Brain Damage Shooter

Today’s drink of the day is the Brain Damage shooter, not one to sip while you’re enjoying your Sunday lunch, but it doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.

In a chilled branded shooter glass, pour some Archers or any other Peach Schnapps three quarters to the top. Next slowly float some Baileys onto the surface, and pour a couple of drops of grenadine down the middle, so it drags some of the Baileys as it sinks down.

You should be left with a drink that may pleasantly conjure up images of blood spattered brain! As I say the taste isn’t all together disagreeable, but the sensation of curdling milk in your chest might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

If you are a real deviant, you could swap the peach schnapps for something more violent like clear Sambuca or even clear Tequila!

Hot Chocolate

Once you’ve ordered you’re lovely promotional mugs from us, the chances are you will be drinking tea and coffee (not at the same time) out of them. When it’s cold outside, do you ever turn to an indulgent hot chocolate instead?

“While most consumers choose coffee and tea to satisfy a caffeine need, hot chocolate satisfies more emotional needs of decadence, such as pausing the daily routine to savour a hot chocolate in a café as an indulgent treat,” says Kate Harding, trade communications manager at Cadbury.

Over 70% of consumers understand the concept of the Fairtrade mark, while according to Café Direct’s Caroline Farrell; “There is a growing interest in the provenance of drinking chocolate, as well as an active desire by customers to source an ethical choice.”

Funnily enough we can also supply promotional Fairtrade hot chocolate sachets too! If your organisation doesn’t want the expensive of having their own bespoke hot chocolate, sending a printed sachet in the mail makes for an interesting marketing idea.

The New Very Square Mug

OK so we weren’t too creative with the name of The Very Square Mug, but we were with the design.

If you have square or angular artwork, this is the promotional mug to show it off to its best potential. The Very Square Mug is perfect, if you’re looking for an eye catching and contemporary promotional ceramic mug.

Either with a white or a black gloss, if you have a big corporate message you need to get across, the Branded Very Square Mug is a great choice.

As always The Mugstore offers super competitive prices, so call our friendly promotions team for our latest low prices or further information.

It’s Hip To Be Square!

B-52

The B-52 is probably my favourite shooter, as (unusually for a shooter) you can drink it without vomiting through your nose after.

The distinctive looking B-52, is made by carefully layering Kahlua, Baileys and Grand Marnier. To achieve the distinctive layers, simply pour the ingredients (in that order) down the side of a shooter glass very slowly. The ingredients have different relative densities so they will all sit nicely.

Many people advocate pouring the spirits down the back of a spoon, through a straw or even have a special machine. But there’s no need for all that messing about – trust me.

The name refers to the US B-52 Stratofortress a long-range bomber used in the Vietnam War to primarily release incendiary bombs, which most likely inspired the eye catching flaming variant.

If you do want to light the drink – just make sure you have a heat proof glass!

Long Island Ice Tea

The Long Island Ice Tea may not look like much, but don’t let that throw you - this tangy mixture is my personal favourite. The Long Island Ice Tea is the strongest of all long cocktails because of all its ingredients, but they all work in harmony which leaves you with a delicious refreshing citrus flavour.

Take a cocktail shaker and add equal parts of rum, vodka, gin, tequila, rum and triple sec. With this, add just less than double that volume of sweet & sour mix if you can find it. You really have to shake together furiously, otherwise the sweet & sour mix will just act like nothings happened, while really you want it to look like fluffy clouds.

Take a Large Cooler Glass and fill half of it with Cola, and then add your mixture, ice and all. Depending on how much Sweet & Sour mix you put it in and how well you shook it, the mixture should sit nicely on the top of the Cola.

I like to go a bit crazy with the sweet & sour mixture so it’s almost half black half white, unlike the photo, but that’s probably not to everyone’s taste. The mixture isn’t the easiest thing to find, but to achieve a similar taste you could mix lime cordial with a little Augustine Bitters.

To finish, add a good squeeze of lime (or a lemon if you have too like the photo), and enjoy. This super easy to drink cocktail can be deadly or very easy going – it all depends on how much or little Cola you like.

I love it!

Pina Colada

The old Pina Colada, is a bit Dell Boy for my liking, I couldn’t take myself seriously if I was ever caught drinking one. In saying that, if you’re lucky enough to be enjoying some sun and fancy something sweet, there aren’t many quite as refreshing as an ice cold Pina Colada.

