Cocktails and Pyjamas!

It’s Saturday, it’s raining and it’s two days until payday! That’s not going to put a dampener on my weekend though! I’ll be watching a bit of BGT and enjoying a few cocktails whilst snuggled on the couch in my favourite pjs!

Espresso Martinis are the perfect drink for any caffeine addict and cocktail lover. I love them and will be indulging in a few this evening because thankfully, my booze cupboard has all the necessary ingredients ready and waiting. Buying everything can be a bit pricey but I stocked up a while ago when Tesco had a few good offers on. I also used a Clubcard voucher to make further savings making my at home drinks even cheaper. At the moment Asda and Sainsbury’s have Kahlua on offer for £12 and you can pick up a 70cl bottle of vodka for £10 at most places. A 70cl bottle of vodka is enough make fourteen espresso martinis and the same size bottle of Kahlua will be enough to make twenty-eight! **Side note: Kahlua poured over vanilla ice cream is absolutely delicious!**.

For the espresso I used to use Tassimo coffee pods but found them a tad pricey for at home DIY cocktails. I’ve since found Black & Beyond instant espresso which is just £3.60 a jar. It lasts for ages as you only need one teaspoon per espresso and it also makes a lovely cup of regular coffee. I make this ahead of time with one heaped teaspoon of coffee and 50ml of boiling water, then leave it to cool ready for use later on.

I also like to add a bit of vanilla syrup to my espresso martinis; this stops them tasting bitter. You can use vanilla vodka but this tends to be a bit more expensive than regular vodka. I use Monin vanilla syrup, the same stuff Costa use in their coffees, and you can pick up a bottle for a couple of pounds. One bottle is enough for ten cocktails. You could experiment with other flavours of syrup like hazelnut and salted caramel!

Once you have all these ingredients in they last for ages so when it comes to a wet and boring weekend like this, you can still indulge without breaking the bank or leaving the house. I’ve worked out that it costs up £1.40 per cocktail using the ingredients I’ve listed at the current in store prices. That’s not bad when you consider some places charge up to £9 for the same thing. I’m not aware of any bars that allow you to enjoy a cocktail whilst wearing pyjamas either so it’s a win win!

Making cocktails is really easy to do even if you don’t have all the fancy bar style equipment. I was lucky enough to be treated to a lovely cocktail making set and four champagne saucers for my twenty-eighth birthday last year. It’s not essential to have a cocktail shaker or fancy glass wear; you can improvise and use things from around your kitchen. No cocktail shaker? Try using a protein drink shaker, a large jar with a lid or any container that won’t leak liquids when you’re giving it a good shake. When it come to serving a small wine glass or tumbler will work just fine; after all I’ve seen plenty of “trendy hipster” bars that use all sorts of unusual things to serve their cocktails in.

If you want to make your own here is what you’ll need:

• Cocktail shaker
• Glass to serve
• Ice (crushed or cubes)
• Cocktail strainer (or a regular sieve or tea strainer)
• 50ml Vodka
• 25ml Kahlua
• 25ml cold espresso
• 25ml vanilla syrup (optional but really tasty)
• Coffee beans to garnish (optional but pretty)

How to make your espresso martini:

• Half fill your cocktail shaker with ice
• Add the vodka, Kahlua, cold espresso and syrup to the cocktail shaker
• Place the lid on securely and shake until the mixture has developed a creamy froth
• Pour into your glass using a strainer
• Garnish with three coffee beans
• Enjoy

Happy Saturday,

Thrifty Clair x