The Hangover thing..

Our dear cocktailsting readers, we sincerely hope that you have enjoyed Christmas !

It is time for gifts, family, dinners, love, friendship .. STOP.

A serious event is coming : you 've spent enough time with your family, let's talk about the New Year's Eve .

We trust you for making crazy parties with your friends, boyfriends, colleagues (or family)..

As cocktail experts and party lovers we give you OUR special gift : hangover cocktails !

Indeed, every member of our team will give you its own cocktail, tasted and approved after many “studious” nights .. enjoy and let us know on 1th january !

Kiss cocktail :

This is Sunday morning, 11 o’clock, the sun is shining, birds are singing and joggers are running ! Me?... I’m violently getting awaken after a short night. I stretch out my arm with difficulty to grab my phone in order to check out the latest pictures. 

Then… I realise I’m starving and that I need to DRINK!... I have to quickly prepare my thirst-quenching and refreshing beverage: a HUGE glass of hand squeezed lemon juice with water! 

After a long sip I start to live again; the acidity of lemon destroys little by little the traces of the previous drinks and I rehydrate myself. The taste is natural and fresh, all what I need. I strongly encourage the KISS attitude: KEEP IT SIMPLE & … SOFT!

The Axel's Cocktail : 

For 1 person:

- 4 cl white wine- 1 lemon- 4 cl of sparkling water (Perrier, salvetat)

• Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice into the glass. Pour the fresh sparkling water and fill with fresh white wine. Drink quickly.
• Serve in a glass of "wine glass" type.
• Traditional and sovereign to hangover recipe: to combat the effects of the aftermath of a drunken evening too. For better efficiency, some Parisian bars put an aspirin in it.
• Make the recipe "Rinse pig" directly into the glass... and enjoy it like i did ...

Hair of the dog :

My solution : Drink a Bloody Mary ! While the popular phrase “hair of the dog that bit you” may sound logical with the whiskey (or ricard for me) left in the bottle next to your bed, it will only provide temporary relief. 

Try a Bloody Mary instead, while your blood is dealing with the new alcohol it is ignoring the old and in the mean time, the tomato juice and celery are full of vitamins!

You might be sceptical, let me say that it is efficient (of course you should drink just one glass) .. taste it , and you will know what “hair of the dog that bit you” sounds like ..

Red, white and rosé wine cocktails at the Grand Hotel Bar!

If there is one place you need to go in Bordeaux if you really fancy cocktails, it is at the Grand Hotel bar, the only 5* palace hotel in Bordeaux. On Thursday we went there to discover more about wine cocktail and who better than the Bar manager, Sebastien Grosse, to talk to us about it.

Our very friendly host took us through the extensive cocktail list, the largest in Bordeaux, and explained us how wine was playing its part in this list. Like in most cocktail bars, Champagne and brandy were by far the most represented grape based alcohol. Apart from large champagne cocktail list there was also a 240€ cocktail with Louis XIII cognac and a Margarita Sauternes (tequila aged in Sauternes barrel). As there were no still wine cocktails on the list, Sebastien invited us to taste 3 cocktails he personally created, 3 cocktails for white, rosé and red wine. And here they are:

White wine cocktail, dry Sauternes Martini:

Vodka Pyla, Sauternes, twist

Not for the faint hearted! Dry martini are amongst the strongest cocktails, using the traditional recipe, Sebastien replaced the vermouth by a Sauternes and served it with a lemon twist.

For those who like martinis it is an excellent alternative, the Sauternes adds body and honey aromas while the lemon gives a touch of acidity.

Rosé cocktail:

Rosé cotes de Provence, pear liqueur, gin, lemon

This is the perfect summer drink: Fresh, fruity and zesty! Perfect balance with sugar (pear liqueur), acidity (lemon) and bitterness (gin) complemented by a fruity rosé. Definitely one of our favourite and could be a big summer hit.

Red wine cocktail:

Pessac Léognan, cranberry juice, raspberry pure, amaretto liqueur (almond)

This was the hardest tasks, the red wine cocktail. And the result is most pleasantly surprising!

The tannins and austerity of red wine is cut by the cranberry juice and raspberry purée, the red fruit character in the wine is enhanced and the almonds notes are revealed at the end.

This is the first red wine cocktail we have seen so it rightfully deserves the prize of innovation and creativity!

The next cocktail hotspot opens in June on the Grand Hotel terrace !

