The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom
Image: Unsplash

Image: Unsplash

Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails

Lottie Storey December 21, 2024

Great for a midwinter get-together, this vibrant punch fuses the sugary appeal of fizzy orange with grown-up bitters and bourbon

For the ice ring:
Freeze 4 sliced clementines in a Bundt pan with water overnight

For the clementine cocktails:
960ml clementine juice
960ml soda water
240ml bourbon
Angostura bitters

Mix all ingredients in a small punch bowl or large mixing bowl and serve with a ladle. Add the ice ring just as guests arrive. Let guests make their own sugar-rimmed glasses by rubbing the glass edge with a half
clementine, then dipping it in a small dish of raw sugar. Garnish with a straw pushed through the centre of a round clementine slice. Use mandarins if you can’t find clementines.

Recipe and photography from The Forest Feast Gatherings by Erin Gleeson (Abrams)

This recipe was first published in January 2017. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cocktail recipes:

Featured
raspberrylavendercocktails.jpg
Jun 15, 2024
Tipple | Lavender & Raspberry Cocktails
Jun 15, 2024
Jun 15, 2024
Cocktail Gathering .jpg
Dec 16, 2023
Tipple | Pomander Cocktail
Dec 16, 2023
Dec 16, 2023
Strawberry Fizz.jpg
Jul 8, 2023
Tipple | Strawberry Fizz
Jul 8, 2023
Jul 8, 2023

More things to do with citrus fruit…

Featured
Mini Olive Limey Cakes.jpg
Mar 25, 2023
Cakecasions | Stately Home Car Park Cake
Mar 25, 2023
Mar 25, 2023
Blood Orange Posset small.JPG
Jan 1, 2023
Recipe | Blood Orange Posset
Jan 1, 2023
Jan 1, 2023
Aug 2, 2017
Recipe | Tropical lime granita
Aug 2, 2017
Aug 2, 2017
In Eating Tags january, cocktail recipes, tipple of the month
Comment
Photography: Jemma Watts  Recipe and styling: Kay Prestney

Photography: Jemma Watts Recipe and styling: Kay Prestney

Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics

Iona Bower September 4, 2021

A refreshing drink for a grown-up picnic, and probably one of our five a day (ahem)

Serves 4

2 fresh, ripe peaches
1 lime
1 bottle of pink gin
A bag of ice 8 small tins of tonic water (we like Fever-Tree tonics) 4 rosemary sprigs
Reusable straws

1 Take the stones out of the peaches and cut into thin slices, then quarter the lime.
2 Add a shot of gin to each glass and place in a lime quarter and several peach slices. Top with ice and pour over the tonic water until the glass is nearly full. Add a sprig of rosemary to use as a stirrer and a paper or reusable straw.

This simple recipe is just one of the ideas from our feature, Catch of the Day, which has lots of recipes for a picnic on the quayside, including crab sarnies, barbecued prawns, smoked mackerel palmiers, courgette and spinach salad and Eton Mess jam jars. You can find the rest of the recipes from page 8.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our September issue…

Featured
July playlist.png
Jun 18, 2025
Playlist | Fruit
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025
Deal_129_WEB.jpeg
Jun 18, 2025
Competition | Win a night at Updown on the Kent Coast worth up to £450
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025
ESSE_GardenStove-151.jpeg
Jun 18, 2025
Sponsored post | Enjoy a pizza the action with ESSE
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025

More tipples to tickle your fancy…

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Peach gin and tonics.jpg
Sep 4, 2021
Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics
Sep 4, 2021
Sep 4, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021
In Eating Tags tipple, cocktails, cocktail recipes, gin
Comment
Photography: Kirstie Young

Photography: Kirstie Young

Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas

Iona Bower May 15, 2021

The two fruits of the moment are pink, squeaky stemmed, forced rhubarb and lovely sour gooseberries. Either could be used for this spring cocktail, and should be treated the same way: stewed in a little water and honey to sweeten their sourness and then sieved to make a smooth syrup. Gooseberry is the more traditional ingredient for a Whitsun feast, but rhubarb makes a particularly pretty pink drink.

