Winter is always a depressing time of year. It’s cold, dark, windy and getting out of bed to face the day just gets harder and harder. If it wasn’t for Christmas there’d be no light at the end of the tunnel to get us through. This is the one thing that makes winter more bearable. Why else do you think we start hearing Christmas songs as early as mid November!

So if you shun winter but relish the thought of Christmas there’s no better way to make it come sooner than to heat up the house, throw up some decorations, get your friends over and host a Christmas Cocktail Party! Not only will it be another special event to look forward to but it may be the perfect opportunity to get that special someone under the mistletoe!

At Funkin we can help you with the cocktails and provide you with all the recipes you need to host the party of the season! We can also help on the friends front too as anyone who hosts a Funkin party is bound to be more popular after!!

So try these recipes on for size. Just add music and Christmas cheer!

Christmas Cosmo:

25ml Chambord

25ml Amaretto

1 x Funkin Cosmopolitan Mixer

Glass: Martini

Garnish: Cinnamon stick or Lemon twist

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly for 30 seconds. Pour the mix into a chilled Martini glass. For best results double strain by pouring the mix into the glass through a sieve to make sure no ice ends up in the glass.

Add cinnamon stick/lemon twist as garnish and serve.

Sloe Berry Santa:

50ml Sloe gin

25ml Raspberry purée

50ml Cranberry juice

10ml Lemon juice

10ml Sugar syrup

Glass: Rocks

Garnish: Raspberry

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly for 30 seconds. Fill a rocks glass with fresh ice and pour in the mix. Add a raspberry for garnish and serve.

Spiced Mint:

50ml Spiced rum

1x Funkin Mojito Mixer

5-8 mint leaves (optional)

Glass: Collins

Garnish: Mint sprig

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly for 30 seconds. If you have mint leaves smack them in your hands to break the surface and release the aroma and throw them in the bottom of the Collins glass. Add in fresh ice and pour in the shaken mix. Then stir the glass to bring the leaves up from the bottom.

Add a mint sprig to the top for garnish.

Berry Christmas:

50ml Vodka

25ml Pomgranite Purée

25ml Blackberry Purée

12.5ml Raspberry Purée

75ml Cranberry Juice

15ml Lemon juice

Glass: Collins

Garnish: Blackberry

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly for 30 seconds. Fill a collins glass with fresh ice and pour in the mix. Add a blackberry for garnish and serve.

We’ve all been to a cocktail party and most of us can’t seem to get enough of them! There seems to be something so exciting about the concept that mere word of a cocktail party can makes us giddy.

But what is it about a cocktail party that separates itself worlds apart from just a mere ‘party’? There is just something so elegant, glamorous and sophisticated that conjures up the same image in everybody’s mind. Beautiful women in long expensive dresses talking eloquently with their trim statuesque male counterparts, everyone looking fabulous and successful.

So why do we have this image anyway? It’s definitely based in the origins of the cocktail party. Traditionally they were the preserve of the social elite and only the who’s who of society would get an invitation so you’d better be sure to dress to impress for this occasion! It’s widely claimed that the first cocktail party took place in 1917 in St. Louis hosted by a socialite of fine taste, Mrs. Julius S. Walsh. The party took place in the bar of her private mansion, starting at 12 noon and lasting for 1 hour. Brief, but it was enough to send shockwaves throughout the social world establishing cocktail parties as an upper class institution.

Cast forward to today and cocktail parties are enjoying a resurgence in popularity and not amongst the elite. We realised that everyone loves cocktails (delicious!) and everyone loves parties (fun!) so why do high society get to keep it all to themselves? Today anyone and everyone can host their own cocktail party, and they do! People from all walks of life can get dressed up and call round to a friends for an evening of cocktails with a party ranging from a couple of besties to a pumping wild all-nighter! We don’t need a private bar or a mansion…though they would be very very nice!

So that’s why cocktail parties are so special to us. They allow us an opportunity to feel elegant and sophisticated (moreso than we do already!) like we are the trendsetting social elite of 1917. So today with seemingly nothing but woes and crises all around the world, people are turning to hosting their own parties as a means of forgetting their troubles, enjoying the loving friends they have and reminding themselves that they are exactly as fabulous as they want to be. Because let’s face it, who doesn’t feel like a million pounds at a cocktail party?! We know we’ve never had a bad one!

‘Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!’

Since it’s Rum Month it’s time to talk a little about rum! It is difficult to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of this fine beverage. It is so commonplace these days in our bars and homes that we forget that growing up we held it entirely as the preserve of pirates and scallywags plundering the high seas. Indeed that was the case that rum was the most popular drink of sea-faring folk. Rum originated it the Caribbean and South America and still today it remains the largest rum producing region in the world. It makes sense that since merchant fleets and pirates spent most of their time in these areas that they would adopt rum as their drink of choice.