A new open air bar on top of the Grand Hotel will open in June, Sebastien took us there. There is a breathtaking view overlooking all of Bordeaux, there will be weekly concerts and it's very likely to be the next hotspot for cocktails and night entertainment. Entirely renovated with comfy sofas, creative decoration, a music stage and a bar, the atmosphere will be trendy, young and exciting! so keep in touch with the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ghbordeaux.spa to receive updates on the upcoming opening.

Some questions with real Bartenders !!!!!!

Heyyyy !!

Today we have decided to interview two of my old co workers in Biarritz when i was a bartender.

The first bartender is Julien Bellecave who works in the « Sky garden »  in Biarritz. At the beginning Julien has worked in nightclub but his dream was to do more cocktails. In fact in nightclub you don’t have the time to do a really good cocktail.

Where have you worked?

I worked in « set club » at the beginning, it was my first experiences in the night working. After with the same boss i worked in the Déjavu, it was a really cool experience and i 've learned a lot of things. But after i began to worked in the Sky garden (it’s a cocktail bar in Biarritz where everybody goes). And i learned to make cocktails, in this bar we make a lot of thing such as margarita, pina colada, sex on the beach….

What is you favourite bar?

 I don’t have a favourite bar, for me the bartender is really    important. He has to know how to do a cocktail with your tastes. So for me my favourite bartender is Kiko (you can find kiko during the summer at the arena café in Biarritz, for julien this guys is a magician in cocktail)

Do you have some tips for people who would like to begin in cocktail mixing?

It’s really important to know all the flavours of differences products, to know how to put together all the ingredients. You have to be really objective when you are making a cocktail, in fact your drink have to be accessible for everybody and not only for you.

Now i am happy to introduce you Juan Paul Amorim Trémont.

It’s a Venezuelan guy who arrived in Biarritz for the summer 2013. He is a real seasonal worker and he has seen a lot of different bars in different places.

And now JP works in the café café in Biarritz a trendy bar in the city.

Where have you worked?

I worked in a lot of places but if I had to choose some of them, I think I will tell you about La folie douce in Val d’isère and le café café in Biarritz, we did a lot of cocktails in those bars. But I learn a lot in the Market in Perpignan because I didn’t have a really hospitality diploma and they took the time to teach me all the important things. I was really interested and motivated; it’s why now I can do what I do!!

What is your favourite bar?

Unquestionably the market I learn all my actual knowledges in this place. It’s amazing. Take car of their Mojitoooooos

Do you have some tips for people who would like to begin in cocktail mixing?

If I owed to give some tips to begin with cocktails, I think I will tell that you have to love mixing. You need to be really rigorous, and have precision. You need a lot of dexterity so in consequences be really dextrous.

To conclude you have to thing one cocktail it’s not just a taste it’s like a beautiful picture. The appearance is as important as the taste. Your cocktail need to be beautiful and have a good tasting.

Little gift !!! it's Christmas !!!!!

The recipe of "sangria blanche" we love it in Biarritz!!! 

-  white wine, typify Chardonnay

-  cane sugar

-  lemonade Schweppes typify

-  peaches

-  orange (or lemon)

-  stick of cinnamon

-  vanilla pods

I made one this weekend !! 

 I would like to say thank you to Julien and Juan Paul for giving me a little moment, because they are really busy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            M.

Win Winter Wine

Winter is here, bringing with it cold and snow. We exchange lightweight clothes for fur coats, water fights for snowballs fight, and fruity light cocktails… for Mulled Wine!

Where does it come from? It is nothing of new or modern, it has its roots in the Roman Empire: they used to drink wine spiced and heated. While they conquered Europe they spread their culture, and locals kept the best features: mulled wine is one of those! Then each place made it in their own way, and little by little this beverage has been consecrated as a specific Christmas drink, particularly in northern and eastern European countries, where they actually do not drink ONLY beer!

The entire northern hemisphere is plunged into the darkness by 6 pm, great cities get enlightened, glittering with all kinds of garlands and candles. In some places bands play traditional tunes, Santa Claus hangs around providing children with presents and smiles and Christmas Markets are full of charming gifts. How could you fully enjoy your evening if not by warming yourself up with a delightful glass of mulled wine?

Does it soun weird to you to drink hot wine? Well, of course you wouldn't drink hot wine whenever you want to, as you do with "normal wine"! Indeed, it is quite sweet with strong fruits flavours. It matches perfectly with churros or a crêpe!

So, for your next party at home you must have it in order to impress all your friends, and change from your classical rum/orange lethal mix!

Really easy to make and easy to drink! You just need these ingredients:

•           Red wine
•           Sugar
•           Orange and apple slices
•           Cinnamon
•           Star anise

Put everything in a big slow cooker, heat it up gently, avoiding the mixture to boil, during 25-30 minutes! Then poor it in mugs or any heat resistant glass and just enjoy!