Serves 6

6 stems forced rhubarb (as pink as you can find)
Runny honey
1 bottle champagne or other sparkling wine

1 Chop the rhubarb into 5cm chunks and tip into a saucepan over a medium heat with a small splash of water – rhubarb contains plenty of water so you only need just enough to get it going. Let it bubble away until the rhubarb has completely softened and then use a fork to break and mash the pieces up.

2 Strain into a bowl and add runny honey to taste.

3 Pour your syrup into a jar and chill in the fridge. When ready to serve, fill half a glass with the chilled rhubarb syrup and top with sparkling wine.

This is just one of the recipes from our Nature’s Table feature by Lia Leendertz. The other late spring recipes include confit duck with petits pois and Lincolnshire Whitsun cake. You can find it starting on page 8 of our May issue.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our May issue…

Featured
Almost Wild.jpg
May 22, 2021
How to | Go (Almost) Wild Camping
May 22, 2021
May 22, 2021
westcross_property_renovation1.jpg
May 18, 2021
Ways to spend time in a window seat
May 18, 2021
May 18, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021

More tipples to try…

Featured
Fireside Old Fashioned.jpeg
Jan 4, 2025
Tipple | Fireside Old Fashioned
Jan 4, 2025
Jan 4, 2025
Hedgerow Fizz.jpg
Sep 7, 2024
Tipple | Hedgerow Fizz
Sep 7, 2024
Sep 7, 2024
Sherbati.jpg
Jul 6, 2024
Tipple | Rose, Chia & Almond Sherbati
Jul 6, 2024
Jul 6, 2024
In Eating Tags issue 107, cocktail recipes, cocktails, cocktail, summer drinks
Comment
Photograpy: Kirstie Young

Photograpy: Kirstie Young

Cocktail Hour | Blood Orange Negronis

Iona Bower January 30, 2021

It’s blood orange season;  what better excuse for a Negroni? (Like you need an excuse) 

With Saturday nights out off the menu for the moment, we’re officially reinstating Cocktail Hour. Join us for a very seasonal Blood Orange Negroni this evening. The bold colour of this cocktail is really rather cheering and it features Aperol instead of Campari so it’s less bitter than the original. And we feel a little less bitter about our Saturday nights for having one, too. Sometimes staying at home isn’t so bad. 

Makes one 

25ml gin 

25ml Aperol 

25ml sweet vermouth 

25ml freshly-squeezed blood orange juice, plus wedges for decoration 

Rosemary sprig 

1 Pour all of the alcohol and squeezed juice into a shaker or jam jar, make sure the lid’s on securely, and shake well. 

2 Fill a glass with ice and add a sprig of rosemary and a wedge of blood orange before pouring your Negroni over the top. 

Maker’s note: If you want to give your drink an aromatic, smoky twist, set fire to the end of the sprig of rosemary.

Find more tipples and other things to improve your weekends in the February issue of The Simple Things, available now.

More cocktails for every season…

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Peach gin and tonics.jpg
Sep 4, 2021
Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics
Sep 4, 2021
Sep 4, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021

More from our February issue…

Featured
Back page.JPG
Feb 23, 2021
February | a final thought
Feb 23, 2021
Feb 23, 2021
Prawn Toasts Catherine Frawley.JPG
Feb 9, 2021
Recipe | Sesame Prawn Toasts
Feb 9, 2021
Feb 9, 2021
Bodkincreates.jpg
Feb 3, 2021
Where to buy | espresso cups like the ones on our February cover
Feb 3, 2021
Feb 3, 2021
In Eating Tags cocktail recipes, cocktails, blood oranges, february, drinks, winter drinks
Comment
Photography: Cathy Pyle

