Alcohol – The Food Wife

Mojito

29th June 202529th June 2025
by thefoodwife

Makes 1

This is a cocktail that is rarely not seen on a drinks menu. Hereâ€™s how to make your own at home, youâ€™re going to love it!

Ingredients:

Mint leaves

50ml/ 2 shots white rum

30ml/ 1 shot lime juice

15ml/ 1/2 shot simple sugar syrup

Soda water

Ice

Garnish: mint leaves and lime wedges/slices

Begin by muddling (bruising) 5 mint leaves in your cocktail shaker. Next add the rum, lime juice, sugar syrup and ice, and shake together. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice and then top up with soda water. Garnish with mint and lime as desired.

With thanks to Grant Walker for being the best mixologist!

Paloma Cocktail

29th June 202529th June 2025
by thefoodwife

Makes 1

This refreshing cocktail is a Mexican classic. The alcohol base is tequila (use a good quality one please!) and it is flavoured with grapefruit. You could also add a squeeze of lime if you fancy it. Rimming the glass with salt is a fun addition. If you do this, before filling the glass with ice, either run a cut lime around the rim of the glass or dip in sugar syrup, then dip in a plate of salt.

Ingredients:

45ml/ 1 1/2 shots tequila

1/2 ruby grapefuit, juiced

15ml/ 1/2 shot simple sugar syrup (or agave)

75ml/ 2 1/2 shots Soda water

Optional: squeeze of lime

Garnish: salt rimmed glass and a slice of grapefruit or lime

Fill a glass with ice (already rimmed with salt if using). In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake the tequila, grapefruit and sugar syrup (and lime if using) together until very cold. Pour into the iced glass and top up with the soda water and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

With thanks to Grant Walker for being the mixologist

Festive Drinks

14th November 2024
by thefoodwife

As Christmas approaches, festive parties might well be on the calendar and so here are a few cocktail recipes to have up your sleeve for when itâ€™s your turn to do the entertaining.

Iâ€™ve chosen two classic alcohol-based cocktails and then a non-alcohol festive twist on a Moscow Mule to get everyone in the party spirit.

A French 75 makes the perfect welcome drink whilst the Godfather Sour is my go-to as an evening progresses. The Cranberry Mule will save any non-drinkers from missing out!

All recipes make one drink.

Big thanks to Grant Walker for being a most excellent bar man at our cocktail evening and to Anna Place for being on camera duty.

French 75

Ingredients:

30ml/1 shot gin

15ml/1/2 shot fresh lemon juice

15ml/ 1/2 shot simple sugar syrup

90ml/3 shots sparking wine

Garnish: lemon twist

Put the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.

Pour in to a flute/coupe glass and top with the sparkling wine.

Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Godfather Sour

Ingredients:

1 shot/30ml whisky

1 shot/30ml Amaretto

1 shot/30ml fresh lemon juice

1/4 shot/7.5ml sugar syrup (2:1 sugar:water ratio)

1/2 shot/15ml egg white

Garnish: orange twist

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.

Close and shake for 30 seconds, then strain into a short glass, with ice.

Garnish with an orange twist.

Cranberry Mule Mocktail

Ingredients:

45ml/ 1 1/2 shot of cranberry juice

15ml/ 1/2 shot fresh lime juice

180ml / 6 shots ginger ale

Garnish: lime slice

Fill a high ball glass half full with ice.

Add the ingredients in the order of cranberry, lime and finally ginger ale.

Garnish with a slice of lime.

RosÃ© SangrÃa

5th June 20245th June 2024
by thefoodwife

Makes 1 pitcher

RosÃ© Sangria! Summery and refreshing and a great way to use up the odd bottle of rosÃ© and make it go a little furtherâ€¦

You can garnish it with strawberries, orange, peach and nectarines and mint leaves. Iâ€™ve just used peaches as thatâ€™s what I had.

Mix 75ml of Grand Marnier or Cointreau, 10g sugar, a chilled bottle of rosÃ©, 300ml of soda water and if you like 100ml of cranberry juice. Lots of ice and your fruit garnish.

Give it all a stir and serve, ideally in sunshine!

Bourbon and Coke Chicken Wings

5th September 20215th September 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes 10 wings

When I was 18 my alcoholic drink of choice was always a JD and diet coke. I canâ€™t remember the last time I last had such a drink, but now at age 36, this weekend I did use the combination of bourbon and coke to make a delicious sweet and sticky glaze for some roasted chicken wings. Oh my goodness they were delicious. I canâ€™t wait to make them again!

N.B. You do need to use full fat/sugar coke in this recipe otherwise you wonâ€™t get the syrup needed to make the glaze.

Ingredients:

10 full chicken wings

750ml Coca Cola (full fat)

75ml bourbon whisky

1 spring onion, cut into strips

Step 1: Begin by spreading the wings on a roasting tray and baking for 40 minutes at 200c (fan) until they are cooked through and the skin is crisp.

Step 2: While the wings are roasting pour the coke into a wok and reduce on a high heat until it begins to thicken, then add the bourbon and continue reducing until syrupy but still liquid. If you take it too far, add a little more coke and lower the heat until the syrup has melted into the liquid. Turn off until youâ€™re ready to add the cooked wings.

Step 3: The wok needs to be heated up again as you add the cooked wings. Continuously stir to ensure each wing is coated and as the liquid continues to reduce and thicken each wing has a sticky glaze.

Step 4: Serve immediately, scattered with the shredded spring onion.

Mojito

Paloma Cocktail

Festive Drinks

RosÃ© SangrÃ­a

Bourbon and Coke Chicken Wings

RosÃ© SangrÃa