The Intoxicologist

World Cup celebrations roll around once every four years.  Become part of the festivities by throwing your own World Cup Soccer watch party.  Whether you are a soccer fan, inspired by the enthusiasm of worldwide sports competition and participation or just in on the action for fun and frivolity there is surely a team to cheer for while lifting a glass in spirited toast. 

The sprinkling of recipes below represents a few of the nations competing along with a spirit choice from the respective countries.  Enjoy the zeal of competition while cheering for the home team!

England’s spirit of choice: Gin

Though the classic Collins contains no muddled fruit with garnish of cherry and orange slice only, this version adds a striking color and summertime fruit flavor for something unique.

Black Cherry Collins – created by Cheri Loughlin

Adapted from classic Collins recipe

6 Fresh Cherries (save 1 for garnish)

3 Fresh Blackberries

1-1/2 ounce Gin

3/4 ounce Simple Syrup

3/4 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice

Club Soda

Gently muddle cherries and blackberries in bottom of mixing glass.  Add gin, simple syrup and lemon juice with ice.  Shake to blend and chill. Strain into tall glass.  Top with Club Soda.  Garnish with remaining fresh cherry.

Mexico’s spirit of choice: Tequila

Why be lured into the same Margarita fare where tequila is concerned?  It’s summer after all.  Venture from the usual.  Kick off the sandals with the Summer Vacation.

Summer Vacation – Good Spirits, A.J. Rathbun

1 ounce Silver Tequila

1 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

4 ounces Fresh Orange Juice

Orange Slice Garnish

Fill highball glass with ice.  Build drink over ice in order given.  Garnish with orange slice. 

U.S.A. spirit of choice: Bourbon

Nothing says good ole U.S.A. like bourbon.  Sure, neat or on the rocks is definitely the way to go most days of the week, but live a little.  Show the world bourbon is as sophisticated as the next spirit.  Dress it with sweet seduction.

Urban Bourbon – Good Spirits, A.J. Rathbun

2 ounces Bourbon

1/2 ounce Tuaca

Lemon Twist Garnish

Build over ice in a rocks glass.  Garnish with fresh lemon twist.  Stir gently.  Sip gracefully.  Notation: Original recipe in Good Spirits book calls for 3/4 ounce Tuaca. 

France’s spirit of choice: Absinthe

When the score is tied at zero and you’re looking for your team to score, this is definitely the go to cocktail.  If nothing else, loaded with Absinthe it is definitely THE cocktail on the list to score points in the room for most defined flavor.

Zero Cocktail – Good Spirits, A.J. Rathbun

1-1/2 once Absinthe

1-1/4 ounce Fresh Orange Juice

1/4 ounce Grenadine

Fresh Cherry Garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Strain into cocktail glass.  Garnish with fresh cherry.

Brazil’s spirit of choice: Cachaca

This Batida will allow you and your guests the freedom of choice.  Blender, ice and an assortment of fruit (fresh or frozen) will win you the trophy for best World Cup host. 

Frozen Fruit Batidas – adapted by Cheri Loughlin

2 ounces Cachaca

4 ounces Sweetened Condensed milk

1 Cup Sliced Fruit (Fresh or Frozen)

Fruit Slice Garnish

Place all ingredients except garnish in blender with approximately 1-1/2 cups crushed ice.  Blend until smooth.  Add more ice if needed.  Garnish with slice of fruit.

Spain spirit of choice: Sherry

This is an updated cocktail from Difford’s Guide #7 adapted from The Savoy Cocktail Book – Harry Craddock, 1930

Coronation Cocktail No. 1

1-1/2 ounce Fino Sherry

1-1/2 ounce Dry Vermouth

1/4 ounce Maraschino Liqueur

2 dashes Orange Bitters

Orange Zest Twist

Combine all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Strain into cocktail glass.  Garnish with fresh orange zest twist. 

Italy’s spirit of choice: Galliano

Every country needs winning spirit, so plan ahead with a champagne cocktail for that celebratory win.  Cheers!

Vittoria – created by Cheri Loughlin

1 ounce Galliano

1/2 ounce Raspberry Liqueur

1/2 ounce Orange Juice

1/2 ounce Lemon Juice

1-1/2 ounce Brut Champagne

Combine Galliano, raspberry liqueur and juices in cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to chill.  Strain into champagne flute.  Top with Brut Champagne. 

New Zealand spirit of choice: 42Below Vodka

From the 42Below Vodka Cocktail World Cup to the 2010 Soccer World Cup – a cocktail from the 21st Century Punch Challenge from Team New Zealand using 42Below Passion Fruit Vodka. 

