Top 10 Instagrammable Cocktail Recipes

We recently got in touch with Klaudia – kitchen designer, interior design enthusiast, and cocktail connoisseur. She’s the face behind popular Instagram account, @klauddesign_. As well as posting her amazing monochrome home furnishings, she’s a dab hand at making quaffable cocktails and inventing new, delicious recipes for her followers to try themselves at home.

Klaudia likes to experiment and put a twist on classic recipes – like her Espresso Martini that has the added zesty flavour of chocolate orange; or the Moscow Mule that she has cleverly transformed into grown-up boozy frozen popsicles!

Klaudia has kindly curated her top 10 cocktail recipes for us to try. Impress your guests (and treat yourself) to these deliciously naughty recipes – we don’t mind if we do! Cheers Klaudia! 🥂

#1 Espresso Martini

The invention of the Espresso Martini is commonly attributed to Dick Bradsell who, whilst working at Fred’s Club in London’s Soho in the 1980s, was asked by a model to fashion a drink that would "Wake me up, and then fuck me up".

This recipe puts an unusual twist on Dick’s classic coffee cocktail with the added festive flavour of chocolate orange.

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, then go berserk - shake, shake, shake! Vigorously shaking the ingredients with ice creates the characteristic velvety foam layer that sits atop this sophisticated British cocktail. Pour into a Martini glass through a strainer and garnish with ribbons of orange peel and a dusting of cocoa powder.

#2 Blackberry Gin

This zingy blackberry gin cocktail is influenced by another of Dick Bradsell’s legendary concoctions, the Bramble, a drink he created after being inspired by his childhood memories of blackberry picking on the Isle of Wight.

Simple syrup is the staple sweetener in many classic cocktails and is made from a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. Add equal amounts of both ingredients to a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar fully dissolves. Allow the syrup to cool before using in cocktail making. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Start by mashing (muddling) three blackberries at the bottom of a tall glass before adding a scoop of crushed ice on top. Combine gin, lime juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker, then slowly pour the mixture into your ice-filled glass. Top up with lemonade and add more crushed ice if needed. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and juicy ripe blackberries.

#3 Coconut Delight

A straightforward cocktail that's sweet, indulgent and delicious.

Following this recipe couldn’t be easier! Simply toss all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice… et voila, it’s ready to strain into a glass with desiccated coconut around the rim.

#4 Dalgona Coffee

The hashtag #dalgonacoffee has been tagged on over 516,000 posts on Instagram. Instagrammers from across the globe went mad about this drink during the recent coronavirus pandemic, at a time when they couldn’t venture out to their local coffee shop. In desperate need of a caffeine fix, and with time to spare, coffee-lovers started making this drink at home and sharing their photos and methods across social media. That is why many have dubbed this drink ‘quarantine coffee’.

Whip equal parts instant coffee, sugar and hot water until you have a caramel coloured foam - this takes approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to cool whilst preparing the rest of the cocktail. Add the hazelnut syrup, Baileys and milk to a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake for 1-2 mins to combine. Pour the mixture through a strainer, leaving behind the ice. Now, gently spoon over your cooled whipped coffee and add a dusting of cocoa powder.

#5 Garden Rosé​

This blush pink beauty is the perfect cocktail to sip outside on a balmy summer’s day... Yes, we advocate day drinking! If you’re socialising with friends and family, you need a lip-smackingly good beverage that’s quick and easy to make so you don’t miss any post-lockdown gossip - the Garden Rosé cocktail delivers exactly that.

Mix the gin, elderflower cordial and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, then pour into a glass tumbler - no need for a strainer, the ice can be served in the glass too. Add the mint, thyme, raspberry and lime garnishes, before topping up the glass with sparkling rosé wine.

#6 Baileys Cocktail

Baileys was created by Tom Jago, a liquor executive and marketeer who also notably invented Malibu coconut rum and Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch whisky. He held a senior position at Gilbeys of Ireland in the 1970s where, after 4 years development, he perfected the original Irish cream liqueur.

Bottles of Baileys are signed ‘R. A. Bailey’ but no such person exists, it’s a fictional signature that the brand uses as a gimmick.

The original flavour was introduced on the market in 1974 and has since become a drinks cabinet staple that can be enjoyed neat or mixed into an indulgent cocktail.

Even though new flavour variations have been introduced over the last 46 years – like mint chocolate, crème caramel, orange truffle, hazelnut, biscotti, pumpkin spice, and even red velvet – it’s the creamy original we like best.

