About NIO cocktails

A relatively new concept: already made cocktails straight at your home.

No fuss no mess.

It is an interesting concept and it is something that you should try. NIO is one of the companies that are making them but not the only one. 

As a professional bartender and mixologist I will always prefer the fresh self made cocktails but I do have an advantage over the others. I do know how to. If you are inexperienced with making cocktails and you want to impress.

The way it works with them is to select how many cocktails you want- between 3, 6 and 9. Then you select the mixes that you want and from there you wait for your delivery. It is pretty easy. 

The idea is intriguing. I have to say it got my attention as well. I do see a future in this business especially during this time.  You should give them a try, or wait until we will have our own line! 

You can check more and see what flavours and mixes they have here. 

3 Delicious Matcha Cocktails

Our today’s color theme is green and we have matcha to help us with this!

Matcha is a powder, really fine grounded, made out of specially grown and processed green tea and if you want to read more about it you can find all the information here.

For our cocktails:

  • How to prepare your matcha for these amazing cocktails: add  a teaspoon of matcha in your mug and pour 10 ml of boiling water in your mug. Stir well, you can use a spoon or the chasen (the wooden whisked like matcha stirrer ). Keep adding water until your mug is full. (150 ml of water in total). Leave it to get cold. 

Let’s get to it. 

If you feel overwhelmed by the techniques or terms that we are using check out the free course on bartending. 

 

Tropical green

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml coconut vodka 
  • 25 ml coconut rum 
  • 75 ml cold coconut milk 
  • 75 ml matcha 
  • Ice: cubes and crushed 
  • Garnish: coconut flakes, corn syrup

Tools 

  • Shaker 
  • Cocktail strainer 
  • Tea strainer 
  • Rocks glass

The how to 

First we prepare the glass. We stir the rim in the corn syrup and then we do the same thing in the coconut flakes. In the shaker we add our matcha, milk rum and vodka. Add the ice and shake. Double strain it over crushed ice in your glass.

Matcha mojito 

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml rum 
  • 25 ml fresh lime juice 
  • 10 ml green apple syrup
  • 7 Mint leaves
  • 10 ml soda water
  • Matcha 
  • Ice: crushed 
  • Garnish: mint leaves

Tools 

  • Muddler
  • Bar spoon
  • Collins glass

The how to 

In your glass add the mint leaves, green apple syrup and lime juice and muddle the mint leaves gently. Add the ice and top the glass(leave space for the water)  with your matcha tea and stir well. Add the soda water and garnish with the mint leaves.

Forest fairy 

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml Absinthe 
  • 25 ml fresh lime juice 
  • 2 dashes Grapefruit bitters 
  • 70 ml Matcha tea 
  • Ice 
  • Garnish : dry orange wheel 

Tools 

  • Shaker 
  • Cocktail strainer 
  • Tea strainer 
  • Coupe glass

The how to 

In your shaker add the absinthe, fresh lime juice, the bitters and the matcha tea. Add ice and shake well. Double strain it in your coupe glass and garnish with a dry orange wheel. 

About milk allergy

Food allergy is an abnormally strong immune system reaction to proteins in our food. It is a form of food hypersensitivity. Can occur instantly, within seconds or in a few hours.  

It is not food poisoning. 

Food intolerance is when the reaction happens later and it lasts longer and it’s just uncomfortable. It happens when your body has difficulty digesting. 

We made a list with all main food allergies and more information on this subject and you can find it and read all about it here. 

Now, what about milk allergy? 

Most common is the allergy to cow’s milk but this doesn’t mean lactose intolerance. To be lactose intolerant it means that you can tolerate the proteins but can’t digest the lactose properly. 

Possible cross-reactivity with: other types of milk. 

Symptoms of the allergy. hives, itching or tingling feeling around the mouth, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, shortness of breath, vomiting. 

Avoiding milk and milk products is the primary treatment for milk allergy. Read the labels of the products you are buying really careful. Make sure if you eat or drink outside, at a restaurant or café,  you ask the right questions about the ingredients that you can’t have. You want to hear a definitive answer about the contents of the products you are just about to order. 

Because a milk allergy differs so much from a person that is being lactose intolerant that means lactose free milk will do you no good. An alternative to milk products is plant based “milk”. Delicious and way easier to access now. You can get vegan cheese that has no milk, can switch to soy based yogurt and so on. 

