The Perfect Summer Cocktail To DIY At Home

The sun is splitting the trees today, and with Koh’s refreshing cocktail offering, we have the perfect way for you to?cool off. Nestled among the bustling streets of Dublin’s Millenium Walkway, Koh are renowned for not only their world-class Thai cuisine but for their unforgettable cocktails too. To help get us in the summery mood, here they share one of their most popular summer cocktail recipes with us, sure to impress your nearest and dearest at your next DIY dinner date.

Koh’s bartender Josko let us in on a few cocktail secrets; they may look and taste incredible, but a lot of what happens behind the bar is relatively easy to recreate, once you get hold of the right ingredients. For Josko, the two best places to go for the more obscure elements of your cocktail menu are undoubtedly Fallon & Byrne and the Celtic Whiskey Shop, both in Dublin. But wherever you are, if you can get yourself to a sophisticated off license, you’ll no longer be stuck with your average mojito.

For something with maximum impact, give The Sirens a go. It’s the perfect introduction to whiskey-based cocktails; it’s light, fruity, refreshing with delectable tropical aromas.

You will need for one cocktail:

• Teeling’s Small Batch Irish Whiskey – 45ml
• Mango syrup – 20ml (you can get this in the aforementioned shops but also make it at home)
• Fresh lime juice – 20ml
• Apricot liqueur – 15ml
• Angostura bitters – 1 dash
• Ice

Tools: Shaker, strainer, measure

Method: Add all ingredients into your shaker, fill it with lots of ice, and shake with as much power as you can muster for at least 15 – 20 seconds.

Then simply strain the cocktail into a small cocktail glass or a Martini glass, and garnish with some dried apricot – again, you can get this at Fallon & Byrne.

Josko’s general cocktail tips:

• For cocktails with mint, make sure to clap the mint leaves in your hands before adding them to your drink; this releases the mint aromas and as Josko says, ‘brings the mint to life.’ You’ll smell the difference the second you do it.
• For more adventurous cocktails with egg whites, make sure you use eggs that are as fresh as possible; one egg white will be enough for two drinks.
• Add the egg whites – unwhisked – to your shaker, add the eggs last, shake it first without ice – a dry shake – and then shake again with ice. You’ll need to shake to our heart’s content to get the whites to form, but it’ll be worth it.