Cocktail anyone?

The first time I went to New York we arrived at our hotel and MrA was raring to go up the Empire State Building. I refused to go anywhere until I had sat in the hotel lounge with a suitable cocktail to hand.
It was Sea Breeze - vodka, cranberry and grapefruit juice.

Mmmm, these all sound delightful . I'm serving Irish coffee (American style) after dinners next week. I like Jameson's, strong coffee and real cream of course. After dinner, when all the work is finally done, I put my feet up, exhale, and sip a little bit of heaven.

Harvey Wallbangers were the taste of the 70s, fab!

I like a Negroni, it's Campari, Gin and Cinzano Rosso, but a champagne cocktail on Christmas morning is a must, I usually add a few drops of Angostura Bitters to the sugar lump.

I'll trade them all for a really good Dry Martini ... Question: How much Gin to a measure of Vermouth? 6 measures of Gin? Seems to verge on the electric soup but that is recommended by a lot of people.

Oh, and it's no good without an olive - one must eat, after all...

Got to be cosmopolitan for me. Find most wine gives me dreadful headaches nowadays so stick to white spirits.Does anyone else have the same problem as they get older.

Tom Collins for me

On our second evening in Barbados, the manager held his weekly 'Rum Punch Evening' - a free rum punch for every guest who attended. This was served in a large half pint stem glass. And given how cheap rum is in Barbados, it was very generously laced with the stuff.
Mr I doesn't go in for that sort of drink, so I had mine and then finished off nearly all of his. And a third glass materialised from somewhere, which I cheerfully polished off as well. This was before dinner. I didn't make it to dinner. I went back to our room at about 7.30 and slept the clock round.

I've one cocktail I lurve:

peach schnapps, vodka, grenadine syrup and orange juice, finished with slices of orange on the rim and a cherry = Sex On The Beach
Has to be grenadine syrup, as it has to support the orange juice above.

I used to take all the relevant bottles to our boat, till it dawned I could put the cocktail together in an empty litre squash bottle.

Happy Christmas one and all

About 10 years ago I wrote a cocktail book. It had to be written very quickly because absentdaughter suddenly sprung a wedding the other side of the world on me that clashed with my deadline. Can you imagine what fun I had testing the recipes?

Now that would be right up my street as we northeners say.

Mine is a bellini too. Usually it's the easy-peasy peach juice and prosecco version, but might try the creme the peche this time.

Sangria with strawberries and cava (to keep it spanish) is pretty good too.

absent is it possible to get hold of a copy of your book be great to see you recipes on Gransnet.

M&S do a small bottle of peach juice. I bought one as a treat to self for Christmas Bellinis but when I went back to get one to put in a hamper for
D-in-L, they had none left. Question is 'Do I give her mine?!

I hope someone will tell me what a cocktail is. I have read the above posts but they sound like what I would call a mixer. I though vermouth was was a mixer like cola so a vermouth with gim would be called just that. Having said that what is a liquer I thought they were chocolates with alcohol in them. Im so confused, all Ive ever drank is gim and tonic (on one occasion had 10) and I was ill. Ive had red wine and white wine occasionally and I like baileys which I thought was a cock tail. I had sherry the other night and I was sick so I am sticking to non alcohol drinks. Im also too scared I might make a fool of myself if I drink alcohol but I would love to know what theses fancy named drinks are. Also I saw a drink advertised as something like 'oily prat', what on earth is that.

Oh Indi you did make me laugh how you missed supper and slept round the clock.

I like a Mojito. My DS gets a mojito mix from Ocado which he mixes with
Bacardi and crushed ice, I provide the fresh mint

Oh ethelbags I can't answer any of your question but I just want to say you made me giggle. Even I'd be sick after 10 gin & tonic and I'm a reasonably seasoned drinker. Cheers..ps waitrose do a lovely sweet low alcohol wine really cheap. Cheers

ethel I have heard all these cocktail names but have no idea what's in them!
And have never drunk them either.
What a sophisticated lot some of you gransnetters are

However, I did drink a 'champagne cocktail' at the weekend which was lovely, I think it was prosecco, cointreau and cranberry juice, delicious and no hangover!

I'm (in)famous for my cosmopolitans 2 of those will floor anyone,I made a really nice one the other day for christmas take 1. rum, spiced rum, apple& mango juice topped up with ginger beer. I don't do measuring so quantities varied in each glass, all were good though.

rose is it really considered sophisticated to slop an amount of booze with several different kinds and drink the mixture which must taste horrible. I would have thought that it would be better to drink a lovely fresh juice or smoothie, Im thinking of the damage all those mixy drinks might do to someones insides.

I go to bed with my chocolate and don't envy those out drinking the mixed up c...p that is apparently a cock tail.

Vermouth isn't a mixer, it's a kind of fortified wine flavoured with 'botanicals' which gives it its unique flavour.

A cocktail is any beverage that contains at least three drinks, two of which are alcoholic.

I think more than two can be alcohol possibly. They are pretty potent but often taste sweet and innocuous.

what the difference between a cocktail and a liquer or are cocktails a mix of liquers, I always thought that if you mix your drinks it made you ill.

a liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit that has been flavored with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nuts and bottled with added sugar or other sweetener.

Mixing your drinks will only make you I'll if you drink too much.

ill

You can mix liqueurs with non alcoholic or alcoholic drinks. An example of the former would be Tia Maria and Coke and the latter a Kir Royale where you mix Cassis with Chsmpagne.

These are not cocktails.