Shelbourne Bramble

- 35ml Ornabrak Gin

- 20ml raspberry and apple coulis

- 20ml lemon juice

- 10ml Chambord

- 10ml sugar syrup

Garnish:

- Double mint sprig

- Two raspberries

- Icing sugar to coat

Glass & equipment:

- Rocks and cocktail shaker

  • Pour icing sugar onto a saucer and gently wet the rim of your glass. Rub it into the icing sugar to garnish.
  • When ready to serve, add the homemade coulis to the glass.
  • Add crushed ice.
  • Shake all the other ingredients and strain into the glass.
  • Garnish with raspberries and mint.

    • Raspberry and apple coulis

    - 6 apples

    - 500g sugar

    - 4 punnets of raspberries

    - 2 cups of water

  • Peel and chop six apples.
  • Cook apples with ½ cup of water and 250g sugar until soft.
  • Add the remaining 250g of sugar along with four punnets of raspberries.
  • Cook for a further five minutes, add water if the coulis is becoming jam-like.
  • Taste to ensure the coulis is not bitter, if so add more sugar to taste.
  • Blitz in a blender. The coulis should be a pale pinkish red and have a smooth consistency.
  • Allow to cool in a bath of ice once cooked.
  • Label and store in fridge once cooled.

    • TIP: The coulis seems like a bit of work but it is pretty easy to do and you can also use it to decorate desserts. It will last for three weeks in the fridge

    Irish spirit focus: Irish spirit-Ornabrak Gin

    Ornabrak Single Malt Gin was created by Patrick Shelley. He spent years working for some of the most iconic wine and spirit brands, such as Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot and Krug before setting up his own spirit brand in 2013, Origin Spirits Ireland. Ornabrak is one of the few gins distilling its own base spirit using malting barley grown by farmers in Wexford, Waterford and east Cork. It is then malted in Cork and four-times copper pot-distilled in west Cork. It is crafted from 100% malted barley and this feeds into its name, as Ornabrak comes from the Gaelic term ‘Eorna Braiche’, which means malted barley.

    Mistress Pink

    - 10ml Chambord

    - 10ml Wild Damson Liqueur

    - 10ml strawberry syrup

    - Top equal parts soda and Laurent Perrier

    Garnish:

    - Edible flower

    - Large ice cube

    Glass & equipment:

    - Large wine glass

  • Add all ingredients to your glass and gently pull with a bar spoon to mix.
  • Gently add the ice cube and balance the edible flower on top.

    • Irish spirit focus: Wild Damson Liqueur

    Wild Damson Liqueur is created by Mary Bulfin, also known as Wild Food Mary in Birr, Co Offaly. Mary has been foraging since she was a child, embarking on woodland strolls with her grandmother, and has spent a lifetime creating delicious recipes from foraged food. Her Wild Damson Liqueur has won numerous Great Taste awards and is a rare liqueur as the Damson harvest is unpredictable. Blossoming in April, the Damson is at risk of frost and windy weather, which can affect pollination and the yield. But when Mary forages the goods, the effort is worth it as it results in a liqueur which has beautiful warm plummy notes and a smooth finish. For a list of stockists, check out www.wildfoodmary.com

    Fairway

    - 30ml Red Breast 12

    - 10ml Loungeville Apple Brandy

    - 20ml tonka bean syrup (see below for method – make in advance)

    - 100ml soda water

    Garnish:

    - Apple fan (see tip below)

    Glass & equipment:

    - Highball

  • First build the cocktail with the whiskey and syrup.
  • Then layer with the brandy.
  • Top with soda water.

    • Tonka bean syrup

    - 2 tonka beans chopped (available in good food shops, some supermarkets or health food shops)

    - 1kg white granulated sugar

    - 500ml water

    - 1 lemon peel

    - 1 lime peel

  • Bring the sugar and water to boil.
  • Once combined, add the tonka beans.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the lemon and lime peels and continue simmering for another two minutes.
  • Cool, strain and bottle.

