28 | Hebridean Baker cocktails
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ALL IN
TikTok sensation Coinneach MacLeod, better known as The Hebridean Baker, shares some unmissable cocktails to enliven your Hogmanay celebrations
I
f you’re looking for a good ol’ Scottish knees-up, you’ve come to the right place, writes Rosie Morton. Whether you are hoping to start the Christmas party games with a bang, or enliven the Hogmanay celebrations, TikTok sensation Coinneach MacLeod – better known to his troupes of devoted followers as ‘The Hebridean Baker’ – has you covered with his fabulously festive cocktails. ‘The one recipe that got people the most excited was the “Cèilidh Martini”,’ says Coinneach, who hails from Cromore on the Isle of Lewis. ‘Myself and one of the storytellers at the Isle of Harris Distillery created it together. Even though nobody knew what was in it, they wanted to try it!’ Having won the hearts of millions across the globe after sharing his Scottish-inspired recipes on the social media platform, Coinneach has launched his own cookbook, The Hebridean Baker, amalgamating his top recipes, stories, and quirks of island life in the hope of encouraging more people to live life in the slow lane. ‘Somebody asked me if there was a Gaelic translation for the Danish word Hygge,’ he says. ‘We use the word Blàths. It means “contentment” or “warmth”. There’s a lovely phrase, beiridh blàths air luaths, which means “there is a time for everything”. I wanted the book to reflect that.’
PREPARING FOR THE CÈILIDH MARTINI... GRAPEFRUIT OLEO & GRAPEFRUIT SYRUP 2 grapefruits 200g sugar, plus sugar for the syrup
Muddle the peels and sugar. The
METHOD FOR SYRUP:
sugar will dissolve in the oils released
Slice the peeled grapefruits in half,
by the citrus peel.
juice them and pour the juice through
Once all the peels have been
a sieve into a clean saucepan. For
muddled, cover the bowl with a dish
the syrup, we will do a simple 1:1 ratio
towel and leave it for 24 hrs, stirring
of juice to sugar, so add the same
METHOD FOR OLEO:
occasionally. Once complete, extract
weight of sugar to juice.
First peel the grapefruits in full.
the oleo by squeezing the liquid
Put the grapefruit peels into a bowl
through a muslin or clean kitchen
over a medium heat until all the sugar
and sprinkle the sugar over the peels.
towel. Refrigerate until required.
is dissolved. Let it cool and refrigerate.
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Add the sugar to the pan and stir
07/12/2021 15:39:45