Photography: Cathy Pyle

Autumn tipple | pomegranate and rosemary gin fizz

Iona Bower November 2, 2019

For a bonfire night gathering or just a dinner with a spooky or autumnal feel, this cocktail is a winner

Ingredients

1 bottle of gin
1 bottle of elderflower tonic water
1 litre fresh pomegranate juice
1 lemon, cut into wedges
6 sprigs of rosemary
1 fresh pomegranate

How to make

1 Mix together 1/3 gin to 1/3 tonic and 1/3 pomegranate juice.
2 Add a twist of lemon and stir with the rosemary sprig (then add the lemon wedge and rosemary to the glass for garnish).
3 Cut the fresh pomegranate in half and scoop out the seeds. Add 1 tsp of seeds to each cocktail.

This cocktail recipe by Kay Prestney is in our November issue, as part of our menu for a murder mystery party, which also includes brie and cranberry bites, apple and celeriac soup, chicken, chorizo and pepper bake and poached pears in red wine. A menu to die for. Find it on p32.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our November issue…

Featured
bookshop.jpg
Jun 23, 2020
Four fictional bookshops
Jun 23, 2020
Jun 23, 2020
Inclusive Trade.JPG
May 11, 2020
Competition | Win £100 to shop ethically
May 11, 2020
May 11, 2020
October back cover.JPG
Nov 19, 2019
November | a final thought
Nov 19, 2019
Nov 19, 2019

More tipples to tickle your fancy…

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Peach gin and tonics.jpg
Sep 4, 2021
Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics
Sep 4, 2021
Sep 4, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021
In Eating Tags cocktail recipes, autumn, spooky, gathering
Comment
Photography: Cathy Pyle Recipes & styling Kay Prestney

Photography: Cathy Pyle Recipes & styling Kay Prestney

Tipple: cheering cider cocktail

Iona Bower December 31, 2018

Entertaining this evening? Warm your guests’ tummies and souls with this rustic winter tipple

Serves 6
1l fresh apple cider
750ml dry red wine
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1 apple, sliced
4 whole cloves

1 Combine all ingredients (reserving 6 orange slices) in a large saucepan and warm on a medium heat for 10 mins, stirring continually.
2 Once gently bubbling, let it cool slighty and pour into (heatproof) glasses, serve with a slice of orange over the glass and a sprig of rosemary as a stirring stick.

This cocktail recipe is from our January issue’s Gathering feature for a Twelfth-Night-inspired party. The issue is on sale now or you can buy it online.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our January issue…

Featured
SIM79.CHALKBOARD_ST Back Jan19_01.JPG
Jan 29, 2019
January: a final thought
Jan 29, 2019
Jan 29, 2019
Up Helly Aa.jpg
Jan 28, 2019
How to: Party like a Viking
Jan 28, 2019
Jan 28, 2019
cabbage.jpg
Jan 26, 2019
Cabbage: a prince among brassica
Jan 26, 2019
Jan 26, 2019

More cocktails to try…

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Peach gin and tonics.jpg
Sep 4, 2021
Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics
Sep 4, 2021
Sep 4, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021
In Gathering Tags issue 79, cocktail recipes, new year, gathering, december
Comment
SIM68.MISCELLANY_TippleOfTheMonth.png

Tipple of the month | Pisco Sour

Lottie Storey February 10, 2018

Raise a glass to Peru’s best export (apart from Paddington)

The South American brandy, pisco, made from muscat grapes, was said to have been first made into the famous cocktail by Victor Vaughen Morris, an American bartender working in Peru, in the early 20th century. The first Saturday of February is National Pisco Sour Day.

MAKE IT: pour a 1⁄2 measure of lime juice, 2 measures pisco, 1 tbsp beaten egg white into shaker with ice.
Add a dash of gomme syrup and a dash of angostura bitters.
Shake. Strain into glass.
Salud!

