Shake up an olive oil cocktail for mom this Mother's Day

We love it in salads and use it in our cooking, so why use olive oil in cocktails? Well, for starters, it's delicious. It adds a silky texture and a hint of savoury flavour to your drink, balancing the sweetness that often comes from mixers, juices or fruit. Additionally, olive oil brings light, earthy notes to a cocktail, making it perfect for summer sipping or pairing with Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

Bartenders around the world have embraced olive oil as a cocktail ingredient, creating innovative and delicious drinks that highlight its unique flavour profile. From classic martinis to modern concoctions, olive oil cocktails are taking the cocktail world by storm.

But a word of caution — quality matters when it comes to these drinks. Using a premium extra virgin olive oil such as African Gold Extra Virgin olive oil is essential to achieving the best flavour and texture.

There are several ways to incorporate olive oil in cocktails. One popular method is to combine a liquor such as gin or vodka with oil and let it sit for a few hours. Then, the mixture is placed in the freezer to solidify the fat, which is removed from the final product. This process infuses the spirit with the flavours of the oil, creating a rich and luscious cocktail with a delicious mouthfeel.

Another option is to add a few drops of olive oil directly to your drink. This method adds a subtle, yet distinct, flavour to your cocktail, enhancing its overall taste and aroma.

So, next time you're shaking up a drink, don't forget to reach for the olive oil — it might just become your new favourite cocktail ingredient! If you’re looking for inspiration, try these three cocktails. All feature the local flavours of African Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which exhibits a fresh, green fruitiness and pleasantly bitter notes that are beautifully highlighted in these cocktails.

Olive Oil Martini

75ml (5 tbsp) vodka or gin washed* with extra virgin olive oil

15ml dry vermouth

2.5ml (½ tsp) extra virgin olive oil

1. To wash your gin or vodka with olive oil, combine 1 cup of your spirit with ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Shake vigorously to combine, allow to stand for at least an hour and then freeze for a few hours. Scoop off the separated olive oil.
2. In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine vodka or gin, dry vermouth and olive oil. Stir well and chill.
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Lemon Basil Twist

60ml (4 tbsp) gin

20m (4 tsp) fresh lemon juice

15ml (1 tbsp) simple syrup

7.5ml (1½ tsp) extra virgin olive oil

4-5 fresh basil leaves

1. In a mixing glass, muddle fresh basil leaves with simple syrup. Add gin, fresh lemon juice and olive oil to the glass.
2. Fill the glass with ice and stir well until chilled. Strain the mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Olive Oil Jalapeño Margarita

60ml (4 tbsp) tequila

30ml (2 tbsp) triple sec

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh lime juice

15ml (1 tbsp) agave syrup

7.5ml (1½ tsp) extra virgin olive oil

Fresh jalapeño slices

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the fresh jalapeño slices. Add tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice, agave syrup and extra virgin olive oil to the shaker.
2. Add ice to the shaker and shake well.
3. If desired, rim a rocks glass with salt then strain the mixture into the prepared rocks glass filled with ice.