Take care of yourself!

We are not a medical page, so we will not offer any advice on what and how you should treat your condition, please visit your doctor if you encounter any symptoms!

3 Delicious Apple Juice Mocktails

You can create a tasty cocktail without alcohol in it. You can make your “ non drinking” friends feel as good and fancy when you are throwing a party. 

Today we have 3 amazing apple juice non alcoholic cocktails! 

Let’s get to it. 

If you feel overwhelmed by the techniques or terms that we are using check out the free course on bartending. 

Green apple 

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml curacao syrup 
  • 25 ml fresh lime juice 
  • Apple juice
  • Brown sugar cube
  • Ice: crushed 
  • Garnish: lime wheel

Tools 

  • Bar spoon*
  • Muddler 
  • Collins glass

The how to 

In your glass add the sugar cube and the fresh lime juice and press them. Add in your glass and pour in the syrup. Top the glass with your apple juice, stir if you want, but you can serve it with a straw and not stirred so the presentation will be prettier. Add the lime wheel as garnish. 

The apple sunrise 

Ingredients 

  • 25 ml grenadine syrup 
  • 25 ml fresh lime juice 
  • Apple juice(the thick type) 
  • 50 ml orange juice
  • 50 ml peach nectar 
  • Ice 
  • Garnish: orange wheel

Tools 

  • Collins glass
  • Bar spoon

The how to 

In your glass add ice, orange juice and the lime juice and stir. Pour the peach nectar slowly on the cake of the spoon. Using the same method pour in the apple juice, almost filling the glass. Add the grenadine syrup and serve with a straw. Garnish the glass with an orange wheel.

The summer apple

Ingredients 

  • 25 ml ginger syrup 
  • 50 ml watermelon soda 
  • Green apple nectar
  • Ice 
  • Garnish: watermelon triangle

Tools 

  • Collins glass
  • Bar spoon

The how to 

In your glass add ice, ginger syrup and the watermelon flavored soda. Stir well and pour in the green apple nectar to top the glass and stir again. Garnish with the watermelon triangle and feel breezy while enjoying it.

Trends in the food and beverage industry

Less meat more plant- base

This might be something that a lot of you will not want to hear, but this is a trend, a lot of restaurants are cutting down on “the meat”. Some are doing it to cut on costs, some are doing it because of society. 

The pressure from new generations to change the way we live, and this includes the way we eat, is serious and powerful. Location owners should not take it lightly, at some point, not too far in the future, the guests that you have now and are so stuck in their ways are going to die. 

Even if the consumption of meat will not be extinct, it will be reduced, and you should hoop on this train as soon as possible. 

Sustainability

Recycling, zero-waste and awareness of the environment changes. The food and beverage industry will have to be inventive and make this happen. They should implement this in all of the processes they have. 

Be mindful of how you transport your provision, how much you throw, how much you can recycle and how you can do so better.

We made a guide to help you with this and you can read more about it here.

Buy local

We should make sure the little companies around us can grow as well. You can also make sure you buy from farmers rather than the big providers. 

Although it may be more expensive in the long run, you can advertise your supply chain and make sure people know your location is an important pawn in your community, this will bring new guests in.

Do not mess it up!

3 Boozy Bubble Tea Recipes

Bubble tea is good on it’s own but we can make it tastier! 

About bubble tea: 

  • tea-based drink originating in Taichung, Taiwan in the early 1980s
  • includes chewy tapioca balls or a wide range of other toppings
  • there are many varieties of the drink with a wide range of flavors

Instead of having it the regular way we will make it more for the 18+ crowd. 

Let’s get to it. 

Depending on the coup size the ratio of boba to liquid is 1 to 6. For a 500 ml cup is 83 ml. 

Twist Tiger 

Ingredients 

  • 85 g of the brown sugar boba 
  • 350 ml black tea 
  • 150 ml milk (oat milk is tastier)
  • 75 ml dark rum 
  • 25 ml butterscotch schnapps

Tools 

  • Cup
  • Spoon
  • Shaker 
  • Cocktail strainer

The how to 

In your glass add the boba. Tilt your glass when you do that so the boba will leave a trail on the glass. 

