It’s Bank Holiday Barbeque Time!
Bank Holiday BBQ Ideas
Summer is in full swing, the forecast is red-hot sun (with scattered showers!), the garden is green and the smell of the neighbour’s barbeque is wafting over your fence. It’s that time of year again; time to dust off the old barbeque for its annual airing. What better time than Bank Holiday Monday? With the roads and airports chock-a-block with red-faced motorists and holiday makers, get away from it all and take the time out to relax in the garden, throw a party and sizzle-up some bangers with friends.
Here at drinkstuff we have a mind-boggling array of barbeques and summer party accessories . Whether you’re looking for bbq accessories, disposable drinkware, party plates or napkins right up to cocktail sets and Inflatable Hot-tubs! We’ve also included a few recipes and Ideas but if you need a comprehensive collection of cocktail recipes then check out our cocktail books which are jam-packed with ideas for creating your own concoctions!
Food Inspiration
Food is quite rightly the star guest at any barbeque. Nothing can beat the smell of char-grilled meat filling the summer air. With so many choices available at the supermarket it can be easy to settle for pre-made burgers and sausages but if you fancy trying your hand at making your own burgers, it couldn’t be simpler with the Swift Burger Press . Mix up your mince and chosen ingredients in a bowl and spoon into the mould and press down to create your own authentic professional-looking home-made burgers!
Of course, barbeques aren’t limited to burgers and sausages. Be adventurous, try Lamb, Pork Chops or Steak and marinade your meat the night before. Also fish and shellfish are delicious barbequed and don’t forget old favourites like corn-on-the-cob, salads and nibbles like olives and nuts.
If you’re looking for inspiration; here’s a tried and tested marinade recipe from the drinkstuff team. It’s very simple to put together, using some basic food cupboard ingredients:
Smokey BBQ Marinade
300ml Barbeque Sauce
1 Onion, chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
2 Tsps Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
4 Tbsps of Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Worcester Sauce
2 Tbsps Tomato Puree
1 Tsp White Wine Vinegar
This tasty and easy marinade is great for white meats such as chicken and pork, although it works just as well with Beef Steak and Fish. Simply mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and add your chosen meat. Ensure that the marinade is covering the meat, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight before cooking as normal on your barbeque. Once your meat is cooked, serve it up with a bowl of fresh salad, cous-cous or even more meat!
For the presentation conscious our Royal Genware Square Plates are ideal for presenting a plate of food a chef would be proud of! For a whole range of tableware and presentation ideas check out our ever-expanding selection of tableware and crockery for more inspiration.
Drinks all round!
Drink selection is a vital part to any gathering of friends, why not throw a BBQ party with a twist and greet your guests with a tray of refreshing Mojitos or a bowl of homemade punch?
Children and designated drivers should never be left out so don’t forget to include a non-alcoholic punch or have a blender on-hand to wizz-up some ice-cream smoothies or fruit-based cocktails. Make sure you have the right glass for the job though; cocktails aren’t just about mixing drinks together it’s about the presentation too!
Another party essential which is a firm favourite here at drinkstuff towers are the Stack Cups . These ingenious lightweight cups have a hollow handle which allows them to be stacked together for easy carrying. They’re perfect for dishing out a round of cold beers when your free-hands are limited!
If you want to save on washing-up we now have a range of bio-degradable plastic cups and recycled napkins to minimise any harmful fallout from your party. Because let’s face it; who wants to be washing up after a few Sangrias!?
We’ve included a couple of our favourite summer cocktail recipes for you. For non-alcoholic ice-cream shakes just swap the Vodka, Baileys and Kahlua for flavoured Crusha or Nesquick, the kids will love it!
Summer Ice Cream Alco-Shakes (Makes 4)
4 Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
50ml Vodka
100ml Bailey’s irish Cream
50ml Kahlua
300ml Milk
In a blender or food-processor add all of the ingredients and simply wiz them together until they are blended into a smooth drink. Serve in iced hurricane cocktail glasses with a straw. For extra decadence top with a generous helping of whipped cream!
Sangria (courtesy of the ultimate bar book )
2 Lemons, sliced
2 Peaches, pitted and sliced
120ml Fresh lemon juice
90ml Licor 43 (If available)
75g Superfine sugar
75cl of red wine (Rioja is ideal)
Soda to top up
Combine the lemon and peach slices in a large glass pitcher . Add the lemon juice, Licor 43 and sugar, stirring to combine. Gently stir in the wine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, add the soda, stirring gently. Slowly pour into ice-filled wine goblets allowing some of the fruit to fall into the glasses.
