For a religion of reputed non-drinkers, we seem to have plenty of alcohol-connected festivals. The weekly kiddush is made with wine or whisky and we celebrate the Torah’s birthday with a belly full of booze. (Drunk responsibly, of course.)
Purim does little to buck the trend. In a couple of days we’ll be marking Mordechai and his niece, Esther outwitting the evil Haman (booooo!) with fancy dress, a rainbow of hamantaschen and multi-coloured cocktails.
Here are a few recipes to whet your appetite:
Green Levantine (supplied by Milk and Honey)
Ingredients:
Handful fresh oregano leaves
60ml celery juice
30ml lime
30ml agave* syrup
60ml Levantine Gin
Atlantic sea salt for the rim
Method:
- Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a salt rimmed tumbler. Garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh oregano.
* You can use regular sugar syrup, but agave is lower than sugar on the glycaemic index, and a lot sweeter.
Summer Mule (supplied by Milk and Honey)
Ingredients:
60ml Milk and Honey New Make
25ml ginger syrup *
15ml lime
Club soda
Handful mint
Method:
- Place all ingredients (except club soda) in a cocktail shaker.
- Shake without ice and pour into an ice filled highball glass.
- Top with club soda and stir gently with a bar spoon or straw. Garnish with candied ginger.
* To make fresh ginger syrup: Juice ginger root through a centrifugal juicer, then mix equal part of granulated sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. If this sounds too much of a faff, you can either use syrup from a jar of crystallised ginger OR sub ginger beer for the fresh ginger syrup and club soda.
Walders’ Rum stag
Ingredients:
50ml Bacardi 8 year old
50 ml Walder’s Creamy Banoffee
2 bar spoons of Jaegermeister
15ml Luxardo Maraschino
Method:
- Shake all ingredients together and strain into a short tumbler over crushed ice.
- Garnish with a dried banana slice.
Walder’s Walderina
Ingredients:
½ orange
1 lemon
12.5ml sugar syrup
50ml Walders Creamy Banoffee
5ml Skyy vodka
Method:
- Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and strain over crushed ice into a short tumbler.
- Garnish with a slice of dried orange.
Walder’s Mintin
Ingredients:
30ml Walders Creamy Coffee Liqueur
20ml Crème de Menthe (White)
25ml milk
Method:
- Shake all the ingredients plus some ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with a mint leaf.
Walder’s Salsa martini
Ingredients:
35ml Walder’s Creamy Liqueur
15ml Grand Marnier
4 pineapple chunks
1 slice red chilli
5ml fresh lime
Method:
- Muddle the pineapple and chilli in a Boston glass – which is a glass cocktail shaker. If you do not have a Boston glass put the pineapple and chilli in a medium sized lidded jar. To muddle them, simply squash gently with the end of a rolling pin until the juices start to come out.
- Then add the other ingredients, put the lid on and shake.
- Strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a slice of chilli.
8. Noam Hass's Takeaway Gin:
Award winning Israeli mixologist, Noam Hass, has suggested his Takeaway Gin
Ingredients:
50 ml Tanquery number 10
20 ml passion fruit syrup
10 ml fresh lemon juice
50 ml fever tree ginger beer
Garnish: lemon zest
Method:
- Pour the ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice cubes.
So what are you waiting for? Get that Purim party started!