As our departure for sunnier climes draws closer, I have been swotting up on my cocktail making skills to find a suitable replacement for afternoon tea.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Cockatoo.
It is my take on the traditional mojito and is very refreshing. What follows is my recipe, but feel free to experiment to suit your own tastes.
First take a large glass and dip the rim in water and then in sugar. This isn’t essential, but it makes for a prettier effect.
I used natural, unrefined cane sugar here however Tate & Lyle’s will do just as well.
Add a quarter of an inch or so of lime juice, either freshly squeezed or from a bottle, then an equal measure of sugar syrup and mix together with a spoon.
Add lots of ice and around of a third of the glass in soda water. Top to the brim with sparkling apple juice. Appletiser would be good, but I found it works just as well with the supermarket’s own brand.
Garnish the Cockatoo with fresh mint leaves. These add to the aroma, rather than the taste. I did try crushing them in the lime juice, but the end result looked like pond water with algae floating on top.
Now you will have noticed that there isn’t a drop of alcohol in sight and quite right too. Refreshment is far preferable to getting plastered where we’re headed.
Ho-ho my friend – you’ll find yourself being roped in to mix cocktails in the social club! I’d like little umbrellas in mine and on special occasions a sparkler. How jolly it will be. I’m sure some of the lady bloggers would like a cockatoo.
I’m sure the ladies will be impressed by the volume of my cocktail shaker, not to mention my maraschino cherries.
A lady at the back would like plenty of froth on hers, please. OOooohh, matron!!
I was going to say that after a hot day snorkeling, that drink sounds like it would just hit the spot, but in light of the way the comments are going, it might be misinterpreted.
So I won’t.