Easy and cheap, this beverage can also save your unfortunate investment on disappointing wine! Then it won’t appear to be a crime to heat up your red wine, it is just a clever alternative to end up dreadful bottles and improve your cocktail maker skills!

There is the outdoor version: disposable glass, big coats, freezing hands…

           

But it is absolutely suitable for a stylish party, a kind of trendy-chic soirée!

You may just adapt the recipe by adding  cloves, ground ginger or even brandy… and of course poor it in a prettier glass! Exterior aspect has all its importance!

It is a very convivial drink!

I’ve tasted it with two friends, Luca from Netherlands and Alina from Germany!

Did we enjoy it? I think so… had it twice!

Your turn to try and share it with us! What are your impressions about mulled wine?

Night revelation

Spending one more night in a nightclub, with a painful liver and a bank account cut by the previous night in a .. nightclub, a member of the cocktailsting team has got a revelation.

Sick of hard drinks and big hangover ? Well cocktailsting has the solution :two wine cocktails for you!

• The Ice Tropez. Easy recognizable with its modern style bottle, it is a sparkling wine cocktail mainly based upon a rosé wine and mixed up with a flavour of peach and carbonated water. Easy to drink, less expensive than an other "classic" cocktail or an hard drink, it is the first revelation tested and approuved by our team.

• Dinky Duzz. With a vintage and pop look, this sparkling cocktail is made with white wine from the south of France and Yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit (the Yuzu is also used in the perfume industry)
  
  

Two plenty innovative and modern cocktails for you.

So now, where can you find them ? As recent and innovative cocktails, you can drink them (as we did) in a few trendy hotels, bars and nightclub in Paris and the Côte d’Azur. Don't worry, they will be available in more countries and cities soon... ready to give a brand new turning point to your parties ???

Latest Experiences!

Curing Beaujolais Nouveau at Marikita cocktail bar

      Thursday night was the annual launch of the Beaujolais nouveau. Alright, it's good fun to be drinking a bottle as cheap as a bus ticket with a label that looks like a painting made by your 5 years old nephew. But by the next day it's very likely that the beverage will have killed 50% of all your taste buds and brain cells (No offence to Beaujolais lovers, there are some very nice bottles and crus, but too many Beaujolais nouveau taste like lightly flavoured water).

    Anyway, the next day, we decided to explore what else our delicious fermented grapes could offer us and we headed to the Marikita cocktail bar near Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux for a well-deserved “hair of the dog” cocktail. And we were nicely surprised by the selection of cocktails, well decorated room and friendliness of the bartender. By wine cocktails we include everything that comes from fermented grapes: red (not an easy one), white, rosé, sparkling and distilled grapes.

Marikita Cocktail Bar

After long discussions with our bartender about wine cocktails, a good review of the cocktail list, 5 cigarettes and 3 return tickets to the bathrooms we finally ordered a round of cocktails. Here are two that really caught our attention:

Plaisir charnel (we also loved the name):

3 layers in this cocktail (from bottom to top):

§  2 teaspoons of freshly crushed raspberries marinated in Cachaça

§  5cl of mango purée mixed with Cachaça

§  Top up your glass with champagne (7cl)

Serve with a bit of crushed ice and enjoy!

The sweetness of the raspberries and mango is nicely balanced with the dry bubbly champagne. The result is an exotic refreshing sparkly cocktail!

Plaisir Charnel (on the left)

Destruction

A special cocktail created this year for the harvest as a tribute to local products:

Presented in 3 glasses:

§  The first looks more like a bowl filled up with white grapes and a star anise.

§  The second is shooter glass 2/3 filled with a home-made mix of spices and orange liqueur and   1/3 of Cointreau.

§  In the third tall glass is 3 cl of Cognac, 3 cl Lillet Blanc, topped up with passion fruit  and mandarin zest

To serve, light the shooter glass, leave it a minute and poor the flambée mixture over the grapes. Eat the soaked grapes with a fork while drinking your Cognac cocktail!

Destruction

        Both cocktails were very good, the second has a more interesting presentation and is more entertaining to consume and prepare. Premium ingredients were used in these cocktails but you can easily replace the champagne by a Crémant or the fruit purée by juices to lower the costs.

       Be careful, those cocktails might seem gentle and exotic but the sweetness covers a very generous amount of alcohol! And in no time you could find yourself living another Beaujolais nouveau experience (with more flavours this time). Keep up with more posts on wine cocktails next week!

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