Images: Nicola Foley
In celebration of Cambridge Cocktail Weekend, we’re warming up with summer mixology inspiration
Cambridge Cocktail Weekend
Taking place 25 to 27 August, Cambridge Cocktail Weekend offers cocktails, live music, great food and fun over the Bank Holiday weekend. Having launched last year, the event is back bigger and better for 2017, this time featuring more bars, more cocktails, top street food and a great line-up of bands including Swagger, Big Ten and The Indietones.
From boutique local producers such as Pinkster Gin to world-class drinks brands including Moët and Tanqueray, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to tasting your way around this three-day extravaganza.
Here’s some ideas from favourite local bars.
La Raza
Having been mixing up tipples for Cambridge folk for over 14 years, La Raza know their stuff when it comes to the world of cocktails. There’s plenty to look out for at this Rose Crescent bar this year, including a new look, new foodie events and great live music.
The Fabio
What you need
• 50ml Pasilla Chilli infused El Jimmador Tequila
• White chocolate and orange milk
• Ice
Method
Make or buy your own milk; use a combo of condensed and normal milk and flavour with orange zest and white chocolate or your favourite flavours. Chill the milk. Don’t worry, this chilli is not spicy – just full of flavour. Simply build this cocktail (pictured left) in the glass, over ice, for a delicious, flavoursome version of the classic vintage cocktail the Silk Stocking.
The Miranda
What you need
• 50ml Ketel One Orange
• 12.5ml homemade lemon and demerara cordial
• 12.5ml simple syrup
• 80ml homemade cranberry and lime foam
Method
To make this fun twist on a classic (pictured above), shake the Ketel One Orange, lemon and demerara cordial and simple syrup together, then fine strain into a coupette to create the base of the cocktail.
Next you’re on to the foam – pour cranberry juice and fresh lime into a cream whipper and delicately layer over the cocktail base. Finally, garnish with lime zest shavings.
Novi
One of the bars taking part in this year’s festival is Regent Street’s Novi, which offers a selection of gorgeous, botanically inspired cocktails. Impressively, they create many of their cocktail ingredients in-house to help create dazzling bespoke creations rather than be limited by premade, bottled ingredients.
Dozy girl
“This is a new edition to our menu and uses Lanique rose vodka, Dozy Girl syrup, fresh lemon and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. The Dozy Girl syrup is made in-house and uses Bluebird’s Dozy Girl tea, which is a blend of chamomile, lavender and rose. We make a simple syrup from tea and then add ginger and lemongrass.”
What you need
• Lanique rose vodka
• Dozy Girl syrup
• Fresh lemon
• Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Method
The cocktail is served long over crushed ice and garnished with dehydrated ginger and rose buds.
Don’t dis-pear
“Both the pear cider caramel and the sage syrup for this drink are made in-house. We’re often asked about the cider caramel as it’s a fairly unusual cocktail ingredient, but simply put we reduce a pear cider with some added sugar over a high heat to remove the majority of the water, which creates a more flavoursome, syrup-like caramel.”
What you need
• Xante pear cognac
• Fresh lemon juice
• Pear cider caramel
• Sage syrup
Step-by-step guide
Shake with cubed ice and served short on the rocks with a sage and pear fan garnish.
Ta Bouche
A busy café-bar during the day, Market Passage’s Ta Bouche becomes a buzzing cocktail spot in the evening. Their skilled mixologists turn out a huge range of cocktails, from classics to an exciting range of house specials.
Passionfruit mojito
What you need
• Havana three-year-old rum
• Passoã
• Fresh limes
• Sugar
• Mint
• Passion fruit purée 
Method
Muddle the fruit, churn with all the liquid and mint and serve long over crushed ice.
Tiki Warrior
What you need
• Malibu
• Kraken spiced rum
• Coco Re’al cream of coconut
• Pineapple juice
• Lime juice
Method
Mix everything together, shake and serve long over crushed ice in a signature glass.
Hidden Rooms
Located in the heart of the city on Jesus Lane, Hidden Rooms offers great live music and creative cocktails.
Mai Tai
The name of this cocktail comes from the Tahitian word for ‘good’. It’s said to have been invented at Trader Vic’s restaurant in California in the 1940s, although a rival bar claims to have invented it years earlier. Either way, it’s delicious!
What you need
• 37.5ml or 1.5 shots Myers’s Rum
• 12.5ml or 0.5 shot Triple Sec
• 12.5ml or 0.5 shot Orgeat Syrup
• 12.5ml or 0.5 shot Gomme Syrup
• Juice of a whole fresh lime (approx 30ml)
• Dash Angostura Bitters to finish
Method
Mix all the ingredients and hard shake in a Boston shaker with cubed ice. Single strain into glass, half packed with crushed ice. Add fresh, crushed ice to form a cone. Criss-cross bitters. For the garnish, add mint, a lime wedge and a short straw.
Margarita
What you need
• 37.5ml Cabrito Reposado
• 100{b486c5a37ab2d325d17e17d701cb2567b1ecd1814e8ceb33effa2a4f1f171d46} Agave Tequila
• 12.5ml Joseph Cartron
• Triple Sec ABV 40{b486c5a37ab2d325d17e17d701cb2567b1ecd1814e8ceb33effa2a4f1f171d46}
Glassware: For a straight-up or salted-rim margarita, you will need a sombrero glass; for on-the-rocks use a vintage lowball
Method
Shake hard in a two-piece Boston shaker with plenty of cubed ice.
Margarita straight up: double strain, garnish and serve. Margarita on-the-rocks: single strain over cubed ice. Frozen Margarita: find a blender, it should be in the 80s somewhere.
For a salted rim, rim the glass with fresh lime first and dip in salt. For best results; freeze this garnished glassware before serving. Garnish with a lime twist.