Licor 43 is an ancient Spanish liqueur which has a distinctive vanilla and citrus twang. It’s not readily available in the supermarket and unless you spend a lot of time hopping over to Spain you’ll rarely see it. However several online stockists do supply to the UK for a reasonable price.
If you want to, you can replace the Licor 43 with another fruity liqueur such as Cointreau, Pimms or Flavoured Vodka.
We hope you take the time to relax and enjoy your summer barbeque. After all it’s the last Bank Holiday until Christmas! One last point to note is of course to drink safely and be careful handling your barbeque, don’t over-stock your coals or go mad with the lighter fluid, nobody wants to eat burnt sausages or worse; spend bank holiday in A&E!
It’s Jamaican Independence Day – Bring on the Rum!
It’s a Great Day for Jamaica, not only after the lightning-fast Olympic antics of Usain Bolt and Johan Blake in last night’s 100m final but also today is the 50th anniversary celebration of Jamaican Independence.
Rum is definitely the flavour of the day, however take your time with it, and certainly don't knock it back in 9.63 seconds! (especially if it's Jamaican overproof!). Perhaps join the celebrations in style with a refreshing chilled Jamaican Iced Tea? We highly recommend mixing it up with our Cocktail Starter Pack which is currently available at a 38% discount from our website and includes a The Bar Book, the most comprehensive cocktail guide ever written, with over 1000 recipes. In case Rum or Iced Tea aren’t your thing!
Jamaican Iced Tea (per Serving)
50ml Dark Jamaican rum
300ml Iced tea
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 Teaspoon of Brown Sugar
1 Lime cut into 1/8 size wedges
Pour 50ml of Dark Jamaican Rum into a Cocktail Shaker. Add Spices and sugar if desired and the Ice Tea. Shake well and decant into a chilled glass with a handful of Ice Cubes and a wedge of lime. Chill out, pull up a chair and sip along to the Athletics finals!
New from Bar@drinkstuff – Our stylish-Irish Coffee Gift Set
We’re very excited this week at the Drinkstuff office with the arrival of our new Irish Coffee Gift Set from Bar@drinkstuff (to be sure!). This stylish set comes with 4 tall and slim coffee glasses in an elegant contemporary styled striped stainless steel handle and surround, to keep those fingers from burning. They also come with their own matching stainless steel coasters and stirring spoons that double as straws - genius! (Slurp!)
This funky little Irish Coffee Set is perfect for a round of after-dinner party drinks and we’ve had lots of fun here in the office coming up with our own after-dinner drink and liqueur combinations! Gin and coffee anyone? ...hmmm maybe not.
For those of you who like their liqueur on the side, try combining these with our Chocolate Shot Cups for the most decadent post-dessert buzz!
The Original Irish Coffee
Are you wondering how to make Irish Coffee? Just for your pleasure, here’s a handy Irish coffee recipe courtesy of www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients (per glass)
- 200ml freshly brewed hot coffee
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 jigger Irish whiskey (15ml or 3 tablespoons)
- Heavy cream, slightly whipped
Directions
Fill your coffee glasses with hot water to preheat it, then empty. Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Blend in Irish whiskey. Top with a collar of the whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over back of spoon. Serve hot.
Alternatives:
Swap the Whiskey for your favourite spirit. Try Tia Maria, Amaretto or Baileys Irish Cream for a sumptuous after-dinner experience!
Teapot Cocktail Party
Picture the scene; a cake stand filled with daintily cut cucumber sandwiches, delicious Victoria sponge slices, and scones with jam and clotted cream. Obviously served with a teapot and teacups...but hold on a minute, they're drinking Margarita through a straw in a teacup? Known as a teapot cocktail party, this new phenomenon of combining sophisticated afternoon tea with tasty after work cocktails is becoming popular in bars and tea houses across the country.
As any keen teapot cocktail lover will tell you, you can forget serving your Cranberry Woo Woo in a pitcher filled with ice, your grandmother's teapot adds so much more class. Teapot cocktails are most commonly served in a teacup or martini glass, but any regular cocktail glass will do.
Fancy hosting your own teapot cocktail party? If you're wondering what to serve up in your cocktail teapot, we've got some recipe inspiration for you. Why not try a green tea martini or a tea-for-two martini?
Green Tea Martini
90ml green tea, chilled
170ml citron vodka
15ml Cointreau
15ml simple syrup
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and strain into your teapot. Perfect served in an ice filled glass or teacup garnished with an orange twist.
Tea-for-two Martini
130ml spice rum
170ml black tea
90ml simple syrup
130ml cranberry juice
15ml grenadine
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and strain into your teapot. Perfect served in a martini glass and garnish with a cherry.
