Tag Archives: simple cocktail

Lovoka

lovoka caramel liqueur

Lovoka is a caramel liqueur from South Africa that’s launching this year in the United States. Arriving in an aluminum bottle that reminds me of a bicycle flask, Lovoka (la-vah-cah)Ā fills a pretty sparse niche – I can only think of one more brand of caramel liqueur on the market. “Serve chilled” is the instruction onĀ theĀ bottle, so if you store it in the fridge or freezer, the aluminum with frost up nicely.

Taste-wise, Lovaka is nice and sweet, just as you’d expect it to be. There’s a lot of opportunity to make some cocktails with it – stir it into a White Russian, mix with S’mores Vodka, or add a shot to a cup of coffee orĀ a pint of Guinness. I made this simple cocktail with it (pictured above):

Betty Rubble (by Greg Mays)

Lovoka will be available this Spring in the U.S., starting in California, for $28 a bottle.

Old Fashioned

This is simple in it’s ingredients, a little fancy in it’s preparation. Oh and it’s the best cocktail ever.

Rye Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

  • Add 1 sugar cube (or spoon of sugar) to an old fashioned glass
  • Douse with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • Add a splash of club soda and stir well
  • Fill glass with ice, add 2 oz of rye whiskey, stir until cold
  • Take a piece of orange peel, squeeze over the glass and rub it around the rim
  • Top with another splash of club soda
  • Garnish with the orange peel and a cherry (I wrap the cherry in the peel)

Gin Old Fashioned

Gin Old Fashioned

  • Add 1 sugar cube (or spoon of sugar) to an old fashioned glass
  • Douse with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • Douse with 2 dashes of orange bitters.
  • Add a splash of club soda and stir well
  • Fill glass with ice, add 2 oz of gin, stir until cold
  • Take a piece of orange peel, squeeze over the glass and rub it around the rim
  • Top with another splash of club soda
  • Garnish with the orange peel and a cherry (I wrap the cherry in the peel)

Borodino

Here’s the recipe for a Borodino, a simple cocktail with vodka, gin, and triple sec (orange liqueur). Ā It’s got a great orange, herbal flavor and is crystal-clear. Ā This can be found in my PDF book:

  • 1 oz vodka
  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 oz triple sec
  • shake or stir with ice, strain into a cocktail (martini) glass
  • garnish with an orange peel