Add your tea, milk, rum, butterscotch schnapps and ice in your shaker and shake well.

Strain the mix in your serving glass.

Spiked green

Ingredients 

  • 85 g of green apple popping boba 
  • 450 ml green tea 
  • 25 ml lavender syrup 
  • 10 ml fresh lime juice 
  • Ice 
  • 75 ml citrus vodka

Tools 

  • Cup
  • Spoon
  • Shaker 
  • Cocktail strainer
  • Tea strainer

The how to 

In your glass add the boba. Make sure you do not touch the walls of the glass. 

In your shaker add the green tea, the lavender syrup, lime juice, vodka  and ice. Shake well, you need to form foam. 

Double strain the mix in the serving glass. 

Schnappy

Ingredients 

  • 85 g of peach popping boba  
  • 250 ml black tea 
  • 25 ml peach syrup 
  • 25 ml orange juice 
  • 3 mint leaves 
  • 100 ml soda water(cold)
  • 75 ml vodka
  • 25 ml peach schnapps

Tools 

  • Cup
  • Spoon
  • Shaker 
  • Cocktail strainer
  • Tea strainer

The how to 

In your glass add the boba. Make sure you do not touch the walls of the glass. 

In your shaker add the black tea, peach syrup, orange juice, mint leaves, vodka and peach schnapps . Add ice and shake well. 

Double strain the mix in the serving glass. Top the glass with the sparkling soda, poor it slowly using the walls of the glass. Do not mix.

Fancy ice

First we’ll make something that looks nice and then something that tastes good. Both of them are not something mandatory. 

1. How to make clear ice

Even though this is not a must, it sure looks better and drips less. Full disclosure, the ice will not be 100% clear if you make it at home and don’t use a cooler. 

My favourite and easiest method is the boiling water and as a bonus, only when my freezer is empty will I play with the temperature. 

Let’s start!

  • We will use already filtered water, not from the tap. I use bottled water. 
  • Boil first time. After boiling, convert it and let it cool. 
  • Boil a second time. Leave it for 10 minutes. 
  • Pour it in the moulds and cover it with a plastic foil. 

The temperature play:

I do this only when I clean my freezer. I make sure nothing can go bad. I make sure that my freezer is set on the highest that it can be and still freeze. We do this because we want the water to freeze from the inside towards the outside. 

I do this when my freezer is completely empty so i can make a batch of ice that will usually serve me 1 to 2 months. 

2. Smoked ice 

I make this to add more taste to my cocktails. You want to be fancy and impress your friends at your private party, this will do it. Or maybe you want to add more taste to one of your signature cocktails at your location. 

For this you will need a grill, wood, spices, a shallow pan, water and your ice trays.

Now, this does.t have to be a long and hard process.

Let’s get to it.

  • First make sure your grill is clean. You do not want your ice with grease from the last BBQ.
  • Start the fire. You don’t need flame, you need smoke. Besides wood also use herbs and citrus peels, apple peels. (I do add them later to the mix- 30 minutes in) 
  • Once you see smoke you add the water in the shallow pan and leave it to sit for 1 hour.
  • Place the water in the trays and put it in the freezer. 
  • If you started that fire, you can enjoy a nice BBQ as well. 

Enjoy your smoked ice and a delicious cocktail. 

3 Delicious Keto Cocktails

If you are on a diet but you are still looking to have something tasty to drink, we are here for you.

Sometimes, especially if you are new to this type of lifestyle it might be hard to adjust but we just made it easier. 

Let’s get to it. 

If you feel overwhelmed by the techniques or terms that we are using check out the free course on bartending. 

Tipsy raspberry lemonade

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml gin
  • 25ml fresh lime juice 
  • 5-7 raspberries
  • Soda water 
  • Ice 
  • garnish : mint leaves , 1 lime wheel, 2 raspberries.

Tools 

  • Shaker
  • Cocktail strainer
  • Tea strainer
  • Bar spoon
  • Balloon glass

The how to 

In your shaker add the raspberries, lime juice, gin and ice. Shake well. Double strain in your glass over ice. Top the glass with the soda water and stir. Garnish and enjoy.