To help get you started we've complied some great value teapot cocktail sets so you can host your very own teapot cocktail party! Check out our fabulous tea pot cocktail sets including the Teapot Cocktail Set, Tea Party Cocktail Set and Storm in a Teacup Cocktail Set. Absolutely spiffing marvellous!
Tu-de-lu,
The Drinkstuff Blog
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Drinkstuff’s Cocktail Bundle Competition
At Drinkstuff we like to make things as easy as possible, which is why we've put together our range of cocktail making kits, which combine all the cocktail equipment and cocktail accessories you need while saving you money! Now it's your chance to get involved with our bundle competition!
We want you to design your dream cocktail kit - with all the equipment and accessories you need to throw a cocktail party! Simply choose from our great range of cocktail accessories, bar equipment and glassware on drinkstuff.com and make a list of what you'd put together in your cocktail set and you could win it!
To take part send your list of products (with full titles) that make up your set to facebook@drinkstuff.com, along with your full name and address. If we like your set you'll be in with a chance of winning it and could even see it on our site!
Terms & Conditions:
-Only 1 entry per person
-Only entries submitted to facebook@drinkstuff.com will be valid
-Entries cannot be duplicates of our current bundle deal sets
-Only entries which include more than 3 different products will be considered
-Winners will be notified via email and your name may be posted on our facebook page
-Closing date for entries is the 12pm on the 10th June 2011
Paul Smith for Stelton – Statement Bar Set
When it comes to designer stuff you expect to pay a little extra. After all you're getting high quality goods aren't you? Let us introduce you to the Paul Smith's Statement Bar Set, it's a snap at £1,500 (if you happen to be a millionaire of course). It's enough to make your bank manager wince and your partner to demand a separation.
Paul Smith for Stelton - Statement Bar Set
If however, you love your designer barware, this might just be the set for you. Created in celebration of Stelton's 50th anniversary, Paul Smith has taken classic Stelton products from the 1960's and given them a modern day revamp. However much we like the design, this one might just be out of our budget...
 Statement Bar Set - Ice Bucket & Tongs |
 Statement Bar Set - Jug |
Christmas Cocktails
Oh baby, it's cold outside! So what better way to warm up than with a couple of festive cocktails? We’ve compiled a selection of our favourite winter warmers, fruity punches and spicy cocktails that are perfect for Christmas day drinks and New Year’s parties!
Cinnamon Warmer Cocktail
Ingredients:
• 50ml Cinnamon Syrup
• 10ml Coffee Liqueur
• 25ml Orange Liqueur
• 40ml Tequila Gold
• 30ml Lightly Whipped Crème Fraiche
• Ground Cinnamon
Method:
Pour the cinnamon syrup, coffee liqueur, orange liqueur and tequila into a cocktail shaker. Give it a good shake and serve into a Cancun Cocktail Glass, before topping with lightly whipped crème fraiche and spinkling with ground cinnamon.
Baileys Latte
Ingredients:
• 20ml Espresso Coffee
• 50ml Bailey's Cream Liqueur
• 200ml Stemmed Milk
• Chocolate Shavings
Method:
Prepare the espresso coffee, then pour into your Bailey's Latte Glass along with the Bailey's. Prepare the stemmed milk and and add to the glass, using the remaining froth to fill the glass to the top. Spinkle with chocolate shavings for decoration.
Blackberry Punch Cocktail
Ingredients:
• 75ml Absolut Vodka
• 50ml Lemon Juice
• 50ml Simple Syrup
• 25ml Chambord Raspberry Liqueur
• Champagne or Sparkling Wine
• 3 Whole Blackberries
Method:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, Absolut Vodka, Chambord, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake well and strain into a chilled Absolut Vodka Tumbler Glass filled with crushed ice. Top with Champagne or sparkling wine and garnish with the blackberries.
Mulled Wine Cocktail
Ingredients:
• 100g / 4oz Light Muscovado Sugar
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 4 Cloves
• 150ml Water
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Clementines
• 150ml Cointreau
• 750ml Light Red Wine (such as Beaujolais)
• Twist of Orange Zest & Star Anise to garnish
Method:
Put the light muscovado sugar in a pan with the single star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves and water. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour into a large jug to cool. Thinly slice the lemon and clementines and add them to the jug. Add the Cointreau and light red wine, before giving it a good stir.
Cover and leave to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve with the LSA Punch Bowl and LSA Punch Cups with ice. Garnish with the twist of orange zest and star anise. Can be served cold or gently warmed.
Minty Mojito Cocktail
Ingredients:
• 25ml Light Rum
• 25ml Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 100ml - 300ml Club Soda
• Handful of Fresh Mint Leaves
Traditional Method:
In the bottom of a hiball glass, muddle together the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rum, then fill the glass with ice and club soda, before garnishing with a mint sprig.
