With the Prohibition Ball fast-approaching, HCX thought it’d be a great chance to whip up some fabulous 1920s cocktails to really wow your guests at pre-drinks. So don your finest flapper dress, position the feather in your headband and get that beauty spot in place, ready to enjoy these three simple but mouth-watering cocktails. You’ll soon discover why it was called the “roaring 20s”.
You can’t get more 1920s than Gatsby, and you can’t get more Gatsby-esque than the Gin Rickey. Actually appearing in the novel, the Gin Rickey quenches the thirst of the four main characters at a rather climactic scene. Whilst this scene may have left Jay Gatsby hot under the collar, this refreshing cocktail is certain to cool you down.
Ingredients:
60 ml gin
Juice of 1 lime
Soda water
Lime wedge for garnish
Ice
Method:
Fill a highball glass with ice.
Pour the gin and lime juice over the ice.
Top with soda water.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
For some delicious variations try adding watermelon juice, peach puree or a sprig of rosemary.
[pagebreak]
Pretty in pink, the Mary Pickford was named after the famous silent movie star of the 1920s. This fruity cocktail is said to have been created for the starlet in Cuba; vast quantities of rum were smuggled from the exotic country into the US during Prohibition.
Ingredients:
60 ml white rum
45 ml pineapple juice
1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur
½ teaspoon grenadine
Ice
Method:
Mix the rum, pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur rand grenadine in a cocktail shaker with some ice cubes.
Shake it like a Polaroid picture and then strain into your glass.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry and enjoy!
[pagebreak]
An absolute classic and a favourite of the notorious Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, the Sidecar is essential at any 1920s soirée.
Ingredients:
40 ml brandy or cognac
20ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier
20 ml lemon juice
Method:
Mix all ingredients in a shaker with a few ice cubes.
Strain and serve in a sugar-rimmed glass.
Garnish with a strip or lemon or orange rind. If you’re feeling brave, instead of a strip or orange rind try your hand at a flamed orange peel.
Now go and Charleston the night away…