But is the rum that these old sea dogs used to drink really the same as what we enjoy on our nights out? It is quite difficult to picture Blackbeard sitting back and enjoying a Bacardi on his day off, with maybe even a cocktail umbrella in his glass as he suns himself on deck on his tropical cruise ship!

That’s just how versatile rum is. There’s white rum, dark rum, gold rum, spiced rum and many more varieties with literally hundreds available to satisfy individual tastes. So while our pirate friends may not have enjoyed the crisp pure rums we fancy today, they would have certainly indulged in more crude varieties which most certainly would not have gone down so easy.

You really do have to pity the poor sods who didn’t have the same beautiful cocktail recipes we have available today. They really would have been able to enjoy rum in its finest form, mixed with delicious fresh fruit, served in stylish glassware and chilled ice cold.

But you never know, with all the limes in the area some unknown sailor may have felt adventurous and unknowingly treated himself to the first Mojito!

This Rum Month make yourself up some of these fantastic recipes:

Mojito:

50ml White Rum

25ml Lime juice

15ml Sugar Syrup

5-8 Mint Leaves

Soda Water

(or alternatively use a Funkin Mojito Mixer)

Glass: Collins

Garnish: Mint sprig

If you don’t have lime juice or sugar syrup you can simply muddle together brown sugar and fresh limes in the glass. So do this and add in the mint leaves and mix them all together being sure to break the mint to release its flavour. Then add ice and pour in the rum. Top off with soda water and add a mint sprig to garnish.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp77SIZOllc

Mary Pickford:

50ml White Rum

25ml Pineapple juice

10ml Grenadine

Glass: Martini

Garnish: None

Fill a martini glass with ice and water to chill. Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly for 30 seconds. Throw out the ice and water in the chilled Martini glass and double strain the mix from the shaker.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-my8LDG80A

Pina Colada:

50ml White Rum

1 x Funkin Pina Colada Mix

Glass: Hurricane

Garnish: Pineapple wedge

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly for 30 seconds. Fill the hurricane glass with ice and add in the mix from the shaker. Add a pineapple wedge for garnish and serve!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjFZ5c7YgxA

Mothers Day Cocktails in the sunshine!

Save the date, Sunday 3^rd April 2011. This is your chance to gain brownie points and more importantly show your appreciation and thank your mum for being simply fabulous!

Thank her for helping you through the terrible teens, tears, tantrums, trauma and of course the free taxi service she has provided over the years.

Contrary to popular belief, Mother’s Day was not conceived in the boardroom of Hallmark or Moonpig! The earliest tributes to mothers date back to the annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of Gods, Cybele.

Raise a toast to mums across the UK with a hatrick of Funkin easy to make cocktail recipes. Choose from a 10 second cocktail recipe, a mocktail or try a Funkin Pro Bartender cocktail recipe and really show off! Forget chocolates, flowers and fluffy teddy treat your mum to a sophisticated 100% natural fruit cocktail mixer. CHEERS!

MOTHERS LITTLE HELPER (10 Second Cocktail)

Style: Long Drink Glass: Tall Glass Garnish: Lemon twist

Cocktail Ingredients:

• 50ml Vodka
• 1x Funkin Cosmopolitan Cocktail Mixer
• Top Prosecco or Champagne

How to make the cocktail:

• Add ice to a tall glass to chill
• Add vodka to the glass
• Add Funkin Cosmopolitan Cocktail Mixer to the glass
• Stir
• Top with Prosecco or Champagne

ATOMIC CATNIP (Mocktail)

Style: Long Drink Glass: Tall Glass Garnish: A slice of lemon

Cocktail Ingredients:

• 1x Funkin Cosmopolitan Cocktail Mixer
• Top Tonic water

How to make the cocktail:

• Fill a tall glass with ice
• Add the Funkin Cosmopolitan Cocktail Mixer
• Add the tonic water
• Layer or stir

MOTHERS RUINS (Pro Bartender Cocktail)

Style: Long Drink Glass: Tall Glass Garnish: A raspberry

Cocktail Ingredients:

• 25ml Gin
• 12.5ml Sloe Gin
• 12.5ml Chambord
• 37.5ml Funkin Raspberry Puree
• 50ml Cranberry Juice

How to make the cocktail:

• Add ice to a tall glass to chill
• Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and shake
• Strain in to chilled glass

Happy cocktail making folks! If you want to treat your mum we have created Funkin Mothers Little Helper Cocktail Pack, it makes the perfect Mothers Day gift at only £15 for 6 cocktail mixers plus a 3 piece cocktail shaker! Cheers and Happy Mothers Day.

NEW Funkin Fusion Cocktail Mixers

That is easy to answer. It is the NEW Funkin Fusion Cocktail Mixer range!