Whip the sugar, instant coffee and hot water together for 5 minutes, creating a silky rich Dalgona coffee foam. Smother the rim of a glass tumbler with Nutella and coat in crushed almonds. Pour the Baileys and double cream into a glass, top up with milk, then stir to combine. Add the whipped Dalgona coffee mixture on top, before finishing with a sprinkling of finely chopped almonds.

#7 Lemon Drop

Also invented in the 1970s, the Lemon Drop is a zingy citrus cocktail that’s both sweet and sour.

How to sugar rim a cocktail glass:
On a plate, chopping board, or other flat surface, put a teaspoon of honey and another teaspoon of sugar next to it. Coat the edge of your cocktail glass in honey and then dip it in the sugar.

Add the vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake for a few seconds to combine the ingredients, then pour through a strainer into your cocktail glass and top up with sparkling water. The more water you add, the more diluted your drink will be, or “long” as they say in the bartending biz.

#8 Gin & Honey

A cocktail recipe that was shared with Klaudia by another Instagrammer. We think it’s the perfect tipple for mid-summer when elder trees are flowering and honey bees are at their most active.

Preparing this quaffable cocktail is easy beesy lemon squeezy! Combine the gin, lemon juice and honey in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a rocks glass and top up with lemonade. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and slice of lemon.

#9 Bloody Mary

This “hair of the dog” elixir has cured incalculable hangovers the world over - we owe it a lot!

The Bloody Mary is the oldest cocktail in Klaudia’s top 10 list, with bartenders citing anecdotes of mixing this drink back in the 1920s and 30s.

It has many ingredients and contrasting flavours which lends it to experimentation. Other variations on this classic brunch cocktail include horseradish, Guinness Irish stout, balsamic vinegar, oysters and beef stock. A close friend of ours includes a generous swig of William Fox Bacon Syrup in her Bloody Mary recipe. Although Klaudia’s recipe is fairly classic, she includes an extravagant mixed-morsel garnish that serves as a delicious bar snack.

Create a seasoning mix from smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and spoon a small amount onto a clean flat surface. Also, spoon a puddle of runny honey. First, coat the rim of your glass in the sticky honey, then roll through the seasoning blend.

Combine the vodka, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the garlic salt, celery salt and pepper a pinch at a time, sipping frequently to achieve your preferred taste. Pour through a strainer into your glass.

Using cocktail sticks, assemble a mouth-watering garnish. This might include gherkins, olives, cubed cheese, cherry tomatoes, celery, salami sausage or whatever else you fancy.

#10 Piña Colada

Piña Colada is the official drink of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island from which this tropical tiki tipple originates. It exploded in popularity after Rupert Holmes released his 1979 number one hit record "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" and has remained a firm and somewhat kitschy favourite cocktail ever since.

It’s easy enough to make… Simply toss the Bacardi, coconut milk (or cream) and pineapple juice together in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice, then pour into a hurricane glass with a rim that’s been embellished with sweet desiccated coconut. Garnish with a fresh-cut wedge of pineapple and a green frond.

BONUS #11 Moscow Mule Ice Lollies

The Moscow Mule was invented in Manhattan sometime in the 1940s, not in Moscow like the name might lead you to think. Many other ‘Mules’ (i.e. cocktails made with ginger ale or beer, citrus juice and alcohol) also have place names: London Mule, Mexican Mule, Jamaican Mule, Aussie Mule, Irish Mule, French Mule… the list goes on. Of course, the Moscow Mule is the best-known, and Klaudia’s choice for making these grown-up ice lollies.

Start by squeezing the juice from one whole lime and mixing it with your chosen vodka. Cut the second lime into semi-circular slices and add to the freezer mould, two per ice lolly. Fill the remainder of the mould with ginger beer. It should be 50:50 vodka/lime and ginger beer to give a strong alcohol flavour. Placing your lolly sticks between the slices of lime will help to hold them in place whilst they freeze. It also looks better that way. Because this mix contains alcohol, it’ll take longer to freeze. Similarly, once out of the freezer, these lollies will melt quickly.

Join us on Instagram

When it comes to her early 00’s semi-detached property – which she shares with her partner and two doggies – Klaudia likes to keep her home interior as decluttered and minimalistic as possible. She sticks to the three colour rule, which aims to keep décor modest, coherent and airy.

To see more recipes and take a virtual tour around Klaudia’s home, visit her Instagram page @klauddesign_. And remember to tag your posts with hashtag #kocktailswithklaudia. 

We’d also love to see your cocktail creations. Please tag us on Instagram @monocrhome_com or leave a comment using the contact form below... Typos and slurred speech are excused!

📷 Images courtesy of @klauddesign_