Would you like to try a new cocktail recipe? Then, you’ve come to the right place as I’ll teach you my newly discovered cocktail recipe called the grape ape shot. It usually has a nice grape or purple color and made primarily with vodka, soda, and sweet syrup.
My love for grape ape shot started when my friend introduced it to me. It was so sweet that I forgot that there was even vodka included. The burst of fruity flavors leave a pleasant after taste in your mouth. If you would like to try a shot of grape ape, follow the directions below.
What You’ll Need
Vodka
Via 2luxury2.com
You need vodka to serve as the alcohol base of your cocktail drink. It can be any brand as long as it fits your budget. Expensive vodka brands, like Ciroc and Belvedere, provide fine flavors and aromas. They fit for special occasions, but if you’re serving some grape ape shots for larger parties, you can use the less expensive ones.
The cheaper ones, like Smirnoff and Absolut, are perfect for creating grape ape shots because they have low alcohol content. Besides, the taste of the vodka will be overpowered by the citrus and sweet tastes of other ingredients. For recipes 1 and 2, a plain vodka, like Absolut, can be used, but for recipe 3, a grape flavored vodka, like the 360 Grape vodka is preferred.
Sweet and Sour Mix
The sweet and sour mix offers the citrus flavor in your grape ape shot. This yellowish mixture is a combination of orange and lime. You can buy this in stores or you can make it from scratch.
What I use is the Mr & Mrs T Sweet & Sour Mix which is blended with the sweet flavor of oranges and the sour taste of lime. I love its citrus taste once blended with vodka.
Ice Cubes
Ice is the most essential and most ignored ingredient of cocktail making. For safety, use filtered water in creating ice cubes. You may need several ice cubes to chill your drink as you mix and serve it.
Additional Ingredients
For Grape Ape Shot Recipe #1
Lemon-lime Soda
The lemon-lime soda offers that carbonated effect to your grape ape shot. You can use Sprite, Mountain Dew, or 7-Up. What I usually use is Sprite because it’s sweeter and contains less fizz as compared to 7-Up.
Raspberry liqueur
The raspberry liqueur will give that sweet flavor in your grape ape shot. You need to be aware that this liqueur is very sweet so if you want your drink to be less sweet, use half a shot only. But if you prefer a very sweet drink, then go ahead and use one full shot of raspberry.
If you want to make use of your fresh raspberries at home, you can actually turn them into liqueur by adding them with vodka and sugar. Store it in a bottle and let it rest for about 3 months. You can find this homemade recipe here.
For Grape Ape Shot Recipe #2
Blue Curacao
The blue curacao imparts the blue hue to your grape ape cocktail drink. It has a sweet and slightly bitter flavor from dried orange peel. What I use is the Monin Blue Curacao which is free from gluten and high fructose corn syrup.
Pineapple Juice
You can use fresh pineapple juice or its can or bottle counterpart. For convenience, I use pineapple juice in a bottle because it tastes as good as the fresh pineapple juice. The pineapple offers a foamy effect to your grape ape shot when shaken and that tropical flavor that leaves a pleasant taste in your mouth.
Grenadine
To achieve the signature purple color of grape ape shot, use grenadine syrup. When mixed with the blue curacao, it generates a purple color. This sweet-tart syrup is produced from pomegranate juice.
You can use any brand of grenadine you want, but remember to choose one that has a magenta color and low fructose corn syrup, just like this. Make sure that it doesn’t taste like cherries because it indicates unnatural quality.
For Grape Ape Shot Recipe #3
Apple Schnapps
Via tesco.com
Apply schnapps is made from distilled apples. This strong, dry spirit is a perfect ingredient for those who want to taste green apples in their drink. What I use is the Moonshine Alcohol Flavoring Apple Schnapps] which has a refreshing and crisp flavor.
Triple Sec
A triple sec is an orange flavored syrup which is produced from the dried peel of oranges. This colorless syrup is perfect in sweetening your grape ape shot. What I use is the Monin Triple Sec which is free from sugar, calories, and genetically modified organism (GMO).