The Funkin mixologists have been busy over the last year. Not content with our current range of 100% natural fruit flavours they had to go and change the way we think about cocktails….AGAIN! Funkin have managed to blend hard to source, contemporary ingredients, to inspire creativity in bartenders while maintaining the convenience Funkin is famous for.

Funkin Fusion range is made by bartenders for bartenders . The cocktail collaboration saw Floradita’s in Soho London overtaken with the UK’s leading bartenders battling it out with the new flavour combinations.

The 3 flavours that survived the competition and impressed the judges to make it onto our shelves were as follows…..drum roll please!

FUNKIN MANGO, CALAMASI AND LIME COCKTAIL MIXER

Funkin searched the planet for the most exotic ingredients to really make your cocktail mixer pack a mean punch! Made from Indian Totapuri mango, Calamansi from the Philippines and Thaitian lime all fused together to bring you a NEW taste sensation. Get creative party people.

FUNKIN MANGO, RED PEPPER AND HOT PIMENTO COCKTAIL MIXER

Now this has a bit of a kick! Fresh Indian Totapuri mangos blend with California Wonder and Spanish Lamuyo red peppers. Then the Indian Capsicum Frutescens Linnaeus hot pimento takes hold and explodes in your mouth. A truly unique taste sensation to add a dash of fire to your cocktail.

FUNKIN BLACKBERRY AND MADAGASCAN VANILLA COCKTAIL MIXER

A delicious fruity blend made with the freshest cultivated and wild French, Chilean and Portuguese blackberries blend with bourbon vanilla extract from Madagascar. Enjoy a rare fusion of premium fruit that will knock your socks off.

The Funkin Fusion cocktail battle back in November was awesome and we have the footage to prove it! Check out the Fusion Cocktail Battle Video and see for yourself the UK’s top bartenders in action. Now we are off to get some tasty new cocktail recipes to share with you all!

If you love to experiment at home with new cocktails, new ingredients and easy to make cocktail recipes then copy the leading bartenders and try Funkin Fusion at your next party! Cheers………

The luck of the Irish on St Paddy's Day!

Are you all set for St. Patrick’s Day, March 17? This religious feast day has been celebrated for over a thousand years on the Emerald Isle and by the Irish all over the world! So to celebrate we have created a range of 3 delicious St Patrick’s Day cocktails using traditional Irish drinks with a Funkin twist. Choose from the Irish Mojito, Black on Black or Paddy’s Pina Colada which are easy to make cocktail recipes your guests will love.

However we not only love cocktails but we have to confess we love our food too! Eating and drinking with friends is our favourite pass time, yes it’s true we love to show off in the kitchen. So when planning your St Patricks Day party make sure you match the cocktails to the food for the ultimate taste sensation! Here are some menu ideas that are perfect for your palate when celebrating at home.

What food to eat with St Paddy’s Day Drinks?

• Guinness, an Irish-style dry stout and every bit the equal to any white wine when paired with oysters. Other options that complement include red meats which are grilled, roasted or stewed, as do good old sausages.
• Jameson’s Whiskey has a beautiful taste and we recommend serving up cheese, smoked foods, game or bacon to bring out that flavour. You could also try some peppered prawns to complement the initially citric flavours which are followed by profound sherry, fudge, vanilla and spice of the Whiskey.
• Try serving up a minted lamb curry with your Irish Mojito Cocktail it is truly amazing!
• Funkin Paddy’s Pina Colada cocktail should be paired up with a zesty chicken or seafood salad. Or even some loaded nachos, quesadillas or tacos for a tasty flavour infusion.
• Funkin Black on Black cocktail tastes fantastic with a grilled steak, or fresh feta cheese salad.

Now you have the cocktails, you have the menu ideas all you need are the guests and you have yourself a party. Happy St Patrick’s Day …Slainte!

After a busy day in the office sometimes all that keeps us going is the thought of a nice refreshing drink to ease away the stress. However in the current climate it is not always everyone’s purse strings that can stretch to a few drinks at your local cocktail bar!

You may even be such a regular that you are now officially bored of your local? Plus who says you have to go out to have fun, your home is your haven and here are some great reasons to drink your post work cocktails in the comfort of your own home.

The Benefits of Drinking Cocktails at Home!

• Saves you money, stocking up on Funkin Cocktail Fruit Mixers will only cost you 84p per pouch.
• You can choose what kind of music you want to listen to, get your favourite album on and relax.
• You don’t have to miss your favourite TV show, enjoy a few cocktails whilst watching Glee, Football, Eastenders or the latest DVD.
• You can sit on the sofa or your favourite chair, pure comfort probably moulded to the shape of your bum!!
• You can get out of your suit or work clothes and wear whatever you like, PJ’s, comfy clothes, fancy dress, it really is up to you!
• If it’s more of a social fix you are after then invite your friends round and show off a deliciously zesty Mojito or a tasty Margarita Cocktail (ready in only 10 seconds!)
• No need to worry about taxi’s home, your bed is only in the next room.

