Vodka, Raspberry vodka, crème de framboise, raspberry syrup
Jam Doughnut – a great new cocktail based around the unctuous taste of raspberry. A double dose of vodka, set off with a classic French raspberry liqueur gives this cocktail bite. All underlined with a further dash of sweet raspberry syrup.
Creating a new cocktail
I’m often tempted to create new cocktails based around existing food products or winning flavour combinations. It’s great using the base as your theme. Originally, when I worked with the Cocktail Shaker Boys, we were asked to serve jam doughnuts as shots at a party. Over time I became interested in developing it into a full-sized cocktail. I came up with 2 formulations. The second version, I adapted for a tasting we were running at a local wine merchant. I only used products which they sold in the shop. But if you’re constructing a jam doughnut as a cocktail it must surely be based around the following;
- It must be sweet
- It must have a strong raspberry flavour
- Rim the glass with sugar so that anyone drinking it has the lick their lips
And so the concoction was developed.
Jam Doughnut – the ingredients
I use vodka as a base to prevent it tasting too sweet. But then the addition of raspberry vodka. I used to use Two Birds raspberry vodka (sadly no longer available). Then a big hit of creme de framboise. The French raspberry liqueur which adds a strong flavour and sweetness. These days for many of my cocktail liqueurs, I opt for Briottet. They offer a wide range of flavours and they’re all good. Then – and to avoid any doubt, I add Monin raspberry syrup.
Rim your Martini glass with sugar and you have one great cocktail. Which tastes just like the foodstuff which it is trying to copy. It is very sweet as you might expect. But that is the whole point, it’s meant to be about as sweet a flavour as possible. There it is the Jam Doughnut.