Boozy green tea

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml vodka
  • 75 ml green tea 
  • 25 ml lime juice
  • Soda water  
  • 5 mint leaves 
  • Garnish: lime wheel, mint leaves

Tools 

  • Muddler
  • Shaker
  • Cocktail strainer
  • Tea strainer
  • Bar spoon
  • Collins glass

The how to 

In your glass add the 5 mint leaves and muddle gently. In your shaker add the vodka, tea and lime juice, add ice and shake well. Double strain it in your glass over ice. Give it a stir and top the glass with the soda water. Garnish and savour it. 

Keto Paloma 

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml tequila 
  • 75 ml fresh grapefruit juice 
  • 10 ml lime juice 
  • Garnish: grapefruit slice 
  • Ice: cubes and a big cube

Tools 

  • Shaker
  • Cocktail strainer
  • Tea strainer
  • Rocks glass

The how to 

In your shaker add the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, ice and shake well. Double strain it in your glass over the big ice cube and garnish with the grapefruit slice.

Alcohol Allergy

A true alcohol allergy is pretty rare and the effects can be severe. People often mistake alcohol allergy with alcohol intolerance, like the way they do it with the lactose intolerance and allergy. 

It might be hard for people to determine if they are allergic to alcohol or not, because they can be allergic to the ingredients of the drink like: barley, wheat, rey, hops, yeast, grapes and so on. 

Symptoms of alcohol allergy

If you are truly allergic to alcohol, small amounts can be dangerous, better avoid it altogether. It’s possible to develop an alcohol allergy at any point in your life. 

Some of the symptoms to this allergy may include:

  • itchy mouth, eyes, or nose
  • hives, eczema, or itchiness on your skin
  • swelling of your face, throat, other body parts
  • wheezing, or difficulty breathing
  • abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Alcohol intolerance

This condition is called an ALDH2 deficiency. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) is an enzyme that your body uses to digest alcohol. When your body is not producing this enzyme enough you might have symptoms like: headaches, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat– when you are drinking.

If, after you are having a cocktail, beer, wine or so and either immediately or the next 15 minutes you are feeling any of these symptoms, make sure you contact your doctor and get yourself checked. 

Stay safe

You will not found here medical advices or how to deal with your allergy because we are not a medical page. What we can tell you is that you need to visit your doctor if you have any of this symptoms mentioned above after having alcohol. Be mindful, alcohol can be found in food as well ad drinks.

We made a list with all main food allergies and more information on this subject and you can find it and read all about it here. 

3 Smoked Beer Cocktails

First of all, what is smoked beer? It’s like a liquid grill. The flavour comes from the malted barley dried over an open flame. It does take some time to adjust to the taste but once you get it, it’s delicious!

We made 3 Smokey cocktails  to get you started in this chapter. 

Let’s get to it. 

If you feel overwhelmed by the techniques or terms that we are using check out the free course on bartending. 

Smoked cinnamon

Ingredients 

  • 50 ml cinnamon whiskey 
  • 75 ml smoked beer
  • 2 dashes cinnamon bitters 
  • Ice : big cube 
  • Garnish: cinnamon stick

Tools 

  • Rocks glass
  • Lighter 
  • Spoon 

The how to 

In your glass add the whiskey and the bitters. Stir and drop your big ice cube. Pour in your beer and stir to make foam. Flame your cinnamon stick at one end until you see some smoke coming out and drop it in your glass.

Smoked citrus

Ingredients 

  • 100 ml smoked beer
  • 2-3 dashes orange bitters 
  • 50 ml red orange juice
  • Ice 
  • Garnish: dry orange wheel

Tools 

  • Collins glass
  • Spoon

The how to 

Top your glass with glass. Put in your dashes and the red orange juice, stir. Add your beer and stir to make foam. Place your dry orange wheel in the middle of the foam.

Smokey Marry

Ingredients 

  • 100 ml smoked beer
  • 3 dashes tabasco
  • 25 ml lime juice
  • 25 ml orange juice 
  • Garnish: salt, lime zest, lime wedge

Tools 

  • Collins glass
  • Spoon 

The how to 

First we need to make sure all liquids are cold. We will prepare your glass first, rub the rim of it with the lime wedge and tap it in the mixed pile of salad and lime zest. Add your beer, lime and orange juice, and the tabasco dashes. Stir in your glass to make foam.