Shaken Method:
Shake the lime juice, sugar, mint leaves and rum vigorously with ice in a cocktail shaker. Without straining, pour the entire contents in an Islande Hiball Glass and top with club soda. Garnish with a mint spring.
Our Mojito Kit allows you to make Mojito using either method.
Happy Christmas!
The Drinkstuff Blog
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Save Yourself a Bundle
Now, we're not ones to blow our own trumpet (is that a marching band I hear?), but we have to admit our range of bundle deals are pretty damn good. Because we understand that your time and money are precious, we've recently added to our range of drink, poker and party related kits that are kind to your wallet. Our starter packs have been compiled by our drink experts, who have clearly been spending too much time down the pub, so you can have all the essential tools needed for the perfect night in.
For all the women that fancy Tom Cruise in Cocktail and all the men who want to be him (and have the ladies fancy you too), we have a great range of cocktail making kits. From generic kits like our best selling Cocktail Starter Pack, brand new Home Cocktail Starter Pack and Ultimate Cocktail Kit, we also offer drink specific kits such our Mojito Cocktail Pack and Martini Cocktail Starter Pack. No cocktail is complete without decorations, which is why we've put together all our best selling accessories in the Bar Caddy Starter Kit and the new Chrome Bar Caddy Starter Kit.
For those that feel like scratch isn't the best place to start, we've been chucking Ice Republic Cocktail Mixers, glassware and cocktail decorations together (not literally of course, that would get messy), so you can whizz up the perfect cheats' cocktail every time and take all the credit! There's something for every taste with our Margarita Cocktail Pack, Pina Colada Cocktail Pack and Strawberry Daiquiri Starter Pack, perfect for those Ann Summers parties and Friday nights in.
Obviously everyone loves cocktails, but if you want to preserve your macho image you can't be seen sipping out of an umbrella topped drink, which is why we have the Bar Starter Set so you can be a landlord in your own home, the Shot Starter Pack to get your party started and the Tequila Slammer Pack for the Mexican in you.
For a more refined evening in there's a choice of the White Wine Set or Red Wine Set, guaranteed to bring out the wine connoisseur in you. Containing everything you need to pour the perfect glass of wine, you'll soon be swirling your drink and using words such as 'austere' and 'confected'.
Once you've settled down with your drink, whether it be a cocktail, beer or wine, how about a nice game of poker? Our popular Nuts Poker Starter Pack comes with all the equipment you need for a proper game of Texas Hold'em, and is available in a green poker cloth, orange poker cloth or black poker cloth.
We've got everything to keep you entertained for a night in with friends! Our bundle deals also make perfect gifts for those hard to buy for friends and relatives. If you've got any ideas for bundle deals you'd like to see on our site, contact drinkstuff with your suggestions!
Cheers,
The Drinkstuff Blog
Meet the new recruits!
At drinkstuff we always like to test our products before selling them and what better way to try out our new Cocktail Fish Bowl than with real fish! Despite not having a name yet, the newest recruits seem to be settling in well, enjoying regular lunchtime breaks and enjoying the scenery.
There’s been some office debate over the names of our two fishes, ‘Big’ and ‘Brother’, ‘Sharkey’ and ‘George’ or ‘Fish’ and ‘Chips’, we’d welcome your ideas and suggestions! While we love the novelty of having fish in a fish bowl, we’ll soon be re-homing our little friends into a bigger tank, before training them to answer the phone!
Our Fish Bowl will hold a little over 6 pints, just enough to hold a fish, but we’d recommend making an extra large cocktail punch for you and your friends instead! You could try making a Blue Lagoon and adding some Gin and Titonic Ice Cubes, maybe try a Disco Fizz with some carefully placed Indoor Sparklers or even a Paradise Martini with some Palm Tree Straws and Paper Cocktail Umbrellas. It’s the ultimate party piece!
We’d love to see some photos of your cocktail creations in our giant fish bowl! Here’s a recipe for a Blue Lagoon to get you started...
How To Make A Pitcher Of Blue Lagoon:
Lots of ice
500ml Vodka
500ml Blue Curaçao
1800ml (1.8 litres) Lemonade
Fill the bowl with plenty of ice, fine or crushed ice works well too. Then pour in the Vodka and Blue Curaçao before filling to the brim with lemonade (approx 1.8 litres) and giving it a very good stir! Garnish with fruit slices and fill with plenty of cocktail decorations and straws. Remember, this is a cocktail pitcher, designed to be enjoyed by a group of people, so don’t try drinking it all to yourself! Enjoy!