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Recently my wife and I attended our friend’s birthday party. He decided to surprise everyone and organized a cocktail party. Invited bartender. It was awesome. Although there was still one minus – the birthday boy drank weak cocktails all evening, but by the end of the evening he “dripped” well like that.
But it was he who assured everyone that low-alcohol mixes can be drunk in any quantity and nothing will happen. Wrong…
What cocktails are considered low alcohol
The concept of “low alcohol” can be confusing, since it is not clear what alcohol content is considered low, and at what point the mixture turns into a strong drink.
Low-alcohol or light cocktails are considered, the alcohol content of which does not exceed 4% -12%. They contain two or more ingredients, one of which is necessarily alcoholic.
Commonly used spirits are rum, gin, whiskey, or vodka, which are mixed with water, soda, juices, tonic water, or any other diluent.
Do they use strong alcohol for low-alcohol cocktails
For the preparation of a low-alcohol cocktail, any type of alcohol, including strong, is suitable. The main thing is that the final content of ethyl alcohol in the drink remains low. Therefore, a large amount of non-alcoholic diluents and ice are added to the mixture. Such cocktails are served, as a rule, in glasses of large volume, usually tall and straight.
Weak alcohol is also used as an alcoholic component: wine, champagne, vermouth, etc. Syrups, pieces of fruit, spices are added for taste. The result is a light drink. Thanks to the ice, low-alcohol cocktails are so popular in the summer and at incendiary hot discos.
What you need to make alcohol at home
To make a delicious low-alcohol cocktail at home, you can do without special tools or utensils, as well as elite alcoholic drinks. In fact, with skill and imagination, you can build a drink from improvised materials and get by with the dishes that are at hand.
Some recipes require a shaker – a vessel for mixing and cooling cocktail ingredients. A blender will also come in handy to grind some of the ingredients, such as ice, fruits, ice cream, etc.
As a substitute for a shaker, you can use a small thermos bottle or a glass jar wrapped in a rag or soft towel. Thus, it will be possible to protect the vessel from fragments of ice, which can break the glass when shaken.
6 best low-alcohol cocktails
The range of cocktails is constantly updated – bartenders come up with new combinations, and outdated drinks go into oblivion. But some cocktails can shamelessly be called classic.
Here are my top 6 smoothies that are easy to make at home:
- Mojito – popular all over the world and made with 40 g of white rum (for example, Bacardi Carta Blanca, Havana Club Anejo 3), 2 teaspoons of sugar, a glass of soda, crushed ice cubes and a few sprigs of mint. For cooking, crushed ice is placed in a glass (2/3), rum is poured into it and then soda. First you need to knead together the mint, sugar, juice of one lime and put on the bottom of the glass. Serve with a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon.
- Radler is the easiest cocktail to make. It consists of lemonade and beer (for example, Brauperle Premium Pils, Westmalle Trappist Tripel, Khamovniki Pilzenskoye) in a ratio of 1:1 (can be changed to taste). Drinks should be chilled and mixed.
- Margarita – an alcoholic mix originally from Mexico, the basis of which is tequila (for example, Olmeca Blanco, Espolon Reposado, Sauza Silver). For 2 parts of it, add one part of lime juice and 2 parts of Cointreau (Cointreau), mix everything.
- Clover Club – known for its memorable spicy taste and thick foam at the top. Consists of 50 ml gin (eg Bombay Sapphire, Beefeater, Hendrick’s) 25 ml raspberry syrup, 25 ml lime juice, 1 egg white and ice. All ingredients except ice are placed in a shaker and mixed. After that, ice is added to the drink and mixed again. Serve after straining through a strainer (at home, you can replace it with a regular strainer).
- A daiquiri can vary in composition but is usually 2 parts rum (eg Old Monk, Havana Club, Santiago de Cuba, Takamaka), sugar (2 parts) syrup, lime juice (1 part) and ice. It is enough to mix the components by first splitting the ice and placing it in a glass.
- Bloody Mary is one of the most controversial cocktails, as it has no less opponents than fans. To prepare it, pour tomato juice into a glass, put a spoon in it and carefully pour vodka along its handle (for example, Russian Standard, Kauffman, Beluga) so that two layers are obtained.
Cocktail making is an art that takes years to learn. Just pouring all the alcohol into one container is not enough. But this does not mean at all that you can only enjoy mixes in a bar. Many famous cocktails can be easily made at home, pleasing yourself and friends.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
And what alcoholic cocktails do you like to cook at home?