Magnanimité

2 oz Citadelle Gin
1 oz Galliano
1/2 oz Black Curant Syrup
1/2 egg white
Cardamom

Eventhough the French compatriotes and the Italian ones don't get along too well here's a recipe in which they blend in perfectly, and it's heart warming.

Chill a glass and leave it aside. Pour your ingredients in a Boston Shaker and add a pinch of Cardamom. Shake your drink without Ice first, so that the ingredients emulsify. Fill your container now with thick dry, Ice Cubes and give your Drink a hard and long shake as you want those two cultures to really get to know each other. Ones you're done, strain the liquid into your earlier chilled glass and garnish with some cinnamon. 

If you're hesitating on a life choice, never forget to be humble to yourself, and your loved ones.

Dirty Temper

1 oz Sailor Jerry Rum
1 oz Maraschino
2 oz Cold Hibiscus Tea
whole dark chocolate

There's a large variety of Hibiscus flowers. The commercially sold Hibiscus Teas are usually made out of red Hibiscus grown in Asia and subtropical regions. You can however collect the flowers from any Hibiscus bush and let them dry for a few weeks in the dark. The Tea you get is pure and soothing.

Chill a fancy Glass and leave it aside. Pour the liquid ingredients into a Boston shaker. Take some of the darkest chocolate you can find (86% noir brut is perfect), break some chunks off and add them to the liquids. Fill the Shaker with thick, dry Ice cubes and give your Drink a hard shake. Double strain the liquid into your chilled Glass and garnish with a big chunk of chocolate and a Hibiscus Flower.

This cocktail is as mysterious and witty as can be. Take care not to fall in love...

Cloches d'Église

1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Crème de Cassis
1 Barspoon Bénédictine
1 drop rose water

Bénédictine is a French herbal Liqueur developed by monks of the Benedictine Order in the 19th century. 

Chill a glass and leave it aside. Pour your ingredients in a Boston Shaker and fill it with thick, dry ice cubes. Give your drink a hard shake and make sure you hit the right level of dilution. This step is crucial for this recipe as your only ingredients are alcohol and the level of dilution can make or break the drink. The center of attention on this cocktail is the odour, therefore I don't garnish it and let it work it's magic. 

Never let an opportunity slip away. Life is futile, unless you fill it with memories and values to live by.

The Deadly Perfume

1 1/2 oz Plum Pálinka
1/3 oz Apple Juice
1/4 oz Violet Syrup
1 fresh sage leaf

Sage is a very potent medicinal herb. It gives freshness and bitterness to a drink at the same time and can, if combined with the right ingredients result in a beautiful harmony of distinctive odours and tastes.

Whenever you find yourself browsing through a flea market pay attention to the glasses sold there. You might find some interesting things for your Home Bar. 

Chill one of your fancy glasses and leave it a side. Pour your ingredients in a Boston Shaker. Give your sage leaf a gentle tap on the back of your hand to release the oils and fill your boston shaker with thick, dry ice cubes. Give your drink a hard shake and double strain it into your chilled glas. Garnish your drink with violet petals and serve.

Enjoying Cocktails is all about doing it in good company and at your own pace and ease. Therefore it might become in a certain way a sense of life.

Suburban Beauty

2 oz White Rum
1 1/2 Radermacher Woodberries
1/2 oz fresh lime juice

The Radermacher distillery is one of the oldest in Belgium producing iconic spirits such as the Woodberries which is typical for the carnival time when people dress in costumes and become very folkloric. It is a sweet liquor and hence shouldn't be mixed with syrups. 

Chill a coupette glas and leave it a side. Pour your ingredients in a shaker and top it off with dry Ice cubes. Give the drink a hard shake and make sure you hit the right level of dilution. Strain it in your coupette glas and garnish with a few wild berries. Your drink should be purple to lilac. 

Fulsomely adventurous combinations of flavours can be dangerous at times, what matters is the final product and the company of your suburban beauty...

Greenpoint (Michael McIlroy, Milk & Honey Bar, 2005)

6 cl Rye Whiskey (Bulleit)
1,5 cl Sweet Vermouth
1,5 cl Chartreuse jaune
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Orange Bitters

Bourbon Whisky is known to be rather sweet which is why Bartenders substituted it with Rye Whisky over the time for Cocktails such as Manhattan and Old Fashioned.

Chill an old fashioned Champagne Glass and leave it a side. Pour your Ingredients in a Stirrer, top it with thick, Dry Ice cubes and stir until you reach the right level of dilution. Strain your Cocktail into the Glas. You may flame an orange zest on top of your Cocktail and serve.

Modern Cocktails are often very sweet and have a lot of fruits in them. But going back to basics is a wonderful experience and a pure journey of distincive tastes.