Team New Zealand

Calem Chadwick – Matterhorn, Wellington

Josh Crawford – Hooch, Wellington

James Goggin – Racket, Wellington

‘Nuka Ora’ – (Health from the Earth)

23 ounces 42BELOW Passionfruit

12 ounces Tanqueray TEN Gin

15-1/2 ounces Nectarine Juice

15-1/2 ounces Homemade Tart Grenadine Syrup

7-2/3 ounces Shiraz

4 ounces Cherry Brandy

90 Teaspoons Apricot Infused Manuka Honey

80 Drops Bitters

Blend quickly.  Serve in large wooden mugs.

Cheers! Good luck to all teams participating. – The Intoxicologist

The Intoxicologist on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon

www.discus.org – Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Email: str8upcocktails@gmail.com

Copyright 2010 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., June 23 /PRNewswire/ – It is said, Paul Revere had a swallow of the stuff to stiffen his resolve partway through his famous midnight ride. Benjamin Franklin penned a small ode to it. Ernest Hemingway mixed it in tall cocktails. On election night in 1960, John F. Kennedy sipped it over dinner at his house in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts before watching the election returns. In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4th with a double ration of it for his soldiers and an artillery salute. James Beard said “of all the spirits in your home, it is the most romantic.” It is RUM.

Caribbean and European settlers brought their love of rum to the United States. Rum was being distilled in our country by 1664 and by 1770, more than five million gallons of rum were being produced each year. Rum was served during weddings, at wakes and at most taverns across the nation, where community activities were held. Work stopped for “leven o’ clock bitters” and planters sipped punch, flips and toddies.

America was built on rum. Its story is classically American and includes its rise, its fall during prohibition and its comeback. Today, rum still holds an important place in our nation. The rum category has grown for the last fifteen consecutive years and is the second largest spirits category behind vodka. Rum-based cocktails, such as the Mojito, Daiquiri and Mai Tai, continue to grow from innovative twists on the already popular classics and compliment emerging rum cocktails.

Tommy Bahama — an iconic American brand synonymous with everyday luxury, introduced Tommy Bahama Rum in 2007 with the hopes of bringing paradise to the palate. The Ultra-Premium rum, available in White Sand and Golden Sun, is the perfect complement to the Fourth of July weekend as the nation celebrates independence. Toast history and show patriotism with the following red, white and blue cocktails made with America’s true spirit — RUM.

Bahama Basil Smash (red)

2-1/2 parts Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum

2 parts sour mix

3 fresh blackberries

4 basil leaves

4 slices of ginger

1/4 part lemon-lime soda

Muddle blackberries, basil and ginger in a mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients, shake well and strain into a mixing glass. Top with a splash of lemon-lime soda. Garnish with an orchid.

Tommy Bahama’s Coconut Cloud Martini (white)

1-1/2 parts Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum

1-1/2 parts vanilla vodka

1-1/2 parts coconut rum

1/2 part cream of coconut

Shake in a cocktail shaker and strain. Garnish with toasted coconut.

Tommy’s Blue Hawaiian (blue)

1 part Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum

1 part blue curacao

1 part coconut cream

2 parts pineapple juice

Pour all ingredients into a blender with a scoop of crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass and garnish with a fresh pineapple slice and maraschino cherry.

Tommy Bahama Rum is made in Barbados at the legendary R. L. Seale Distillery. R. L. Seale has been crafting rum for more than eighty years and four generations, and their experience shows in every elegant bottle of Tommy Bahama. Tommy Bahama Rum’s two delightfully distinct flavors, Tommy Bahama White Sand and Tommy Bahama Golden Sun, are both made with the finest blackstrap molasses and the cleanest, clearest water naturally filtered through coral stone. Tommy Bahama Rums are fermented using specially selected yeast imported from the wine-growing regions of South Africa. Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum is aged a minimum of two years in American white oak barrels. A clear, light-bodied rum, White Sand has a smooth entry and clean finish with hints of tangy, tropical fruit. Tommy Bahama Golden Sun Rum is a blend of rums aged up to ten years in American white oak barrels. A full-bodied, amber rum, Golden Sun has an elegant, fruity nose and a taste nuanced with hints of coffee, roasted nuts, and sweet pralines. Tommy Bahama Rums have no added sugar or artificial blenders.

Tommy Bahama Rum, 40% Alc. /Vol. Imported exclusively by Sidney Frank Importing Company, Inc., New Rochelle, NY. www.tommybahamarum.com

DRINK RESPONSIBLY

About Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.

Founded in 1972, Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc. of New Rochelle, NY is the creator and importer of ultra-premium spirits. Our growing portfolio includes Jagermeister Liqueur from Germany, the best-selling liqueur in the United States; Gekkeikan Sake from Japan; Michael Collins Irish Whiskey; Jacques Cardin Cognac VSOP; and Tommy Bahama Rum. For more information, visit www.sidneyfrank.com.

Kate Laufer Director, Public Relations

Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.

914-637-5752

klaufer@sidneyfrank.com