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

More tipple of the month ideas:

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Rosemary_Rum_Spritz_34.jpg
May 7, 2022
Tipple | Rosemary Rum Spritz
May 7, 2022
May 7, 2022
SIM68.MISCELLANY_TippleOfTheMonth.png
Feb 10, 2018
Tipple of the month | Pisco Sour
Feb 10, 2018
Feb 10, 2018

More from the February issue:

Featured
SIM68.JOURNAL_113_WordJar_JournalSparks.png
Feb 27, 2018
Journal sparks | Word Jar
Feb 27, 2018
Feb 27, 2018
SIM68.EVENTS_Unknown-1.jpeg.png
Feb 26, 2018
The faces of Fairtrade
Feb 26, 2018
Feb 26, 2018
SIM68.png
Feb 25, 2018
Nest | Cacti
Feb 25, 2018
Feb 25, 2018
In Eating Tags february, issue 68, tipple of the month, cocktail recipes, cocktail
Comment
adam-jaime-119551.jpg

Sponsored | Christmas cocktail recipe ideas

Lottie Storey December 20, 2017

The weekend before Christmas is classic party season. If you're hosting friends over Christmas and New Year, stock up the drinks trolley and get those cocktail shakers pumping. Try one of these recipes to really get your party going with a bang.

Cherry Spritz
Cherry Spritz

50ml English Rose Gin
150ml Fever Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water
15ml (approx 2 bar spoons) Maraschino Cherry Syrup

Build and stir over ice in a tall glass. Twist of lime peel and one maraschino cherry dropped in.

Whitley Neill Christmas Crumble Collins
Whitley Neill Christmas Crumble Collins

50ml Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger
50ml Cloudy apple Juice
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
10ml Cinnamon Syrup
50ml Ginger Beer

Add all ingredients to a long glass along with cubed ice. Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon wheel

Espresso Martini
Espresso Martini

50ml FAIR Vodka
35ml FAIR Cafe
One shot of espresso

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Top up with ice and shake. Pour directly into a chilled martini glass.

Whitley Neill Clementine Negroni
Whitley Neill Clementine Negroni

25ml Whitley Neill Gin
25ml Campari
25ml Italian Vermouth
25ml Fresh clementine juice

Add all ingredients to a rocks glass, along with cubed ice, and stir well. Garnish with a slice of fresh clementine

Aviation
Aviation

40ml Silent Pool Gin
20ml Maraschino Liqueur
20ml Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
2.5ml Crème De violette

Shake and Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Cherry Spritz Whitley Neill Christmas Crumble Collins Espresso Martini Whitley Neill Clementine Negroni Aviation

Recipes courtesy of:

FAIR 

Whitley Neill

Silent Pool

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

More from the December issue:

Featured
9.new years final.png
Dec 31, 2024
How to | Make a Could-Do List Happen
Dec 31, 2024
Dec 31, 2024
SIM66.GATHERING_IMG_3201.png
Dec 24, 2023
Recipe | Roasted Brussels sprouts with nuts, lemon & pomegranate
Dec 24, 2023
Dec 24, 2023
SIM66.NIBBLES_fruit nut choc disc01.png
Dec 29, 2022
Recipe | Fruit and nut chocolate discs
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022
3.mistltoe FINAL.png
Dec 27, 2022
Christmas | Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?
Dec 27, 2022
Dec 27, 2022
SIM66.HERBERY_ST - SAGE-1157.png
Dec 27, 2021
Christmas | Clementine and sage posset
Dec 27, 2021
Dec 27, 2021
66 back cover.png
Dec 24, 2017
Growing old is inevitable but growing up is optional
Dec 24, 2017
Dec 24, 2017
In Christmas Tags sponsored, cocktails, Cocktail recipes, cocktail recipes, christmas, christmas drinks
Comment
Illustration: Holly Walsh

Illustration: Holly Walsh

Christmas | How to make a great martini

Lottie Storey December 16, 2017

Glamour distilled. Best served with the inevitable Bond on the telly

1 Add a measure of dry vermouth into a martini glass, swooshing it around so the glass is coated. Then pour into a cocktail shaker, swirl before chucking out anything remaining.
2 Add a measure of gin into the shaker along with a couple of ice cubes.
3 Shake gently, before popping it into the freezer.
4 Prep your glass, by wiping the rim with lemon zest. Then it goes in the freezer too.
5 Patiently wait for 30 minutes, then strain into a glass.
6 Garnish with an olive.