Pour in two measures of your favourite rum, a dash of Malibu, a dollop of coconut cream and a few sloshes of pineapple juice into a cocktail shaker. You need to shake the mixture like a mad man, otherwise the coconut cream won’t mix properly and you won’t achieve a nice frothy consistency.

Pour the mixture, ice and all, into a Capri Glass with a squirt of lime and you’re laughing. Garnish with either a slice of pineapple or a maraschino cherry, but under no circumstances add a paper umbrella. I prefer the cocktail as it’s pictured, although many people serve it much creamier and may even add whipped cream. This is fine if you don’t mind your heart to tremor, but I prefer letting the pineapple speak for itself.

Now sit back and enjoy Puerto Rico’s national drink.

White Russian

 I’m not the greatest lover of creamy drinks, but the White Russian is an absolute classic which brings a smile to practically everyone’s face.

The sweet and comforting drink, is easy to make and goes down even easier. As with most cocktails there are lots of variations, but I think the best mixture is to get a cocktail shaker full of ice and pour in 50ml of Baileys Irish Cream, 25ml of Kahlua, 25ml of Vodka and a glug of whole milk.

The original recipe wouldn’t have used Baileys and would have used more vodka and added cream too. Using cream makes the drink a little sickly for my taste, while adding Baileys and a little less vodka will give the drink a softer feel which I think is the whole point.

A great tip is to use flavoured vodkas if you happen to have them in. Premium vodkas infused with coffee, chocolate, toffee or vanilla will work exceptionally well, if you can’t decide add a little of all of them!

Pour the mixture into a large chilled cooler glass, while adding a dusting of chocolate powder to the top is a nice touch. Passing the chocolate dust through a flame, gives a subtle caramelised taste to your first sips and makes a pretty big sparkle too.

Manhattan

The Manhattan is an old fashioned drink, but a real gentleman’s choice which reminds me of cigars, Frank Sinatra and machine guns.

The Manhattan is a real chic choice and will certainly put hairs on your chest. To make the perfect Manhattan, shake together a double measure of your favourite bourbon whiskey, just less then half a measure of sweet red vermouth. Add a literally a couple of drops of Angostura bitters, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Remember, shaking the mixture properly will give a nice frothy layer to the surface, and finally always serve with a Maraschino cherry (with the stem) either dropped in, or as I prefer popped onto a plastic cocktail stick. For added sweetness request for a little of the liquid from the cherry jar to be poured in too.

Feel free to vary the ratio of bourbon to vermouth, as the drink can be made dryer if you wish by using less vermouth. My favourite reference to the drink came in the film ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’, when Veronica Corningstone orders a Manhattan and asks the bartender to “kick the vermouth in the side with a pair of steel-toed boots.”

This all American classic drink will make you feel like 1920s Broadway, even when you’re in the blustery British Isles.

Tequila Sunrise

The Tequila Sunrise may not have the same status of refinement as some of its counterparts, but it is still an excellent summer drink that is (too) easy to drink.

Simple shake orange juice and as much tequila as you like (I’d recommend 50ml but feel free to go crazy), into a high ball glass filled with ice. The drink is named a Tequila Sunrise, as when you dribble the grenadine in slowly, it will sink to the bottom as its heavier then the orange juice. On its way down the glass it will leave a trail which blends into the orange - looking like a sunrise. 

The drink was first made in Arizona, and it isn’t hard to see why. Add a circular slice of orange to garnish, and you have a very refreshing summer drink on your hands.

Classic Margarita

The classic Margarita is the ideal cocktail if you’re looking for some retro chic, but be warned it certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. The Margarita has its own margarita glass, but in a more formal setting it may be served in a cosmopolitan glass.

This hard hitting but refreshing mixture is all about the blend of tequila, triple sec and lime juice. There are various theories on what is the ideal combination, but I would advocate a ratio of 50% tequila, 25% Triple Sec and 25% fresh lime juice. Anymore tequila or lime juice and my lips will fall off, but maybe that’s me being soft. I would shake the mixture well with crushed ice and then pour, but there are no definite rules regarding ice.

Tradition would say the rim of the glass should be coated with salt, but using sugar instead I think is nicer alternative and stops me from wincing with every sip. Purists would turn their noses up in disgust, but a dash of lemonade in it will soften the tequila and add some welcome sweetness. Alternatively all kinds of fruit juices offer a refreshing twist and a hint of sweetness too.

Remember The Mugstore has a full range of branded quality barware. Whether you’re looking for corporate cocktail glasses, branded cocktail shakers or personalised coasters – The Mugstore can help.