage for an unforgettable night.
Ingredients (serves 1)
30mL Hennessy VSOP Cognac, plus extra to serve
15mL Cointreau Liqueur
1 x lime, juice only
1 brown sugar cube
Ice cubes and long matches, to serve
½ lime shell, for fire garnish
Ground cinnamon, for fire garnish
Method
1. Stir together the Cognac, Cointreau and lime juice. Fill a wide shallow glass with ice cubes and pour in the cocktail.
2. Ensure the lime half is well squeezed out then place a sugar cube in the lime ‘shell’ and fill with extra Cognac. Place the lime on top of the ice and carefully ignite the sugar cube to serve.
3. Extinguish the flame and allow the cocktail to cool before enjoying.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon for extra sparkles.
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