The Commonwealth Games 2014 are well and truly upon us.
And as the athletes prepare to compete, we thought there's no better way for us mere mortals to celebrate than kicking back with a very special cocktail.
Mixologist Mal Spence has teamed up with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau to create the commemorative Commonwealth Games Cocktail.
The record-breaking cocktail contains more ingredients than any other drink in the world - 71 to be precise. Each has been individually sourced from every nation participating in the Commonwealth Games.
Visitors to Glasgow can try the exclusive drink for themselves at Mal’s Kelvingrove Café. Or if you're really ambitious, you could try to make the mega cocktail at home, although we'd recommend going for the simplified version (details below).
Africas
Botswana: devils claw (genus clerodendrum)
Cameroon: bitter leaf (piper umbellatum)
Ghana: taro (psidium guajava)
Kenya: chives
Lesotho: rosehip
Malawi: cacao (pycreus cyperaceae)
Mauritius: wild raspberry (rubus rosifolius)
Mozambique: cassava
Namibia: prickly pear
Nigeria: utazi leaves
Rwanda: papaya
Seychelles: citronella
Sierra Leone: cashew nut (piassava)
South Africa: roobus
Swaziland: sycamore fig
Tanzania: cloves
Uganda: nakati eggplant
Zambia: sorrel
Americas
Belize: dragonfruit
Bermuda: arabica coffee beans
Canada: logan berry
Falkland Islands: bitter cress
Guyana: sugar cane
St. Helena: St. Helena tea plant
Asia
Bangladesh: jujubi
Brunei Darussalam: durian fruit
India: mangosteen
Malaysia: galangal
Maldives: pomegranate (annaaru)
Pakistan: saffron
Singapore: rambutan
Sri Lanka: ripe jakfruit
Caribbean
Anguilla: mango
Antigua & Barbuda: tamarind
Bahamas: egg fruit
Barbados: sour cherry
British Virgin Islands: noni
Cayman Islands: sage (salvia caymanensis)
Dominica: guava leaf
Grenada: lemon grass
Jamaica: okra
Montserrat: devil’s horse whip
St. Kitts & Nevis: tamon
St. Lucia: sweet basiI
St. Vincent & The Grenadines: arrowroot
Trinidad & Tobago: tonka bean
Turks & Caicos Islands: sapodilla
Europe
Cyprus: basil-thyme (Άκινος)
England: red apple
Gibraltar: maqui berry
Guernsey: blueberries
Isle of Man: new potatoes
Jersey: lavender
Malta: star anise
Northern Ireland: bog rosemary
Scotland: wild Scottish strawberry
Wales: wild cotoneaster
Oceania
Australia: aniseed myrtle (syzygium anisatum) (gundabluie) (bardi bush)
Cook Islands: custard apple seeds (annona reticulata)
Kiribati: dried coconut meat (copra)
Nauru: pumpkin seeds
New Zealand: manuka honey
Niue: paw paw
Norfolk Island: yam
Papua New Guinea: taro (colocasia esculenta)
Samoa: ladies finger (small, sweet banana)
Solomon Islands: taro leaves
Tonga: avocado (avoka)
Tuvalu: breadfruit
Vanuatu: plantain
Fiji: kava root
The Commonwealth Cocktail Recipe:
Ingredients –
50ml blended Scotch whisky
40ml Hawthorn Drinks Honey and Lavender Shrub
10ml Hawthorn Drinks Dandelion & Burdock Syrup
3-4 Drops Commonwealth Bitters (contains 71 ingredients)
Method
- Add ingredients to shaker
- Shake with ice and double strain into pre-chilled coupe.
The Simplified Version
For anyone who isn’t lucky enough to be in Glasgow for the Games, the Commonwealth Cocktail can be re-created at home, using the following recipe:
Ingredients –
50ml blended Scotch whisky
25ml lemon juice
20ml dandelion and burdock cordial
Half a mango
Rambutan
Method
- Slice the fruit and place in a shaker tin, muddle with muffler or flat end of a rolling pin.
- Add ingredients and ice and shake.
- Strain into a tall glass with ice and serve.