    • TIP: Fanned fruit is easy to do and will give your cocktail a wow effect. All you need is one apple cut into quarters. Cut out the core and finely chop each of the quarters into slices. Stick a cocktail stick through the bottom and spread the slices to create a fan effect

    Irish spirit focus: Longueville Apple Brandy

    Long before micro distilleries were a thing, Longueville House in Cork was leading the way establishing Ireland’s first micro distillery in 1985. Their apple brandy is a double distillation of their cider, made from their own apples. Once the cider is fermented, it is poured into pot stills where it is double distilled into an apple brandy. It is then stored in French oak barrels where it is aged for between four and six years. The result is a beautifully smooth brandy with flavours of spiced apples and cinnamon with a little nutmeg and ginger and a satisfying toasty oak finish.

    An t-Úllín

    - 40ml apple core-infused apple brandy

    - 20ml apple sherbet

    - 10ml caramelised honey apple

    - 10ml Green Spot

    Garnish:

    - Dehydrated apple slice (see below for method)

    - Dehydrated lime wheel

    Glass & equipment:

    - Coupe

  • Shake all the ingredients and strain carefully into glass.

  • Garnish with the dehydrated apple slice and lime wheel.

    Dehydrating fruit

    - 4 cups of water

    - ½ cup of lemon

    - 2 large apples

  • Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

  • Mix water and lemon together in a bowl.

  • Using a sharp knife or mandolin, finely slice the apple as thin as possible.

  • Soak the apple slices in the lemon water for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  • Drain and pat the slices dry and place them on the baking trays.

  • Bake for one hour on each side then turn over.

  • Turn off the oven after two hours, open the door and leave them in the oven until they cool completely.

    Simplicity

    - 30ml Berthas - Revenge Gin

    - 5ml campari

    - 20ml fresh grapefruit juice

    - 15ml rhubarb syrup (see below)

    - 10ml velvet falernum

    - 3 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters

    Garnish:

    - Grapefruit slice

    - Ice block

    - Frosted rim with dried rose petals

    Glass and equipment:

    - Rocks glass

  • First frost your glass as desired (see left for top tip).

  • Add one large ice block to the glass.

  • Shake all ingredients and then strain over the ice block.

    • Rhubarb syrup

    - 500g frozen rhubarb

    - 1 litre water

    - 450g white granulated sugar

    - Peel from one full lemon and peel from half an orange

    - 1 tsp malic acid

  • Rinse the rhubarb, remove the ends and chop into small pieces.

  • Add the rhubarb to a medium saucepan, cover with one litre of water and bring to boil.

  • Reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

  • Skim any foam that rises to the top.

  • After 20 minutes, remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot.

  • Add the white granulated sugar to the pot and bring to boil stirring frequently.

  • Let it simmer for five minutes until sugar is dissolved.

  • Skim any additional foam.

  • For the final two minutes, add the lemon and orange peels to the syrup.

  • Remove the peels from syrup.

  • Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

  • Once cooled, add 1 tsp of malic acid and stir until dissolved.

  • Pour into a glass container, seal and refrigerate. It will keep for three weeks.

    • TIP: Decorating your cocktail glass is half the fun. For a classic margarita, the best thing to coat your class rim with is lime juice and sea salt. If you are looking to coat your glass with something heavier like chopped rose petals, a handy tip is to use maple syrup on the rim of the glass instead

    to help it stick

    Irish spirit focus: Bertha’s Revenge

    Bertha’s Revenge is made in the beautiful Ballyvolane House in north Cork by Justin Greene and Anthony Jackson. It is the only Irish gin made using whey alcohol from Irish dairy farmers as its base spirit. Made in Carbery in Cork, special yeasts are added to the whey to convert the milk sugars into alcohol, producing a very high-quality whey spirit. The gin is then distilled by hand at Ballyvolane House with 18 different botanicals added. The whey alcohol gives it a luxurious silky smooth mouthfeel.

    Expert tips

  • Any households items that can be used as garnishes. Think along the lines of:

    • - Raspberries/red berries.

    - Strawberries.

    - Mint.

    - Rose petals.

    - Chilli flakes.

    - Apple/pears for fans.

    - Lemon/limes/oranges/grapefruit twists.

    - Icing sugar.

  • Prep in advance - Always prep beforehand. Having garnishes, glasses, measures and spirits at the ready will take the stress out of preparing your cocktails when your guests arrive. However, make the cocktails on order as they will taste fresh and you don’t want them diluted by melted ice before your guests even arrive.