Greek Inspired Cocktail Night With Jet2holidays

Recently, I was kindly invited to a virtual cocktail-making evening with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays and Mixology Events. The evening was Greek-themed and a great way of getting us in the mood for travel.

I’m actually not a drinker and I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted a cocktail before and with professionalism in mind, I opted to take part in the alcohol-free recipes so that I could actually pay attention and learn a new skill. The recipes were all rather refreshing, and I’m excited to recreate them when we host guests in the future.

I must give a quick nod to Mixology Events, who send you everything you need for a cocktail event which made the entire experience stress-free - except quite a few trips back and forth to my kitchen for stuff I had forgotten to grab ahead of the event! Oops!

Even after over a year of life being conducted online, it does still feel weird attending blog events virtually. It was such a lovely event, getting to hang out with strangers for the evening without even leaving my home - my idea of heaven!

I wanted to share the recipes that we created in case you fancy giving them a go yourself. I have included a link to the alcoholic versions in each recipe - from what I heard from the other guests, they were equally as delicious. Enjoy!

Rhubarb Collins - Alcohol-Free

This was our welcome drink. An easy option for getting everyone in the mood.

You will need:

• 25ml Seedlip Grove
• 25ml Rhubarb Syrup
• The London Essence Rhubarb and Cardamom Soda to top
• Dehydrated Apple Garnish

Method:

• In a tall glass/high ball using a jigger to measure, add the Seedlip and rhubarb syrup.
• Fill glass with cubed ice.
• Fill to top with rhubarb and cardamom soda and lightly stir.
• Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.
• Serve and enjoy!

I’m not a big rhubarb fan so this wouldn’t be my drink of choice, but it was a nice refreshing drink to start off the evening. I quite like the colour it created.

For the alcohol Rhubarb Collins version please see the recipe.

Rose & Pine Martini - Alcohol-Free

The Rose & Pine Martini is the perfect summer drink. Refreshing and light.

You will need:

• Rosemary sprig (roughly 3cm)
• 45ml Seedlip Garden (one full shot, one 20ml)
• 20ml Elderflower Cordial
• 20ml Pineapple Juice
• 10ml Everleaf alcohol-free Vermouth
• Rosemary sprig to garnish

Method:

• In a Boston glass, lightly muddle the rosemary.
• Using a jigger to measure, add the seedlip, elderflower cordial, pineapple juice, and alcohol-free vermouth.
• Fill the glass with cubed ice and seal using the tin.
• Shake for 10-15 seconds.
• Use a Hawthorne strainer, carefully strain the drink into a Martini glass; keep the gap between the edge of the tin and the strainer as small as possible to ensure no rosemary goes in the drink.
• Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
• Serve and Enjoy!

This was my favourite drink out of the four we made under the guidance of the Mixology lady. It was so easy to drink with no shock flavours. I felt rather professional using my cocktail shaker too. The only problem was, I had no ice! Big mistake for making cocktails as I soon realised.

Try making the alcohol Rose & Pine Martini using this recipe.

TT Fog Cutter - Alcohol-Free

This has made me wish I had more funky glasses. How cool is that tiki cup!

You will need:

• 30ml Caleño
• 30ml Seedlip Spice
• 10ml Three Spirit
• 45ml Orange Juice
• 15ml Lime Juice
• 15ml Orgeat
• 5ml Grenadine (with garnish)

Method:

• In a Boston glass or shaker, using the jigger to measure, add the spirits, orange juice and orgeat.
• Cut your lime in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the shaker for roughly 15ml of lime juice.
• Fill with cubed ice and seal using the tin.
• Shake for 10-15 seconds.
• Strain into a high ball or tiki glass.
• Fill with fresh cubed ice /or the ice from your shaker.
• Pour 5ml of grenadine over the back of a spoon into the drink.
• Use a straw to stir the grenadine in.
• Garnish with a cocktail umbrella.
• Serve and enjoy!

When she was showing us how to make the cocktails, she was creating the alcohol versions and for this one, it included setting some of the rum alight. It was incredible to watch! My mocktail version was much less exciting and without ice was a bit sad! Make the TT Fog Cutter with alcohol by clicking here.

French Riviera - Alcohol-Free

A fruity drink that would be perfect for sipping on a Greek island!

You will need:

• 40ml Caleño Light & Zesty (one full shot, one 15ml)
• 15ml Three Spirit
• 15ml Lemon Juice (¼ of a lemon)
• 1 Spoonful Apricot Jam
• 1 Spoonful Runny Honey

Method:

• In a Boston glass, using the jigger to measure, add the Caleño and Three Spirit.
• Cut your lemon into quarters and squeeze the juice of ¼ for roughly 15ml of lemon juice /or use your jigger to measure 15ml if using pre-squeezed juice.
• Stir in a big spoonful of apricot jam and a big spoonful of the honey; be sure to stir vigorously to help mix them in.
• Fill glass with cubed ice and seal using the tin.
• Shake HARD for 10-15 seconds.
• Open and strain into a rocks glass.
• Fill with fresh cubed ice /or the ice from your shaker.

As you can tell from my photos compared to the professional photos… I think I got something wrong with my quantities. The drink was rather dark and lacked ice cubes. The alcohol version of the French Riviera can be found here.

Roz Flamín’nko

As part of our cocktail evening, there was a chance to win a holiday for two people. The challenge was to create our own cocktail using the ingredients in front of us or anything we might have in our own homes. With absolutely no experience of drinking cocktails or mocktails and being faced with experienced holidaymakers in front of me, I felt my body panicking. I had no chance!

I did a quick google to grab some ideas of what other ingredients made mocktails. Then came up with my own little drink idea. I named it the Roz Flamín’nko which is Greek for Pink Flamingo. This drink was in honour of my Mum who recently died. Her favourite animal was a flamingo.

I was really quite proud of myself. This drink was delicious, it tasted remarkably like ice cream. It was sweet and easy to drink and only had a small number of ingredients. When the ingredients first went into the glass, it created a gorgeous layered look and I wish I hadn’t mixed it actually as it was so pretty. I topped it with decorative fruit around the glass edge and an umbrella. Then I suddenly remembered I had a little flamingo cake topper that I could use.

The perfect summery beverage, a small number of ingredients and is completely alcohol-free making it perfect for all ages.

Here’s how you can make this drink for yourself:

You will need:

• 30ml Orange Juice (one full shot)
• 15ml Grenadine (half a shot)
• Sugar-free Lemonade
• Ice

Method:

• Add the grenadine with the orange juice.
• Pour lemonade into three-quarters of your glass.
• Give the mix a quick stir and fill the glass with ice cubes.
• Decorate with your choice of fruit/decorations.
• Enjoy!

I loved this drink… we all did! Sadly, it wasn’t quite good enough for a winning ticket and the prize went to a lady with a delicious cocktail - I hope she has a brilliant getaway.

Being invited to this fabulous cocktail night really ignited my passion for travel. We’ve always loved adventuring listening to everyone’s experiences of Greece made me desperate for a new getaway to look forward to. I have been to Rhodes before, but the destination of Greece is quite unknown to me.

The beaches look incredible with clear blue seas and light sand to bury your toes into. My top list would be Zanta, Santorini and Rhodes again. Athens also looks like a great cultural and historical learning holiday in the making! Jet2.com have some amazingly cheap flights to Greece and I’m eager to get a date booked in our diaries for our first-ever all-inclusive family holiday.

I hope my post has got you in the holiday mood and dreaming of sipping cocktails on a sunny beach somewhere. God knows we all deserve it!

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.