Kanuk

Thanks all for the loads of tips on the preparation and use of grenadine. I've just made my first couple batches from fresh pomegranates, as I can't get any ready-made pomegranate juice around here. I reduced it a bit mixed 2:1 sugar-to-juice, and to my taste it turned out beautifully. I'm sure some additional tweaking after the tips from Sam and others can improve it even more. A question for those who have used fresh fruit rather than juice. What's the best method for juicing a pomegranate? It seems the juice is all in the seed pods, which don't always get properly crushed using a standard citrus juicer (the skin seems to fall apart first). Someone mentioned blending (and then straining, I presume), but I fear that this would impart some extra bitterness from the actual seeds and the guck that holds the seeds together. And another question about mixing: Are there any cocktails where the grenadine is best layered at the bottom and the shaken mix floated on top? I find the layered effect visually appealing, but basically you just end up drinking a grenadine-free cocktail and then are left with red goo at the bottom of your glass (or maybe my syrup is too thick to allow a natural mixing after the pour?).

I'll admit to being completely biased by my country of residence, but to my mind the old Finlandia bottle (1970-2000) designed by Tapio Wirkkala was a real beauty. Sadly, shortly after moving to Finland they sneakily updated the bottle design and I missed my chance to save some of the old bottles (no doubt collectors items by now) before they went off the shelf. I'm not sure how well it holds up in photos, but the jagged ice texture of the bottle was very evocative of the icy northern nature image the brand tries to convey. Well matched with Iittala's Ultima Thule glasses also designed by Wirkkala.

I recently became a convert to cucumber juice in cocktails after a recent trip to Amsterdam. The American Bar there serves a very refreshing champagne-topped cocktail they call the 'Heavy Day'. According to the menu, it was made with gin, Cointreau, lime juice, cucumber juice, and champagne. After some experimentation, I would go with: 1oz Gin ½oz Cointreau ½oz Lime juice ½oz Cucumber juice ½-1oz Champagne (I'm actually partial to a nice dry cava) Shake all ingredients expept your sparkly, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with a cucumber slice. Be sure to peel your cucumber first. I found out the hard way (as others have noted) that the peel leaves an unpleasant bitter taste and a cloudy dark green colour.