The December issue features a cracker of a Miscellany Christmas special (page 99), packed with puzzles, games, stocking fillers, bad jokes, amazing facts and forgotten wisdom, including:

  • Mix a great martini 

  • Secret Santa gifts

  • Make sweet frumenty 

  • Christmas i-spy

  • How to carve turkey 

  • Fizzy amaretto sours 

  • Make invisible ink

  • Froebel stars

  • Wrapping awkward gifts 

  • Beat the family at games

  • The Simple Things’ sprouts & crackers board game

  • Identifier: Bestseller toys 

  • Bah humbug word search

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

More from the December issue:

Featured
9.new years final.png
Dec 31, 2024
How to | Make a Could-Do List Happen
Dec 31, 2024
Dec 31, 2024
SIM66.GATHERING_IMG_3201.png
Dec 24, 2023
Recipe | Roasted Brussels sprouts with nuts, lemon & pomegranate
Dec 24, 2023
Dec 24, 2023
SIM66.NIBBLES_fruit nut choc disc01.png
Dec 29, 2022
Recipe | Fruit and nut chocolate discs
Dec 29, 2022
Dec 29, 2022

More Christmas drinks:

Featured
Carlton Hotel.jpg
Jun 20, 2024
History | Signature Hotel Dishes and Drinks
Jun 20, 2024
Jun 20, 2024
Rosemary_Rum_Spritz_34.jpg
May 7, 2022
Tipple | Rosemary Rum Spritz
May 7, 2022
May 7, 2022
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021
In Christmas, Miscellany Tags christmas, issue 66, december, christmas miscellany, martini, cocktail recipes, cocktail
Comment
Photography: Kirstie Young

Photography: Kirstie Young

Recipe: Rhubarb & sweet cicely shrub with Aperol

Lottie Storey May 16, 2017

With fragrant leaves and flavour-bomb seeds, sweet cicely is as tasty as it is easy to grow. On page 45 of May’s The Simple Things, Lia Leendertz proves sweet cicely’s worth in delicious salads, puds and aperitifs

A shrub is an old method of preserving fruit by boiling it with vinegar and sugar, creating a sharp concentrated syrup that is hugely refreshing topped up with soda water, or used in a cocktail, as here. Rhubarb and sweet cicely are natural friends, the sweet cicely bringing out the fruit’s sweetness.

Rhubarb & sweet cicely shrub with Aperol

To make the shrub:
Makes about 500ml
250ml white wine vinegar
200g granulated sugar
1kg rhubarb, chopped into pieces
A handful of sweet cicely leaves, roughly chopped

1 Put the vinegar and the sugar into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. 
2 Add the rhubarb and simmer until the fruit has disintegrated and the liquid is pink. Remove from the heat, add the sweet cicely leaves, and stir. 
3 Allow to cool and then strain the mixture through a muslin into a sterilised jar.

To make the Aperol cocktail:
Rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub
Aperol
Soda water

Put a couple of ice cubes into a tall glass. Fill a third of the glass with the rhubarb and sweet cicely shrub and the next third with Aperol, then top up with soda water.