Equipment and Utensils
Cocktail Shaker
The main equipment that you need for all the recipes is a good cocktail shaker. By the name itself, it acts as a shaker for all your ingredients. There are two types of cocktail shakers: the cobbler and Boston.
If you want an easy-to-control shaker, choose a cobbler shaker, which has 3 parts- the metal tumbler, the metal lid, and a built-in strainer. For larger volume cocktails, you can use a Boston shaker which consists of two cups – the mixing glass and larger metal tumbler. Personally, I prefer the Boston shaker because it offers a better water-tight seal than its counterpart, but make sure that you choose one with a strainer included, like this one.
Cocktail Shaker Spoon (for recipe 1 only)
The cocktail spoon stirs your final drink together with the ice cubes and the soda. It is usually made of stainless steel and long in length to reach the bottom of even the tallest mixing glass.
Shot Glass or Tall Glass
You need several shot glasses to serve your final output to guests. You need this specifically for recipes 2 and 3. For recipe 1, you need a tall glass to serve it with ice cubes and soda.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Grape Ape Shot Recipe #1
1. Prepare your ingredients
For this recipe, you need ounce one ounce of vodka, one ounce of raspberry liqueur, a splash of Sprite, and a bit of sweet and sour mix. Prepare some ice cubes to be needed during the mixing process. At this point, make sure that you have cleaned your cocktail shaker and tall glass.
2. Mix and serve
In your cobbler cocktail shaker, pour in the vodka, the raspberry liqueur, sweet and sour mix, and some ice cubes. Seal and shake it vigorously, just like in this video here.
If you use a Boston shaker, just cover the mixing glass with the larger tumbler, give it a hard tap, and shake. You can see how it’s done in this video here.
With the strainer, pour the cocktail mix into a tall glass just halfway, then some ice cubes, and finally the Sprite soda. Sprite is not included in the cocktail mix because shaking it can cause the entire container to pop out, similar to shaking a bottle of coke. When everything is in the glass, give it a little stir with the spoon and it’s ready to drink.
Grape Ape Shot Recipe #2
1. Prepare the ingredients
For this recipe, prepare 1 ounce of vodka and 3/4 ounce of blue curacao. You also need to prepare a splash of each of the following: sweet and sour mix, pineapple juice, and grenadine. A couple of ice cubes are also needed, along with a shot glass.
Tab 2
2. Mix and serve
In your cocktail shaker, fill it with 1/4 ice cubes. Next, add the vodka, blue curacao, sweet and sour mix, pineapple juice, and grenadine. Give it a shake and strain to pour the contents into a shot glass. Serve while still cold.
Grape Ape Shot Recipe #3
1. Get ready with your ingredients
Prepare 2 ounces of grape vodka, one ounce of apple schnapps, one ounce of sweet and sour mix, and a splash of triple sec. Also get your cocktail shaker for mixing and shot glasses ready for serving.
2. Mix and serve
In a cocktail shaker, pour all the ingredients and mix well. Serve into glass shots and drink in one go.
Tips from the Experts
Via chowhound.com
Keep the drink balance and give it the right shake
Mashable Asia suggests keeping your cocktail drink balanced between the sour and sweet taste. The best way to achieve it is to follow the measurements of the recipe. In mixing the drink properly, do it in a circular motion while holding the tumbler.
Use fresh juices and good quality ice cubes
Bols Bartending Academy recommends using freshly squeezed juices in cocktail recipes if you aim for quality. To squeeze more lime and lemon juices, roll them before juicing and don’t forget to strain to remove any fruit pulp. As much as possible use solid and hard ice cubes so they don’t melt easily.
Create Your Own Grape Ape Shot Today!
Did you enjoy running through the ingredients and directions of making some great grape ape cocktail drinks? Learning these recipes have helped me widen my knowledge in cocktail making. Remember to follow the right measurement of ingredients and invest in a good cobbler shaker or Boston shaker.
Don’t hesitate to leave your comments below and share it with your friends for an awesome party drink.
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