The Ultimate Cocktail Guide

With the festive season around the corner, there's no better time to get to know your favourite cocktail menu and perfect the perfect cocktail recipes. That being said, recently the cocktail industry has surged, with whole new creative & inventive cocktail recipes each with its own flavour, twists, cocktail mixers and more. 

What Is A Cocktail? 

A cocktail is a drink made from spirits (alcohol), water or other ingredients such as bitters, syrups, juices, liqueurs, garnishes and ice. The word ‘cocktail’ comes from the French word coquetier which means “to flirt”. It was first used in 1806 by Pierre Ordinaire who invented it for his wife while they were on holiday in Paris. He called it a “coquetier” because he wanted to make her feel like she was flirting with him. 

Cocktails are often mixed using a shaker, but some cocktails can be shaken or stirred. Some cocktails have an egg white added to them to create foam. This is known as a foamy cocktail. There are many different types of cocktails including:

Classic Cocktails – These are usually served straight up without any additions. They include martinis, manhattans, gin and tonics, margaritas etc.

Frozen Cocktails – Frozen cocktails are usually served straight out of the freezer and are popular during the summer months. They include slushes, daiquiris, frozen gimlets, frozen mojitos etc.

Mixed Drinks – Mixed drinks contain two or more spirits, juices, liqueur, sodas, syrups or other ingredients. They include cosmopolitans, margaritas, caipirinhas, pisco sours, vodka sodas, rum punches, whiskey sours etc.

Fruit-based Cocktails – Fruit-based cocktails are usually served chilled and are great for summertime. They include fruit juleps, fruit shrubs, tropicals, sangrias, fresh fruit cocktails etc.

Sparkling Cocktails - Sparkling cocktails are usually served chilled, but not always. They include champagne cocktails, sparkling wine cocktails, prosecco cocktails, rosé cocktails, spritz cocktails, fizzes, soda bombs, mimosa etc.

Vodka Cocktails - Vodka cocktails are usually served chilled. They include vodkas, vodka sodas, vodka martinis, vodka tonics, vodka gimlets, vodka bloody marys etc.

Whisky Cocktails - Whisky cocktails are usually served chilled or at room temperature. They include whisky cocktails, scotch cocktails, bourbon cocktails, rye cocktails, Irish cream cocktails, brandy cocktails, port cocktails, cognac cocktails, amaretto cocktails etc.

Gin Cocktails - Gin cocktails are usually served chilled but not always. They also include gin and tonic, gin and ginger ale, gin and orange juice, gin and lime, gin and lemonade, gin and cranberry, gin and raspberry, gin and cucumber etc.

Rum Cocktails - Rum cocktails are usually served chilled with a splash of cola or club soda. They include rum cocktails, rums, rum punches, rum and coke, rum and pineapple, rum and grapefruit, rum and orange, rum and lime, rum and grenadine, rum and cherry, rum and coconut etc.

Tequila Cocktails - Tequila cocktails are usually served chilled either straight up or with a splash of colada. They include tequilas, margaritas, tequila shots, tequila sunrises.

How Many Units Is In a Cocktail

A unit is one shot of alcohol, one shot of alcohol is generally 25ml. 

As a rule of thumb, most cocktails have a 75ml of alcohol to juice, ice or mixer ratio. Meaning each cocktail is typically 3 units. 

However, some cocktails such as Long Island Ice Teas & Zombies are stronger than others and therefore may have a high unit percentage. 

How Many Calories In a Cocktail 

Cocktails can be very calorie dense depending on what you put in them. The average calorie content per drink is around 150 calories. However, this varies greatly from drink to drink. For example, a typical beer has about 100 calories while a glass of wine has only 30 calories. 

In addition, there are many different types of alcoholic beverages that have varying amounts of calories. Some examples include

How to make non-alcoholic cocktails 

Non-alcoholic cocktails are made by adding juices, fruits & sugar instead of alcohol. This means they do not get the drinker drunk like regular cocktails, at most a slight sugar-high.

They are often used when people want something sweet without the buzz, perfect for non-drinkers, and teenagers. 

Non-alcoholic cocktails are also commonly known as mocktails and are typically made in the same cocktail glass with similar coloured juices to give off the cocktail effect without the hangovers!