 

More from the May issue:

Featured
May 29, 2017
Recipe | Smoked trout, cucumber and coconut salad with dosa
May 29, 2017
May 29, 2017
May 27, 2017
Garden hacks | Make a colander hanging basket
May 27, 2017
May 27, 2017
May 26, 2017
Recipe | Picnic Pies
May 26, 2017
May 26, 2017

More cocktail recipes:

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Peach gin and tonics.jpg
Sep 4, 2021
Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics
Sep 4, 2021
Sep 4, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Eating, Growing Tags issue 59, may, cocktail recipes, the herbery, sweet cicely, rhubarb, aperol
Comment

Recipe: Coco Cabana cocktail

Lottie Storey August 8, 2016

With 120 fruits native to its rainforest, there’s no wonder Brazilians make a mean cocktail. If watching the Olympics this month makes you pine for tropical climes, mix yourself a jug of this fabulously kitsch cocktail (palm trees essential) and the combination of rum, cachaça, strawberries and coconut will instantly transport you from kitchen to Copacabana beach.

Coco Cabana 

75ml cachaça
75ml Malibu
50ml coconut cream
50ml lemon juice
50ml simple sugar syrup
90ml pineapple juice
180ml coconut water
75ml strawberry purée ice cubes
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced

Pour all the ingredients except the orange and lemon slices into a large jug and stir well.
Fill with ice and stir again.
Top with lemon and orange slices.

Pronounced ka-sha-sa, cachaça is the national drink of Brazil and appears in many of its cocktails. Like rum, it’s a sugar cane spirit, but distilled directly from fermented sugar cane juice rather than from the molasses. It’s now possible to find simple brands such as Sagatiba in larger supermarkets or specialist spirit shops. If you’re at loss or don’t like the taste (some people find it too rough or strong), you can substitute vodka or rum. Oh and Brazilians do really run their cars on it sometimes – if you’re ever crossing the road and notice a waft of sweetness in the air, that’s the ethanol from the sugar cane. Not one to try at home.

Recipe from Carnival! By David Ponte, Lizzy Barber and Jamie Barber (Quadrille)
Photography by Martin Poole  

 

Read more from the August issue:

Featured
Aug 27, 2016
Wellbeing: How to embrace idleness
Aug 27, 2016
Aug 27, 2016
Aug 18, 2016
Recipe: Raspberry, apricot and orange ice lollies
Aug 18, 2016
Aug 18, 2016
Aug 16, 2016
Competition: Win one of three natural skincare hampers from MOA worth £110
Aug 16, 2016
Aug 16, 2016

More cocktail recipes:

Featured
Dec 21, 2024
Solstice Tipple: Clementine Cocktails
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Peach gin and tonics.jpg
Sep 4, 2021
Tipple | Peach Gin and Tonics
Sep 4, 2021
Sep 4, 2021
Rhubarb Mimosa.jpg
May 15, 2021
Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Fresh, Eating Tags issue 50, august, Cocktail recipes, cocktail recipes, coctails
1 Comment
Photograph: Kim Lightbody

Photograph: Kim Lightbody

Recipes: Wild cocktails for warm midsummer evenings part two

David Parker May 22, 2015

Rose Petal Syrup (for the Chelsea Fringe Collins cocktail)

Makes approximately 750ml

6 handfuls pink and/or red rose petals
1.2kg caster sugar
750ml water
Zest of half an unwaxed, organic orange
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Equipment
Sealable presentation bottles, sterilized

1 Snip off the bitter white tip at the base of each petal. Or, when picking the petals from the rosebush, pull them in a clump with one hand and snip the base off in one go with the other.

2 Loosely pack the petals in a nonreactive bowl and add about 400g of the sugar. Gently massage it into the petals to bruise them and start the maceration. Cover with a clean dishtowel and leave overnight or for up to 12 hours.

3 You should return to a gooey mess; the petals have shrunk and the sugar has extracted some colour and flavour from them. Tip the mixture into a non-stick pan and add the remaining sugar, water, orange zest, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and gently bring to a boil. The colour should transfer from the petals into the liquid. Simmer for 5 mins or until you have a thick, unctuous syrup.

