Cocktails VW Style

Brightly coloured, fun and potent, cocktails are decadent in the extreme. They provide a great contrast with what camping is stereotyped to be about and are in the tradition of over-the-top Great British picnics ("But Darling we forgot the kitchen sink!").

Making cocktails requires a few gadgets [See the box inset below]. Once you've got a shaker and such, the main challenge for those wishing to do it in a camper, is the ice needed to shake and serve them with. There are a copule of possible solutions.

What You Will Need Shaker - Solid with a strainer lid Jigger - To measure single and double shots. A shot glass would do the job. Swizzle sticks - To stir drinks and decorate the glass. A spoon would do. Spirits - Most drinks can be made with a combination of basic spirits. Fruit Juices - Some cocktails require Orange, Cranberry, Grapefruit or Pineapple juice Ice - This is esstential and difficult to find in most campfields!

(1) You could spend £219.99 pounds on a 12v/gas freezer

(2) Find a pub or bar near your site and ask them for a glass of ice cubes.

(3) Take some of those ice-cube making plastic bags. They can be filled on-site and frozen in the site's freezer (Many sites have them for freezer packs).

(4) If camping during winter months you could simply collect icicles from the door mirrors and guttering! Sometimes if you're desperate for a Cosmopolitan these things have to be done...

Recipes

Some classic and not so classic cocktails to try...

+ Cosmopolitan - Pink and strong and so chic that it hurts (or at least your head will, the morning after a few of these). This is the simple classic version.
2 shots Vodka, 3/4 Triple Sec/Cointreau, 1and1/4 cranberry juice shaken, with lime wedge squeezed into the glass.

+ Sea Breeze - Fruity and long. A great summer thirst quencher.
Shake together and serve over ice, 2 shots Vodka, 4 Cranberry, 2 shots of fresh Grapefruit juice.

+ Long Island Ice Tea - Strong, sweet and deliciously refreshing. This one requires a few more spirits.
1/2 a shot each of Rum, Gin, Vodka, Tequila, Triple Sec (Cointreau), 1 shot of Lime juice and 1/2 of Gomme Syrup. Finish by topping up with Cola and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Our Cocktail Lounge

And finally here's a cocktail we think is appropriate for consumption in a VW Camper.

+ Magic Bus - We didn't make this up! Honest.
1/2 a shot each of Tequila, Triple Sec (Cointreau), 1 shot of Orange Juice and 1 and 1/2 of Cranberry Juice. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

Happy Shaking!

Useful Links
Sauceguide (now DiffordsGuide) to Cocktails - A regularly updated bible of over 1400 recipes.
Kacroons World - Karen is a fellow VW camper owner who likes the odd cocktail. (Original link is gone but this goes to an archive cache of the page)

Dave, October 2003