The Corkless Mind

Category: Drinks

  • Gin and tonic ice lollies.

    Gin and tonic ice lollies.


    Inspired by my recent visit to the Royal Hotel in Riebeeck Kasteel, the Gin and Tonic we had there was out of this world! Possibly the best I have tasted so far. I am no G&T aficionado and neither am I that much of a frequent drinker, but this may just be the game changer. The Gin that the bartender used for our G&T’s were that of Wilderer Fynbos infused gin, (and as mentioned in my previous post)together with seasonal gooseberries, strawberries and a slice of lime, all the flavours were perfectly balanced and came together in a rather unusual cognac glass, but it worked. 

    I’ve been itching to make alcoholic ice lollies since I purchased a ice lolly Kit at my local CNA store. The kit comes with a four part mold, 50 lolly sticks and a little booklet with instructions and a few recipes, some related some not so related to ice lollies or frozen desserts for that matter… Alas, I trawled the Internet for inspiration and went to one of my bookmarked sites as a last resort(but should have been the first) Delicious UK,where I saw a Gin and Tonic ice lollie recipe. It’s extremely simple, but do make it a day before so as to set overnight in the molds. If you, like me can be a bit heavy handed with the pouring of drinks, that’s okay, because I mainly used the recipe only as a guideline. Add ingredients according to taste.
    With the satisfyingly refreshing G&T at the Royal hotel in mind, I added a few gooseberries, strawberries and lime juice to the mixture to set. I unfortunately didn’t have an artisanal fynbos infused gin on hand, so I used a Kumquat infused gin, that I had purchased a few months back from one of my favourite places to go and visit, a farm nestled at the foothills of the Simonsberg mountain range, Babylonstoren. 

    I really love the pop of colour the berries lend to the contrast of the lush green of the mint leaves against the white backdrop. The ice lollies are just as refreshing as the actual tipple. I can tell, I will be making a whole lot of ice lollies, ice cream and sorbet this summer. 

    Dominique x

  • Slushy Piña Colada Cocktail

    Slushy Piña Colada Cocktail


    Piña colada, the scent of sunscreen, and sticky ice cream hands are just a few of the things that make us all think of summer and all the perks it brings along with it. I do love craft beer and wine as my go to choice of tipples, but the occasional refreshing cocktail is good for the soul and in the spirit of welcoming long hot summer days and nights. 
    My ice cream machine has been sitting in my freezer waiting for the opportunity to make something spur of the moment, hence I will have it ready when I do decide to make a batch of ice cream or sorbet. Never did I think I could make anything else with it, let alone a cocktail mix. So with much zeal to attempt this recipe I found on my second home Food52, I cracked open a bottle of rum and excitedly got out the ice cream machine. 
    The recipe is pretty simple, although patience(something that does not come naturally to me) is needed when churning the mixture. Garnish with mint and a pineapple ring on top of the glass. You can of course omit the rum and enjoy as a non-alcoholic drink. 
    The photos were taken in quite a hurry due to some pressing deadlines. Below is a clue as to the deadline, I can’t wait to share the finer details soon! 🙂 
    Here’s to many more moments we could lift a glass in a celebration! x

  • Berry spritz 

    Berry spritz 

     September in South Africa, means Spring is here, there are many debates and theories as to the actual official start of Spring. With the arrival of a new family member last week, I do feel there is much to celebrate and what better way with wine! I saw the recipe from Donna Hay and immediately felt inclined to recreate it. I used one of my favourite’s Pierre Jourdan Tranquille Blush from the Haute Cabriére wine estate and a lovely strawberry and mint syrup(store bought from Woolworths) with soda water and fresh berries and mint to garnish. Top tip: instead of ice which will water down your cocktails or wine spritz, freeze some grapes or berries and add to your drinks.


    Last week I took the practical experience gained recently from the workshop and put it to use doing what I love best, shooting food. I took some beautiful photos of the berries and whilst loading on to the laptop most of them somehow disappeared into (I’m assuming) an untouchable dark abyss. Feeling rather defeated and being rather busy, eventually picked myself up and dusted myself off and admitted to the rookie mistake and tried my hand again at another shoot, I really wanted to recreate the feel and mood of those I took last week. Moral of the story, don’t give up even if the task at hand seems monstrous or impossible. This does not just apply to my little faux pas last week, but to so many life lessons learnt along the way.

    Berries always signify a start of a new season ahead, a brighter more festive one. The photos of the berries were taken just before 13:00 yesterday. The photos of the berry spritz were taken last week round about the same time. And yes, that is a charger plate which I have repurposed and sprayed to use as a prop for my photography. I decided to try both moody shots and lighter ones, I love the juxtaposition of the light in the shots and how the berries and drinks are portrayed in different light. Personally I adore the darker, moodier shots, to me, it creates so much depth. But like many other things it’s all about the photographers preference and style.

    Happy Spring! x