So at the end of a hard day you can head home and enjoy a Funkin Cocktail in the comfort of your own home and save partying and bar hopping for the weekend! Don’t forget to post and tag your photo’s on our Facebook Page so we can see your post work relaxation in action. Cheers (we are raising our cocktail glass filled with Funkin Strawberry Daiquiri as we type!).

Party at home with Funkin cocktail mixers

Staying in is the new going out, oh yes indeed! You can throw a fantastic cocktail party at home for your family, friends and basically anyone you wish to impress. What better way to toast a celebration than with a cocktail or five! The good news is by using Funkin Cocktail Mixers you don’t need to slave away in the kitchen chopping, squeezing and measuring, simply open and pour. All you need is ice and a bottle of quality spirit and hey presto you can serve up a bar quality cocktail!
We have consulted the best party hosts across the UK and the Funkin team have been summoned to give their top tips for hosting the best parties at home! Follow our top tips and you too can become the perfect cocktail party host.

How to throw the BEST cocktail party

• Send a Save the Date message and include RSVP details, your address and reason for the party! We recommend a 7pm kick off, that is officially cocktail o’clock!
• Stock up the bar! To make a variety of cocktails buy the best vodka, rum, gin and tequila your budget will allow.
• Make sure you have enough cocktail glasses and serve cocktails in the correct glass. A Mojito is served in a high ball glass whilst a Cosmopolitan in a Martini Glass, check out our cocktail recipe A-Z to match your cocktail with glassware. But remember you always need to have twice as many glasses as guests.
• ICE ICE BABY! You can never have enough ice, get that freezer stocked up to ensure the cocktails keep flowing and are deliciously chilled.
• Use Funkin Cocktail Mixers as they are made with 100% natural fruit, contain no additives and are ready in only 10 seconds! This gives you more time to mingle with your guests and enjoy your own party.
• Serve up a variety of finger food including meat, vegetarian, spicy, sweet plus hot and cold dishes. Canapés, tarts, crackers, mini main courses, crisps, nuts and olives never go wrong. Serve up 5-6 bites per guest and always serve up extra, you don’t want to run out!
• Create an iPod playlist or go into Last FM, Spotify or Ping in advance and create a mix of old and current tunes. Remember music sets the mood of your party so think of your guests first then choose the tunes.
• Keep a local taxi number handy for guests to get home safely, everyone loves a thoughtful host.

Don’t forget to post your party pics on our Facebook Page, we would love to see you guys party at home with Funkin Cocktails. Enjoy your party, have fun and unwind but please always drink sensibly!!

Love is in the air here at Funkin and we are all in the mood for Valentine’s day. Funkin Cocktails are giving all our friends, fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter an exclusive promo code to get 15% off cocktail mixer ingredients when you buy online!

You should mix it up, don’t go to all that trouble of preparing a romantic 3 course meal filled with delicate planning and aphrodisiac ingredients and then serve up boring drinks. If you are planning a meal for 2 at home then show off, bring out the old romantic in you and create the ultimate Valentines party drink, the cocktail!

Funkin supply top UK Bars and Clubs with 100% natural fruit cocktail mixers so make sure you use the UK’s premium cocktail ingredients. Choose from the Award Winning Strawberry Daiquiri, zesty Mojito cocktail mixers, Pina Colada, Bramble, Cosmopolitan, Margarita or try a Raspberry Mojito cocktail mixer. All you need is to add ice and a dash of spirit then give a quick stir, ready in only 10 seconds. More time for enjoying yourself and a chance to really woo your date.

How to get 15% off 100% Natural Cocktail Mixers?

We have Red Hot Love Potions and easy to make Valentines cocktail recipes to help your romantic evening go to plan. Simply follow Funkin Cocktails on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to reveal the online promo code & get a lip smacking 15% off at the checkout! Happy Valentine’s Day cocktail lovers, spread the love and share the discount with your friends! Cheers…

Clear the Mantelpiece! Funkin have finished top of the cocktail charts at this year’s International Pre-Mixed Drinks Challenge 2011. Funkin Margarita and Pina Colada cocktail mixers scooped GOLD awards and the delicious Strawberry Daiquiri picked up a worthy SILVER.

We are buzzing with the news it makes trekking the world for the finest fruit and the best fruit farmers all worthwhile. First thing we did was toast with a celebratory cocktail….. how else would we celebrate!

Here is a little bit more about our fabulous Gold and Silver medal winning cocktail mixers. All Funkin cocktail mixers contain 100% natural fruit grown, ripened, loved and nourished directly under the sun. We never add any nasty artificial additives or preservatives. So the only question is which one will you try first? We strongly recommend sampling all three, just to have a balanced opinion of course!