Greenleaf Witchy Cocktails

Over 65 recipes for enchantment in a glass, including classic cocktails, magical mocktails, pagan punches, and more
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-80065-392-4
Verlag: CICO Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 144 Seiten

Make your next party extra magical with this superb collection of delicious drinks, delectable potions and exciting elixirs. Turn your bar into an altar with these delightful recipes, including drinks to foster wealth, love brews and high holiday concoctions, as well as classic cocktails with a splash of sorcery and mystical mocktails. Cleanse your aura with a Mystic Hibiscus and Blackcurrant Mojito, sip a Pumpkin Spice Prosperity Coffee and conjure up love with Enchanted Martinis for Two. You can even consult the Astrological Cocktail Guide to find the perfect beverage for your star sign! Featuring inspiring photography of drinks, potions and garnishes, this unique approach to crafting cocktails using the craft of Wicca from bestselling author Cerridwen Greenleaf will ensure many enchanted evenings.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Greenleaf, Cerridwen

Leseproben

Your Witchy Cocktail Toolkit

You may have a few essential bartending tools already, but you will doubtless need to acquire some more of them. I have found many of mine at yard sales for pennies. These lucky finds just need a good cleaning and cleansing to remove the remaining energy of those who used them before (see page 18).

The Basics

Barspoons: Proper stirring of cocktails cannot be accomplished with just any spoon—you need the longer, slimmer style.

Cocktail shaker: Many cocktails have several ingredients, best enjoyed by mixing with a good shake. Get a shaker that has a built-in strainer.

Jiggers: These, used by bartenders, are a must for measuring the exact amount of ingredients, which makes for a balanced cocktail. They are available in different sizes, ranging from ¾ oz (25 ml) to 1½ oz (45 ml) and 2 oz (60 ml).

Ice: Ice is an essential in many cocktails and mocktails. As well as cooling ingredients in a cocktail shaker and chilling glasses for greatest enjoyment of the drink, it can greatly enhance the tastes of certain recipes. One of my favorite uses for ice is with a neat shot of a great scotch or other liquor. First, taste the straight scotch in the glass and savor for a few sips. Then add one ice cube and taste. The difference in taste is remarkable—try it! I also suggest freezing fresh herbs in ice cubes to add a healing and savory note to your cocktails and mocktails. To make double-frozen ice, which takes longer to melt, freeze water in an ice-cube tray as normal; once frozen, allow it to thaw completely (which forces out any tiny oxygen bubbles), then re-freeze. Repeat this process for triple-frozen ice.

Other essential tools: A corkscrew, zesters and peelers, an ice bucket and ice pick, and kitchen cloths you can use as bar towels.

Glassware

The taste of your concoction will depend on the glass, so you will need to create a collection of barware. Very few of my cocktail glasses were purchased new; I picked them up for a few pence at thrift stores and the vintage designs add much charm. Some of them include:

Balloon/copa: This is a bulbous, rounded stemmed glass.

Collins: A tall and slim glass that can contain 10–14 oz (300–400 ml) of liquid, and used for a Tom Collins cocktail among others.

Coupe: A small bowl that is stemmed. It is used to serve cocktails such as daiquiris and an Aviation. You can also use it to serve Champagne.

Flute: A slim, fancy, long-stemmed glass, used for mimosas and Champagne. It can contain 6–10 oz (175–300 ml) of liquid.

Heatproof: For hot cocktails, heatproof glasses can be a stylish alternative to cups or mugs.

Highball: Akin to a Collins glass, the highball can contain 8–12 oz (235–350 ml) of liquid. It is used to mix and serve drinks such as iced tea drinks and tequila sunrise.

Hurricane: This glass looks a bit like an hourglass, inspired by hurricane lanterns used in storms.

Margarita: A margarita looks similar to a coupe glass, but contains two curves.

Martini: This glass features a V-shaped bowl. It is famously used to serve martinis with an olive pinned on a toothpick.

Rocks: Also called a lowball glass, a rocks glass is a short glass that can contain about 6–10 oz (175–300 ml) of liquid. It is used to serve whiskey or scotch with ice.

Shot glass: This is built for a one-gulp drink. It can typically hold ¾–1 oz (25–30 ml) of liquid.

Wine: Traditional wine glasses are also sometimes used for cocktails.

Bartending Know-how

When starting out making cocktails and mocktails, there may be terminology you are unfamiliar with. Here is a short guide to the art of making these delicious libations.

Shaking: The rule of thumb is to shake a cocktail for 15–20 seconds for a drink that will be served directly from the shaker. If it will be served in a glass with ice, shake for 5–7 seconds. Dry shaking simply means shaking the ingredients in the cocktail shaker without ice. Recipes which include egg whites for a frothing effect require a dry shake.

