Do you like Pina Coladas? Or getting caught in the rain?

Forget about the rain but hopefully this will change your mind about the cocktail! I recently went on a 3 week trip around Cuba and whilst the food wasn’t as incredible as I thought it was going to be the cocktails were great. We travelled from East to West, North to South and feel like a saw a good amount of the country to comment on its current state. I think a lot of negative opinions are being said about what’s currently happening to Cuba, but from speaking with the locals I feel that it’s only going to help them, they’re looking forward to seeing change and with it is only going to come positives. There is already loads of work going on in Havana, installing new drainage systems, making better roads and I feel that it’s very single minded to say that it’s going to destroy the country. I’m sure it will keep its cultural heritage and I’m definitely sure those old American cars will not be replaced. Aside from the politics of the country it's such a beautiful country and is the nearest to paradise I've ever been!

I used to be a bar tender and cocktail shaker (I’d love to say mixologist but don’t think I was inventive enough) so I have a huge love for good drinks and spirits. As we arrived into Havana on the first night the first thing we did was to throw down our bags at our ‘Casa Particular’ and then head out for a drink…or two…. “Dos cerveza y dos mojitos por favor?” Without realising that the cocktails are about double strength things quickly became blurry from there!

After a week or so sampling all the drinks I realised that I actually have a new found love for Pina Coladas. I know what you’re thinking, however, if it’s made properly it is actually a great drink and perfect for an on-the-beach post-swim pick me up so without further ado here’s my recipe for Pina Coladas. After trying this recipe you’ll change your mind about the frowned upon classic. “Do you like Pina Coladas?” I sure do! (Please enjoy while singing along, responsibly…obviously…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLom-87AmO8

PINA COLADA

This recipe is different to a lot you’ll find on the internet, in Cuba I found the drink was way more creamy and less pineapple-y. In my opinion it’s this overly sweet pineapple-y drink that people don’t like and so give this a go and you’ll be sure to love it!

Ingredients - 

50ml white rum

50ml coconut cream

25ml Pineapple Juice

2 teaspoons sugar syrup

Method - 

• Along with a handful of ice throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend well
• Serve with a slice of pineapple and as many cocktails add ons as you can get your hands on (I was a bit gutted I couldn’t find those little monkeys that hang off your glass!)

Lemon flip - cocktail of Kings

Ever since I worked at Gaucho Restaurant in Manchester I’ve had a bit of a thing for cocktails. When you have to make and taste them everyday you kind of end up falling in love with them. So now living in London I often find myself endulging in a cocktail or two!

I was at Shoreditch House with my house mate when I first came upon a lemon flip. Having never heard of the ‘flip’ family of drinks we endulged…unbelieveable! A flip cocktail refers to the use of a whole egg which makes the cocktail rich, creamy and frothy. In the olden days a flip was a crude mixture of rum, sugar, beer and spices that was then heated with a red hot poker which caused it to froth, or flip which gave it it’s name.

Nowadays you don’t see many red hot pokers behind bars and after trying to create a similar drink by mixing all the ingredients and then quickly poor into a very hot pan you wouldn’t want such a drink anyway. I’m not sure whether I simply got the amounts wrong but the warm, yeasty and rather alcoholic drink I made was vile.

I wasn’t sure what I should use as the base ingredient so I went to consult one of my favourite cocktail places Public House in Angel (@Public_HouseN1). After much discussion we thought it might be interesting to sack off using a spirit at all and instead to use a sweet white wine such as a Sauternes which is what I ended up doing and here is what I came up with. You could use another wine but I found this worked perfectly.

This is a lovely cocktail – rich, smooth and refreshing without being too light. Ideal for a cold evening by a fire!

LEMON FLIP

Ingredients –

3 measures Sauternes

½ lemon juiced

Zest of 1 lemon

2 barspoons sugar syrup

1 whole egg

Method –

-       Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker

-       Dry shake (no ice) for a good 15 seconds*

-       Fill the shaker up with ice and shake

-       Strain into a small tumbler and garnish with lemon peel

* It’s important to dry shake so that the egg white fully incorporates with the rest of the ingredients and it gives the cocktail it’s frothy texture.