Around the World in Cocktails

 

 

If you want to impress your friends with your worldly cocktails skills at your next party here are some recipes for some of the most popular (and most delicious) cocktails around the world.

 

Pisco Sour (Chile)

 

 

This liquor is little known state-side but it is impossible to miss when visiting Chile.  Every restaurant, bar or nightclub will make the country’s signature drink. Another popular Pisco based drink is Piscola: Pisco mixed with cola (Pis-cola).

Recipe:

1 egg white

2 1/2 ounces Pisco Capel

1/2 ounce simple syrup

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

 

Shake together all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, strain and pour into a glass or champagne flute.

 

The Caesar (Canada)

 

This is the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary. It’s perfect for those of us who like everything about a Bloody Mary but don’t love tomato juice. This drink substitutes the tomato juice with Clamato. If you’re not familiar with Clamato, it’s a mixture of clam juice and tomato juice. Now, I’m not fond of clams or tomato juice but somehow the melange of flavours works perfectly in a Caesar.

 

Recipe:

1 1/2 oz vodka

clamato juice

3 dashes Tabasco sauce (to taste)

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

Celery or a green bean for garnish

Pour vodka into glass over ice. Add clamato juice to fill the glass. Dash with Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce (to taste). Add salt and pepper. Garnish with celery stick or green bean.

Caipirinha (Brazil)

The Caipirinha is native to Brazil and made with their famous Cachaça (pronounced kah-SHAH-sa, a spirit made from sugar cane. The Caipirinha is as much a part of Brazilian culture as dancing samba, or thong bikinis. This drink is perfect for a summer party, or any time of the year that you want to look like a professional mixologist.

Recipe:

½ lime

2 tsp sugar (preferably brown)

2 oz Cachaça

Muddle the lime and sugar together in a glass by mashing the ingredients together with a wooden spoon, trying to dissolve the sugar. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the Cachaça, and pour in the lime and sugar mixture. Shake vigorously for several seconds then pour into a glass.

 

Yogurt Soju Cocktail (Korea)

Koreans go crazy for Soju, a rice based liquor that you’ll see on almost every restaurant table in Seoul. Koreans often add a shot of this to a glass of beer, but it is best when made into a cocktail. The most distinct are the yogurt soju cocktails, they’re unique, delicious and good for your stomach! (If you’re feeling more Japansese than Korean, substitute Sake for the Soju )

 

Recipe:

½ cup Soju,

½ cup yogurt drink (like Yakult)

Citrus soda (lemon, lime or grapefruit work well)
Mix together ice, soju and yogurt in a cocktail shaker. Shake well for several seconds and pour into a glass. Add your ice to a cocktail shaker. Then pour in equal amounts of soju (about 1/2 cup) and yogurt drink. Shake well and pour into a glass. Fill the glass 1/3 to the top and finish off with the soda. Garnish with a lemon or lime slice.

 

Michelada (Mexico)

Micheladas are popular all over Latin America, but they originated in Mexico. It is the perfect afternoon drink in the sun before you start in on the Margaritas. Mexican Micheladas are made spicy, like most Mexican cuisine, but in some other Latin American countries they may be made without the spices.

 

Recipe:

1 lager beer

¼ cup Clamato juice

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 lime

Salt and pepper

Chilli flakes

 

Squeeze the juice from the lime into a glass. Add the Clamato juice, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the beer (slowly so it doesn’t foam too much). Top with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.