Muddling: This involves putting solid ingredients, such as slices of fruit and mint leaves, in a mixing jug or shaker, either on their own or with other ingredients, and then pressing/crushing them with the back of a barspoon or a “muddler” (a pestle). The idea is to release the fruit juices and the leaf flavors.

Straining and double-straining: Many cocktails have to be strained to ensure that solid ingredients and ice are not transferred from the shaker or mixing jug to the glass. If the cocktail only needs to be strained once, then a shaker with a built-in strainer will do the job. Double-straining is often necessary in cocktails, such as martinis, where the ingredients are shaken over ice but it is important to avoid even small shards of ice falling into the glass. The cocktail is poured through the strainer in the lid of the shaker, while a second, fine strainer is held over the glass.

Chilled glasses: Many cocktails in this book call for a well-chilled glass. One safe way to do this is to fill the appropriate glass with ice and leave until it feels very cold to the touch. Discard the ice before pouring the cocktail into the glass.

Twist: This usually refers to a strip of citrus peel, about 2 in. (5 cm) long. Cut the fruit in half at the middle. Use a paring knife around the edge to remove the peel, cutting away as much of the pith as possible. (It is easier if you use fruit with thick skins.) Remove the fruit and set aside. Cut the remaining peel circle so that it becomes a long strip. Twist it, holding it for several seconds until the shape forms.

Mist: Use a citrus peel to add a flavored mist. Hold the peel over the drink and twist, so that the oils in the peel are released in a fine mist that falls onto the surface of the drink.

Flaming: To do this, a piece of citrus peel is held at one end and a lighter brought up to it in order to release some of the oils. The peel is then held over the glass and twisted, to create a fine mist that falls onto the top of the cocktail (see Mist). The flaming produces a particularly aromatic mist.

Simple syrup: Simple syrup is one of the easiest-ever recipes: mix 1 part granulated sugar with 1 part water. You can heat the water and simmer until the sugar dissolves, then let cool, but some bartenders put the mixture in a cocktail shaker and shake until the sugar dissolves. Try both! If you make it ahead of time, it will keep for up to 1 month in a sterilized jar/bottle if refrigerated.

Salted and sugared rims: Some cocktails benefit from being drunk from a glass with the rim covered with a layer of salt or sugar (or, sometimes, with something more exotic, such as nutmeg or cocoa powder). First rub the rim of the glass with the cut side of a wedge of citrus fruit or with zest to create a sticky surface. (If you hold the glass upside-down, there is less chance of the juice running down the sides of the glass or into it.) Then dip the rim in salt or sugar on a plate or shallow tray. Shake off excess salt or sugar; none must fall into the glass.

Infusing: When a recipe includes an ingredient “infused” with a particular flavor, you can often buy the product ready-made. However, in some instances, you may have to do the infusing yourself. Generally, this is a simple matter of steeping the flavoring—strawberries, for instance—in the liquid, possibly sugar syrup, long enough for it to impart its flavor.

Essential Witchy Tools

The art of witchy cocktails calls for an extra dash of magic. As well as the items listed below, you may wish to keep other Wiccan elements close by for your magical workings, such as relevant crystals and images of deities.

Candles: These are truly essential. Follow your instinct on choosing sizes, shapes, and colors; keep an array of options on hand.

Incense: Incense contains inherent energies that you can use to further your intention and promote your purpose. Every New Age store, herb shop, or health food store has a wide variety of cone, stick, and loose incense. Powdered or loose incense needs to be burned on a charcoal cake, usually sold in these same stores in packets of ten. You should set the charcoals in a fireproof glass or clay dish or use your censer (incense burner) from which the smoke will waft out enchantingly.

Book of Shadows: This is a journal of your choosing in which you write down your magical workings, notes, and recipes. When you track the effectiveness of a ritual, you can use this to refine your spellcraft in the future and your power will increase. Record your incantations in your Book of Shadows and you’ll soon learn which pairings of libations and enchantments are the most bewitching for you and your guests!

Athame: This magical knife should be placed on the right side of your altar. The athame (pronounced “a-thaw-may”) is used to direct the energies raised in your ritual and usually has a dull blade. Since black is the color that absorbs energy, athames should have a dark handle.

Essential oils: These natural oils made by distillations of herbs and flowers, ideally organic, retain the fragrance of the original plant from which they are made. When you are making a blend of oils or a potion or lotion, mix them with a carrier (or base) oil, such as jojoba, almond, apricot, grapeseed, or sesame, to dilute the essential oil, making...