The Cocktails Must Flow

For anyone born after February 1952 Queen Elizabeth II has been the only monarch that we’ve known. She was born third in line to the throne with little expectation that she would ever become Queen, but that changed in 1936 with the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, and her father became King George VI. She then became Queen upon her father’s death in 1952 and with her death in 2022 is Britain’s longest reigning monarch, after Queen Victoria with 70 years service to her country.

70 years of service in which she remained very popular, both at home and abroad. Will we ever see her like again? Perhaps, although I fear most likely not and, if we should be so fortunate, only once in a blue moon.

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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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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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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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A Midori version of the Blue Lagoon which switches out the Blue Curacao for Midori Melon Liqueur. A lovely refreshing drink for the summer and a perfect accompaniment for a Bounty.

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A variation of the Long Island iced Tea also known as an AMF or Adios Mother F*cker which uses blue Curacao for an electric blue colour.

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The Limoncello Lady is a bright, sparkling and refreshing cocktail made with Prosecco and limoncello.

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An Irish variation of the Moscow Mule.

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