Cocktail Hour: The Hugo

It’s been a while since I’ve featured a ‘Cocktail Hour’ on My Capital Plate, but that’s not to say we haven’t been enjoying the occasional cocktail when the mood strikes. And, with (hopefully) the warmer weather arriving soon, I can see many occasions on which we get a little creative with our weekend tipple.

We served this cocktail a while back at our Father’s Day Linner. Easy to prepare, and even easier to drink, it was made with a lovely blend of gin, elderflower cordial, lime and prosecco.

Elderflower cordial is one of those ingredients I’ve heard of but never actually used. I was delighted to find out that it added the most beautiful aroma to the cocktail – which in itself was very refreshing – and I’ve now used it on many occasions since mixed simply with soda water.

Try one for yourself!

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 Cocktail Hour: The Hugo
Servings
drink
Ingredients
Servings
drink
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Pour the gin into a glass that is half filled with ice.
  2. Add the cordial and a squeeze of lime juice (then drop the lime wedge into the glass). Stir to combine.
  3. Top with equal parts prosecco and soda water, and tuck in a few mint leaves. Serve immediately.
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Cocktail Hour: Mango Margarita

We are really fortunate to have made some great friends in our street. Two couples who have kids of a similar age – living only a few houses away.  Despite all being rather busy with work, and life, we’ve been making a point of catching up when we can. For playdates here and there, or for family-friendly lunches on the weekend when the kids can run amok while the adults catch up on the happenings of late.

This last weekend, we did just that. It was our turn to host, and while I initially thought of putting on a BBQ lunch, I ended up going with a Mexican theme instead. Specifically – pulled pork made in the slow cooker – with tortillas, coleslaw, rice and other trimmings on the side. In fact, it ended up being a rather perfect cosy lunch as temperatures had dropped and the rain fell heavily outside.

And what better way to accompany a Mexican lunch, than with some mango margaritas!

Made with tequila, Cointreau, frozen mango, orange and lime juices – blended to icy perfection.

Served in a lime and salt rimmed glass, and well they were a great start to a wonderful afternoon with friends.

The added bonus being that it was only a short walk home for our guests!

 





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Mango Margarita

Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks

Servings
glasses


Ingredients

Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks

Servings
glasses


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

  2. Serve in glasses rimmed with lime and salt.


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Cocktail Hour: Iced Peach Bellini

Yes, friends, cocktail season continues in the MCP household, and I am having a lot of fun creating some new drinks to add to our entertaining repertoire.

This particular cocktail was inspired by the beautiful peaches I came across during a recent trip to the market. I have been eating stone fruit by the bucket-load lately, and figured why not make them the star ingredient of a drink to share with friends.

The peaches were peeled and pureed, then frozen in ice cube trays overnight. The frozen fruit was then laced with raspberry vodka and prosecco, blended to icy perfection, and topped up with a little extra prosecco for good measure.

I actually had grand plans of serving this cocktail on what I expected would be a warm and summery day. But Canberra had other plans, instead presenting us with a cold, grey and rainy day.

And although we may have somewhat unusually indulged in these icy cocktails with the heater on this particular occasion, they were certainly refreshing, and I have no doubt they will make more appearances in the (hopefully) warmer months to come!

Print Recipe
 Iced Peach Bellini
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Cocktail
Cuisine Drinks
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Puree the peaches in a food processor until smooth. Pour into an icecube tray, and freeze.
  2. Blend the peach ice cubes with the vodka and prosecco. Divide among 4 serving glasses and top with extra prosecco and a slice of peach.
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