4 Let the syrup cool. Strain it into a wide-mouthed pitcher, then funnel into the sterilized presentation bottles and seal. You can store it in the fridge for well over a month. As this is a rich simple syrup, you need only very small quantities in your sodas and cocktails.

 

Honeysuckle Syrup (for the Honeysuckle cocktail)

Makes approximately 500ml

8 large handfuls of unsprayed honeysuckle flowers, leaves and stems removed
400g caster sugar*
Juice of half a lemon

Equipment
Sealable presentation bottles, sterilized

1 Place the honeysuckle flowers in a non-stick bowl and cover with cold water, then leave to steep for 12 hours, or at least overnight, at room temperature. Make sure the flowers are completely covered by the water.

2 Strain the mixture into a measuring cup, discarding the flowers. Pour the liquid into a non-stick pan.

3 Measure an equal amount of sugar to the liquid and add to the pan.

4 Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 mins.

5 Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

6 Add the lemon juice and funnel into the sterilized presentation bottles.

*Feel free to replace half the sugar with a handful of chopped sweet cicely leaves, but bear in mind that this will adjust the colour

 

Rowan, Honey and Lemon Foam (for the Honeysuckle Cocktail)

Makes enough foam for 15 drinks

1½  sheets gelatin (platinum grade)
60ml runny honey
60ml Rowan Syrup*
60ml lemon juice
180ml hot water
120ml pasteurized egg whites
Wild honeysuckle blossom

Equipment
Professional cream whipper with 2 N2O cartridges

1 Place the gelatin sheets in a bowl of iced water and soak them until they are pliable (about 10 mins).

2 Meanwhile, combine the honey, rowan syrup, lemon juice and hot water in a non-stick pan over a very low heat, until the honey is dissolved. Strain using a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan.

3 Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatin sheets. Drop the sheets into the pan containing the mix and heat gently to dissolve the gelatin. Stir constantly and do not allow to reach boiling point.

4 Turn off the heat as soon as the gelatin is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature (should take about 15 mins).

5 Place the egg whites in a bowl and lightly whisk until slightly frothy and pour into the pan.

6 Funnel this liquid into the whipper. Charge it with the 2 N2O cartridges, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Shake well for at least a minute and refrigerate.

7 Let the foam stabilize for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight, before using.

8 Shake the whipper well before dispensing. Tip it upside down so that it is completely inverted over the cocktail. Let the foam settle for 20 seconds before garnishing with wild honeysuckle blossom.

 

*Rowan Syrup (for the Rowan, Honey and Lemon Foam, to go in the Honeysuckle cocktail)

Makes approximately 1 litre

1kg very ripe, bright red rowan berries
Approximately 2 litres water
1 heaped tsp salt
700g caster sugar

Equipment
Sealable presentation bottles, sterilized
Large jelly bag or muslin

1 Separate the rowan berries from their stalks, then wash and rinse the berries. Add to a non-stick pan and pour in about 1 litre of water and the salt, making sure the berries are covered.

2 Bring to a boil and simmer long enough for them to become soft (about 25 mins). Remove from the heat.

3 Using the jelly bag/muslin, slowly strain the berries and liquid into a wide-mouthed pitcher.

4 Return the pulp to the pan and add the remaining 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

5 Strain the pulp, as above, into the pitcher.

6 Return all the strained liquid to the cleaned pan, add the sugar, bring to a boil, and boil hard for 5 mins. Remove from the heat.

7 Funnel the syrup into the presentation bottles while still piping hot. Seal. 8 Store in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a month.

 

Cocktail recipes from Wild Cocktails from the Midnight Apothecary by Lottie Muir (CICO Books, £16.99). Over 100 recipes using home-grown and foraged fruits, herbs and edible flowers. www.thecocktailgardener.co.uk


In Eating, Living Tags cocktail recipes, cocktail, june, issue 36, gathering
Comment
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram