Welcome to Nicobar’s Cocktail club, where we gather round the kitchen island to do what we do best: drink. There’s a wealth of beautifully crafted cocktails out there, and we’re dipping our pinkies into the game, trying our hand at cocktails we like to quaff, while making sure they’re easy to enough to replicate even as the hours wear on. Expertly chilled, and exceptionally balanced… sometimes. Delicious and so much fun, always.
If you like piña coladas, you’ll love the Nicolada. Pineapples, gin, and spice: these are a few of our favourite things. We’re all for channeling the spirit of the seaside into our weekday wind-down’s all year-round, bringing a little holiday to our hustle.
THE NICOLADA
You will need
- 1 Measure of Hendrick’s Gin
- Spiced pineapple juice (instructions below)
- Spices (cinnamon, cloves, whole black pepper)
- A pineapple wedge and a cucumber slice to garnish
- Ice
How to:
Steep some spice (we like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and whole black pepper) in freshly squeezed pineapple juice. Add a squeeze of lime to give it a little kick before throwing the spiced pineapple juice, gin and ice into a shaker and really giving it a good shake.
The key to making this tall drink good and icy, is to use a generous heaping of ice in your shaker and giving the drink a good shake-shake-shake for longer than you think is necessary. Strain into a glass, add tiny bits of fresh pineapple for some bite, and garnish with a wedge of pineapple and a cucumber slice. Sip slowly.
A little tip:
If you’re squeezing fresh pineapple juice, use it the same day. It doesn’t refrigerate well and tends to go bitter over time.
Here’s what we’ve christened, a Chaitini
