Summer Cocktails Feat. Fentimans HOB Syrups*

You may remember a little while ago I received some mixers from Fentimans where I created some delicious cocktails. Fentimans have now brought out an exciting range of syrups called House of Broughton, made to enhance various cocktails and drinks. These high strength syrups means bartenders can create the perfect balance between sweet and sour when it comes to creating delicious cocktails and mocktails!

I received a gorgeously presented box with everything I needed to create a couple of delicious cocktails which would be perfect for the summer (or all year around – who needs an excuse?!). There are six different flavours including Raspberry, Rose, Cucumber, Ginger, Elderflower and Simple. I received the Raspberry and Cucumber flavours so made a couple of different drinks with them. These recipes were kindly provided in the House Of Broughton Syrups Bartenders Guide! I hope you like them!

Razzmatazz

Ingredients:

30ml Gin

15ml Cream Sherry

20ml Raspberry Syrup

20ml Lemon Juice

15ml Simple Syrup

Method:

Add all ingredients into a Boston glass with ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a spiral of lime zest.

Red Berry Cooler (Mocktail)

Ingredients:
25ml Raspberry Syrup
Fresh Mint Leaves
12.5ml Lime Juice
125ml Fentimans Soda Water

Method:
Add the raspberry syrup, lime juice and mint leaves into a highball glass filled with ice. Top up with the soda water and stir. Garnish with fresh mint and raspberries.

Cucumber Mule

Ingredients:
50ml Vodka
15ml Cucumber Syrup
20ml Lime Juice
125ml Fentimans Ginger Beer

Method:
Add the vodka, syrup and lime juice into your cup filled with ice and give it a stir. Top up with the ginger beer. Garnish with sliced cucumber and candied ginger.

What do you think of these cocktail recipes? Will you be trying some out yourself? For more recipes and inspiration, please head over to the Fentimans website. 

*I received these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Summer Cocktail Recipes Feat. Chambord*

I love cocktails and any excuse to drink them or make them, I will! When I was contacted about trying some Chambord, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity! Having never tried Chambord before, I didn’t really know what to expect but now know that it is a luxurious French black raspberry liqueur with raspberry and vanilla notes. It is perfect to enjoy with champagne or any sparkling wine or in a host of cocktails, I have received some recipes below which I have personally trialled and fully recommend!

According to legend, Chambord was inspired by a luxurious raspberry liqueur produced for French royalty in the 17th Century.  This first recipe is very simple to recreate, and one that I can’t believe I haven’t tried sooner! In the recipe, I used my favourite Prosecco but you can replace this instead with Cava or Champagne.

Chambord Royale
Ingredients:
Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
Champagne, Prosecco or Cava
One Raspberry

Method:
Pour yourself a flute of your favourite fizz and top off with a little Chambord. Most importantly, garnish with a single raspberry. I used a frozen one!

The light and fruity flavour of Chambord makes this this perfect BBQ or picnic accompaniment this summer. At RRP £7.50 for a 50cl bottle, it doesn’t break the bank! The next recipe I tried is the Chambord Spritz which is very refreshing and incredibly easy to make! See the recipe below!

Chambord Spritz
Ingredients:
50ml Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
125ml Dry White Wine
Soda

Method:
Fill a wine glass with ice then top with 125ml of dry white wine. Add your Chambord, then top with some soda. The best Spritzer I have ever had!

Finally, the last recipe I tried out was the Chambord Cobbler. This one contains a few ingredients that I didn’t have handy in the house so is one to try if you want to go all out and impress those dinner guests! Recipe below.

Chambord Cobbler
Ingredients:
50ml Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
25ml Lemon Juice
25ml Peach Puree

Method:
Shake and strain the ingredients over crushed ice into a glass. Garnish with some raspberries and a mint sprig. Voila!

Chambord is available in most supermarkets nationwide, will you be adding this to your basket this summer? Let me know if you try any of the recipes!

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Soho Juice Co.*

In Summer 2014 in the heart of London’s Soho, two friends thought of an idea. The idea was to design a drink specifically aimed at the bar markets and to be named after the place where it all began, Soho. The main ingredient in all of this was the humble cucumber. They created a drink which is unique, fresh, contemporary and something that can be made into delicious cocktails. I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of The Soho Juice and a delicious cocktail recipe book and I have recreated some of their cocktails. Read on for more information.

