JOE and Her go head to head to create our own special drinks, armed with just a bottle of Smirnoff and some inspiration.
We at Her.ie set the team at JOE.ie a challenge (and we say we’re not competitive!) – to come up with our own signature drinks and hand over to you to choose the most inventive and exciting of the two (did we mention ours is delicious?). Though there are many things we don’t see eye to eye on, we were all happy to agree on one thing – the perfect base for our cocktails.
The purity of Smirnoff means it works with everything, leaving you free to create whatever mix you can think of. So, we took our bottle, the JOE.ie team took theirs, and below are our fantastic new cocktail creations fuelled by inspiration from the things around us (as well as a healthy dose of competition). Now, you get to decide which one you prefer the sound of, and be in with a chance to win a Smirnoff limited edition drinks kit.
Her Choice: Girls Night In
For us, the best way to enjoy a cocktail is in the company of our nearest and dearest female friends whilst reminiscing about old times, so we created a beverage inspired by wonderful summer evenings spent sipping champagne in Saint Tropez, gazing out across the ocean – they say diamonds are a girl’s best friend but we reckon bubbles are. We also wanted something that was fun but glamorous (much like our good selves!) and that we could easily adapt for the perfect girls’ night in. As well as our base of Smirnoff and of course the champagne, we thought raspberries and strawberries were the ideal garnish to give our drink a splash of colour, oh and because we’ll use any excuse to sing Raspberry Beret…
Ingredients:
35ml Smirnoff No.21 Vodka
80ml Cranberry Juice
80ml Champagne
Handful of Raspberries and Strawberries
1.3 Units per Serve
To make:
In a shaker, or an empty jam jar if you, like us, don’t have the fancy kit lying around at home, give the Smirnoff and cranberry juice a good shake. Pour over some crushed ice into a highball glass before filling with champagne. Add raspberries and strawberries to the side of the glass to garnish (it almost looks too pretty to drink…almost..). Last but not least, stir and enjoy! St Tropez inspired heaven!
JOE choice: The EspressJOE
Unlike our very sophisticated Her.ie colleagues, we don’t have bottles of champagne at our beck and call so we had to look elsewhere for inspiration – you know, you’d be surprised by what you already have. You may have guessed, but here at JOE we don’t have a full gleaming cocktail kit to call on. For example, we can’t pretend to have shakers lying around. Jam jars however we have in abundance and they will do the trick. Another trick is a protein shaker – does the exact same job!
As you might imagine, we’re big fans of a certain Mr Bond in JOE Towers but the plain old vodka martini that 007 favoured isn’t quite enough for us. We started to kick around some ideas for what we like to drink and as we are all fond of fine coffee – mainly to help wake us up on those cold winter mornings in JOE Towers – we thought we’d try adding that to the mix too. We threw in a bit of espresso too, took out the vermouth, and added in a splash of coffee liqueur to make it extra smooth (like Bond’s lines with the ladies). Finally, because we like our drinks like Bond’s cars – sweet, we raided the freezer for some chocolate ice cream, topping off with a bit of grated chocolate. An inspired choice…
Ingredients:
35ml Smirnoff No.21 Vodka
25ml Cold Espresso
35ml Coffee Liqueur
1 Scoop Chocolate ice cream
1 Chocolate bar
Approx. 2 Units per Serve
To make:
Chuck the Smirnoff, Espresso, Liqueur and a generous helping of ice in a jam jar or protein shaker and shake, don’t stir. Don’t be shy, you need to put a bit of elbow grease into this. Strain using a standard sieve into whatever glass you can get your hands on – nothing too fancy, we’re men, remember! Or simply add extra crushed ice and drink from the protein shaker. Don’t have any crushed ice? No worries – wrap a few cubes in a tea-towel and smash it up with a rolling pin – ideal to get rid of any pent up frustration. Grab a scoop of chocolate ice cream, and drop in for the ultimate indulgence! Finally, grate a chocolate bar over the top & Bob’s your uncle
Vote on which drink you think is the most exciting and inventive to be in with a chance of winning a Smirnoff limited edition drinks kit which includes a jam jar to use as a shaker or an unusual vessel, 2 x limited edition Apple Bite mugs, Smirnoff lanyards and enough stirrers and straws to get you started.
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Remember to visit www.thebar.com/outsidetheglass for more great Smirnoff recipes and ideas.
T&C’s apply. Over 18’s only.
Enjoy Smirnoff Sensibly. Visit drinkaware.ie
