1st #cocktail of #FridayNightCocktails on the 9th September: Queen Elizabeth

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Our first cocktail this evening is the Queen Elizabeth. This cocktail is not named after Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, but it still feels a fitting cocktail for this evening as we raise a glass in memory and celebration of Her Majesty.

Queen Elizabeth II

According to David Wondrich, drinks historian and author, the Queen Elizabeth was created in 1934 when it was mixed together by Herbert Quack, bartender at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia and named for his wife.

We’ve used the variant from Difford’s Guide.

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Negroni

3rd #cocktail of #FridayNightCocktails on the 2nd September: Negroni

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The Negroni is a popular Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet) and one part Campari, garnished with half an orange wheel. A traditionally made Negroni is stirred, not shaken; it is built over ice in an old-fashioned or rocks glass and garnished with a slice of orange. Outside of Italy, an orange peel is often used in place of an orange slice.

We’ve gone for the official International Bartenders Association version.

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Screwdriver

2nd #cocktail of #FridayNightCocktails on the 2nd September: Screwdriver

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The drink originated during the Second World War, when Americans in China and Turkey mixed neutral spirits with orange juice. The origin of the name Screwdriver is less clear, but the name appeared in Ankara, Turkey, in 1943 and 1944 and later in Istanbul. Variations on the recipe were present in 1948 in Turkey and also called screwdrivers, such as a mixture of one-third vodka and two-thirds gin, and another recipe adding gin, cognac, bitters, and other ingredients to orange juice and vodka. An unattributed but popular story for the name is that the Americans lacked a spoon and instead used a screwdriver as a stirring stick.

Starting mid-1950, vodka rose rapidly in popularity in America, and mixed drinks such as the screwdriver rose with it. Advertising campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s by vodka brands such as Smirnoff cemented the screwdriver as a vodka favourite

Screwdriver (cocktail) – from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Amaretto and Coke

1st #cocktail of #FridayNightCocktails on the 2nd September: Amaretto & Coke

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A smooth, sweet and (relatively) low alcohol cocktail usually served in a highball over ice. The almond taste of amaretto pairs well with cola which we’ve previously seen when combined with dark rum for a Lounge Lizard.

The Amaretto and Coke lacks an alcohol due to the only spirit being the amaretto itself; the bitter almond taste combines well with the sweetness of cola.

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