This cucumber, mint, lemon and lime fruit juice has been specially designed as the perfect cocktail accompaniment as well as a standalone soft drink. Imminently to be launched first in the thriving Liverpool bar scene before going nationwide, The Soho can be found in many of the independent cocktail establishments around the city. I was kindly provided with some alcohol in order for me to create some delicious cocktails with trying out The Soho Juice.

The Soho Perfect Serve – You Will Need

Cubed ice

50ml Bombay Sapphire Gin

10ml lemon juice

Dash of soda

Lemon slice to garnish

Mix together and enjoy your refreshing Soho Cocktail! This cocktail is perfect for a hot summers day. I couldn’t get hold of a lemon so I garnished mine with a lime and it tasted delicious. The Soho Juice gave it that extra punch and this went down far too easy. This recipe came in the little cocktail book that I received.

Rum Punch Soho – You Will Need

Cubed ice

50ml Orange juice

50ml Pineapple Juice

50ml Foursquare Spiced Rum

1 bottle of Soho Juice (use 50ml)

I made this recipe up using some of the other ingredients that I had and this was also delicious. I wouldn’t feel out of place drinking this on a Caribbean beach I can tell you that for a fact. If you fancy something a little bit fruitier then this cocktail is the one for you. The citrus infused cucumber and mint Soho Juice teams perfectly with the spiciness of the rum. This is one of the nicest soft drinks I have tried in a while.

I have really enjoyed trying out new recipes using The Soho Juice. Find out more about the company here.

*I received some cocktail making ingredients free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Perfect Festive Cocktails With Echo Falls Fruit Fusion*

I love cocktails especially around Christmas and New Year when I feel that I can really let my hair down. I have never thought about using wine in cocktails before so when Echo Falls contacted me about trying some of their cocktail recipes featuring the Fruit Fusion range I couldn’t wait to try them out. These recipes were provided to me from Echo Fall’s and I am going to show you how to create them yourself. They are super easy and absolutely delicious. I even converted someone who doesn’t like wine into drinking them and they said they were really tasty.

Echo Falls is currently the third largest wine brand in the UK and my personal favourite. The Echo Falls Fruit Fusion range was introduced a year ago and consists of Cocoa & Orange, Orange & Cranberry, Winter Spice, Strawberry & Lime and Passion Fruit & Peach. I received the Strawberry & Lime and the Passion Fruit & Peach bottles which are both absolutely delicious. I am not a drinker of strong wines and these flavours are so nice and not strong at all. They slide down almost too easily.. The Strawberry & Lime Echo Falls Fruit Fusion is available at Tesco for £5.99. The taste is sweet and you can pick up the strawberry flavours but it also has a nice citrus kick from the lime – it’s the perfect combination. The Passion Fruit & Peach Echo Falls Fruit Fusion is also available from Tesco for £5.99. This was my favourite and the combination of the passion fruit and the peach is absolutely delicious. When these wines are combined with other ingredients to make the below cocktails, it’s a taste sensation. Read on for the recipes..

Partridge in a Passion Fruit Tree 
Ingredients:
50ml Passion Fruit & Peach Echo Falls Fruit Fusion
15ml pineapple juice
15ml lemon juice
15ml vanilla syrup
Garnish with half passion fruit

Method:
Pour 50ml Passion Fruit & Peach Echo Falls Fruit Fusion into a shaker, add 15ml pineapple juice, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml vanilla syrup and shake well. Strain and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with half a fresh passion fruit.

These recipes are just a guide. I chose to serve mine in a wine glass instead of a martini glass so feel free to adapt them to suit what you have at home.

Mistletoe Mojito
Ingredients:
70ml Strawberry & Lime Echo Falls Fruit Fusion
10 mint leaves
5ml lime
5ml sugar
Crushed Ice
Garnish with a sprig of mint and some black pepper

Method:
Pour 70ml Strawberry & Lime Echo Falls Fruit Fusion into a julep tin or hi-ball glass, add 5ml lime juice and 5ml sugar syrup. Stir and top with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a sprinkle of black pepper.

These drinks are perfect for the festive season and over the New Year. I definitely recommend trying these Echo Falls Fruit Fusion wines out. They are available in most leading supermarkets so pop them on your shopping list – you won’t regret it!

*I was provided with these Echo Falls Wine’s free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.