Black vodka is vodka that has been coloured black, and it tastes close to ordinary vodka. That means you can use it in almost any vodka cocktail and only the colour changes. The best results come from pale mixers such as ginger beer, tonic water and lemonade, where the contrast does the work. This guide…
I’m the first to admit when I first started to drink rose wine, I thought it was made by mixing red and white wines. Or at least the grapes! But really, rose is something a little different because while it often uses the same grapes as red, the processes used to make it is very…
There are four main types of vodka: grain vodka, potato vodka, vodka made from other bases such as grapes or milk whey, and flavoured vodka. Grain vodkas split further into wheat, rye, corn and blended-grain bottles, and each base nudges the taste and texture a little. That difference shows most in a chilled martini and…
The best cocktail shaker for most home bartenders is a weighted Boston shaker, which is two steel tins, paired with a separate Hawthorne strainer. If you only make the odd drink and want a single piece of kit that does everything, a cobbler shaker will do the job. Shakers look alike on the shelf but…
Amaro and amaretto sound almost the same, but they sit at opposite ends of the flavour scale. Amaro is a bitter, herbal Italian liqueur usually sipped after dinner, while amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavoured liqueur that turns up in dessert drinks and sours. If you are standing in front of a shelf trying to decide…
Lots of cocktail recipes are served with ice in them to make them great for the warmer weather. But if you want to take your drinks to a new summer drink level, then the answer is definitely frozen cocktails! These range from drinks that are heavier than normal on the ice to one that is…
Stand in front of a rum shelf and the choice looks simple until you pick up the bottles. One is clear and one is amber, and both say rum on the front. So what actually separates white rum from spiced rum, and does it matter which one goes in your glass? It does, especially if…
I know it isn’t the case, but Prosecco seems to have arrived in recent times and is suddenly everywhere. Now I’ve never been a huge champagne fan (sorry!) because it is very dry and sharp. But with Prosecco, you get that bubbly quality but a slightly softer, sweeter taste. Both sparkling wines are also great…
Crème de menthe is the sweeter, smoother mint liqueur, usually between 20% and 30% ABV and often green. Peppermint schnapps is clear, less sweet and sharper, and can be anywhere from 15% to 50% ABV. In most drinks you can swap one for the other with a small tweak to the sweetness. Both turn up…
Wine usually gets the seat next to the pasta bowl, but a cocktail can do the same job. The right one cuts through cream, echoes tomato or takes the edge off chilli, and it turns an ordinary weeknight dinner into aperitivo hour. This guide covers ten pairings, from carbonara and Negroni to pesto and Basil…
Whether you know them as whiskey cocktails or whisky cocktails, these are some of the serious, grown-up drinks of the cocktail world. Let’s face it, whiskey is pretty far from some of the colourful and funky drinks that are available. The key to making the best whiskey cocktails is to understand the different whiskeys so…
If I’m honest, I tend towards white wine over red. I enjoy the flavours and find it easier to drink. I also have a little more knowledge about whites than red wines, although I use the term loosely – I know what I like! But there are a lot of types of white wine to…