How To Use a Cocktail Strainer 

Cocktail strainers are used to strain out any unwanted ingredients before serving. You can use a cocktail strainer to remove the ice cubes, garnish, fruit, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, salt, pepper, olive oil, citrus zest, olives, cheese, chocolate, etc. 

How To Shake a Cocktail 

Shaking a cocktail is important because it helps aerate the mixture and creates a more frothy texture. It's also easier to mix if you shake first. Shaking should be done vigorously for 10 seconds. If you don't shake your cocktail properly, it will become cloudy and unappetising, and will not have combined the flavours enough to have the perfect blend of juices and alcohol. 

You can shake your cocktail using a shaker, blender, or even a food processor if you plan on having a blended ice cocktail. 

How To Make A Slushie Cocktail 

Slushies are frozen drinks that are mixed with crushed ice. They are great for summertime and are a refreshing alternative to drinking water. 

To create a slushie cocktail, simply add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of vodka to a blender along with 2 cups (480 ml) of crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Then pour it into a tall glass filled with crushed ice.

You can add a variety of syrups and flavourings to your slushie cocktails, we personally love our mermaid syrup (which is a blue sour raspberry syrup), but you could also go for classic and simple syrup flavours such as Pornstar Martini Slushies or even Apple Martini. 

Festive Cocktails

There are so many ways to make festive cocktails, here are just a few ideas:

• Christmas Cocktails - Now these can be done using Christmas flavours to create delicious cocktails such as peppermint or cinnamon.
• Mulled Wine Cocktails - adding a selection of fruit to your mulled wine and presenting in beautiful punch dishes make for the perfect festive cocktail
• Limoncello - This delicious yet simple drink is the perfect pallet-cleaning Christmas shot
• Bucks Fizz - A Christmas tradition in so many households, the classic drinks of bucks fizz pair perfectly with Christmas morning breakfasts. 
• Spiced Bloody Mary - There's no denying we all drink a little more at Christmas, especially us cocktail lovers, and sometimes the best way to get rid of the hangover head is to have hair of the dog, a spiced bloody mary is the ultimate hangover cure, using tobacco and tomato juice paired with vodka it'll set you up for another day of festivities. 

What Are Bottomless Cocktails?

Bottomless cocktails are alcoholic beverages served in a large glass which has been topped up with additional liquor over time. The glasses are usually kept full by pouring new shots from the bottom.

A bottomless cocktail is often referred to as a "bottomless pitcher" or "bottomless bucket".

It is most commonly associated with American bars and restaurants, although they are becoming increasingly popular around the world - with UK restaurant chains such as Turtle Bay, Pitcher & Piano, Slug & Lettuce and more offering 'Bottomless Brunch' which is a whole new experience of cocktail drinking.

What is bottomless brunch? 

It’s an event where guests are invited to enjoy unlimited cocktails and other alcoholic beverages throughout the entire duration of their stay.

This means that guests can choose how much they want to drink during the course of the night, rather than being limited to one or two drinks per hour.

It varies per location but guests will typically have a selected cocktail list and be able to order as many cocktails as they desire within their time period, it offers an affordable solution to trying delicious drinks at a pre-paid price.

What Are The Most Common Cocktail Mixers

Cocktail mixers are used to dilute spirits, juices and liqueurs before serving them to customers. They may contain carbonated water, soda water, club soda, sparkling water, tonic water, ginger ale, lemonade, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, cola or other fizzy non-alcoholic. 

At The Skinny Food Co, we have a wide range of non-alcoholic cocktail mixers which are the perfect combination for your creative cocktails. 

All of our cocktail mixers are: 

• Keto & Paleo Friendly 
• Gluten Free & Coeliac Friendly 
• Vegan & Vegetarian Friendly 
• Dairy Free & Lactose Friendly 
• No Added Sugar

Our Cocktail Mixers: 

• Apple Martini
• Mai Tai 
• Espresso Martini
• Long Island Iced Tea
• Cosmopolitan
• Pina Colada 
• Sex On The Beach
• Porn Star Martini 
• Margarita 
• Mojito 
• Peach Bellini