Banana Daiquiri & Passion

The summer is really heating up now - even here in Southern California, so I thought I would include two recipes for blended ice drinks which are ideal on a hot, sunny afternoon. They are also great served as a dessert.

The Daiquiri contains alcohol, but Passion (a delicious fruity drink) does not - both will wow your barbecue guests, and they're very simple to make.

Banana Daiquiri

1 ounce Bacardi
1 ounce Pure Lemon Juice
1 ounce Sugar Syrup*
3/4 fresh Banana
Ice

1. Pour all the ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a serving glass.
4. Garnish with banana slice and a cherry
   

* To make the sugar syrup, mix equal parts of sugar and water. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. This can be stored in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Passion is a fruity, non-alcoholic blended drink that will make you think you are on a Caribbean island!

Passion

1 Banana
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
1 ounce Orange Juice
1 ounce Mango Juice
3 teaspoons Passion fruit pulp
Ice

1. Pour all the ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a serving glass.
4. Garnish with banana and pineapple slice.

Mojito Time

As dusk falls in many cities around the world, bartenders are busy replenishing their bars with fresh fruit, herbs and ice, and they are ready for cocktail hour to begin. Among the favorites, the Mojito, with its great Cuban flavors, has become so popular that it now even rivals the martini in many bars.

So next time you invite friends round for drinks, turn up the Buena Vista Social Club CD, light a cigar, and sit back with with a refreshing Mojito, and create your own little Havana.

Ingredients for the Perfect Mojito

• 1 1/2 ounces Havana Club Anejo Blanco Rum
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• Juice of 1/2 a Lime
• 2 Sprigs of Mint
• Soda Water

Method

1. Pour the lime juice into a tall glass and dissolve the sugar in it.
   
2. Add a little soda water and then gently crush the mint in the glass.
   
3. Pour in the rum, two or three cubes of ice, and fill with soda water.
   
4. Stir and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Forget the Vodka, Bring out the Gin

I read with interest recently in Bon Appetit that Gin Is In. I am from England, so the classic Gin and Tonic has always been one of my favorite drinks, and one that we would always offer to guests, although most would usually go for a vodka martini. Apparently, gin cocktails are now starting to outnumber vodka-based drinks in the trendsetting bars across the US - from the Pegu Club in New York to Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle - so there has never been a better time to be a gin drinker.

Gin, distilled from corn, barley and flavored with juniper berries and other aromatics has been associated with London since the William of Orange from Holland took over the throne from King James II in 1688. Drinking Jenever, the early Dutch gin, became a symbol of patriotism. Britain banned the import of wine and brandy from Catholic France and encouraged the wholesale distillation of gin. Some time later the great London Gin distillers emerged such as Alexander Gordon, Charles Tanqueray and James Burroughs (known for Beefeater Gin). They developed what became known as the London style of gin, using pure water from the outlying villages and a continuous still to produce a light, dry gin. The flavors from botanicals such as angelica root, coriander, star anise, juniper berries, licorice root, bergamot and cassia bark add a taste and complexity to drinks that vodka does not, and each brand of gin produces a different flavored cocktail, depending on the variety of botanicals used in the production of the gin. Below are Pegu Club's Audry Saunders' recommended brands for five classic gin cocktails.

• Classic Martini - Tanqueray (94.6 proof)
  
• Gin and Tonic - Gordon's (80 proof)
• Aviation - Plymouth (82.4 proof)
• Negroni - Beefeater (94 proof)
• Tom Collins - Beefeater (94 proof)

The ingredients and recipes for the cool drinks can be found in the New Classic Cocktails book, available in the Gourmet Fusion Store.