BBQ tips by chef Declan Donnolly

As the days grow longer and the promise of spring lingers in the air, we’re brightening up your glass with a tropical twist on a Brazilian classic. Introducing our Mango Caipirinha – The Rabbit Hotel’s cocktail of the month for April.

Bursting with zesty lime, sweet mango, and the bold kick of Cachaça, this vibrant cocktail is the perfect sip to welcome warmer days. Whether you're joining us at the bar or mixing it up at home, here’s how to bring a taste of sunshine to your glass.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Cachaça
• 4 lime wedges (muddled)
• 1 demerara sugar cube
• 35ml mango purée
• 10ml mango syrup

Method:

• Place one cube of demerara sugar into a Boston shaker.
• Pour 50ml of Cachaça over the sugar cube.
• Gently muddle the sugar until dissolved.
• Add four fresh lime wedges and muddle again to release their juice.
• Add the mango purée and mango syrup.
• Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled.
• Pour (or “dump”) the contents into a whiskey glass.
• Garnish with a slice of fresh mango.

Whether you're lounging lakeside or setting the mood for an evening in, this Mango Caipirinha is sure to add a splash of sunshine to your April. Pop by The Rabbit to try it from the hands of our expert bartenders - or give it a go at home and bring a little of The Rabbit magic to your own cocktail hour.

Cheers!

Galgorm Collection are celebrating World Wellness Weekend this September, which aims to inspire and empower people to make healthier choices and enjoy an active lifestyle with family & friends. The Rabbit Executive Chef Niall Sarhan has shared a delicious and nutritional Tandoori Whole Roast Cauliflower recipe for you to enjoy making at home.

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower

For the Tandoori Marinade:

100g Yoghurt

100g Soft Cheese

3 Green Cardamom Pods

1 tsp Ground Turmeric

2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder

1 tsp Kasoori Methi

½ tsp Garam Masala

1 tbsp Lime Juice

½ tsp Ginger Paste

½ tsp Garlic Paste

3 tbsp Unsalted Melted Butter

1½ tsp Salt

For the Green Chutney:

30g Fresh Coriander

15g Fresh Mint

1 Green Chilli

¼ tsp Cumin Seeds

10g Fresh Ginger

2 Garlic Cloves

1 tbsp Lime Juice

1 tsp Sugar

3 tbsp Yoghurt

For the Beetroot Purée:

5 - 6 small cooked beets (about 8 - 10 ounces)

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt or to taste

½ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp cumin

Add all the ingredients into a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, reserving 2 tbsp melted butter to brush the cauliflower while it cooks.

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, then place the whole head into the marinade bowl. Make sure the cauliflower is thoroughly coated with the marinade, especially in the crevices.

Place the marinated cauliflower on a baking tray, lined with baking parchment. Roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and nicely charred on the outside. Raise the temperature to the highest your oven will go for the last 10 mins of cooking time and keep brushing with melted butter every 5 minutes. Check to see if the cauliflower is done by inserting a knife into its core – it should go through easily.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the green chutney. Put all the ingredients, except the yoghurt, into a blender and blend until you have a smooth, thick green paste. Add a splash of water if required. Add salt to taste (start with ½ tsp then add more, if you like).

Put the yoghurt into a bowl and fold the blended chutney mix through it. Check the seasoning and set aside.

Drizzle the cauliflower with extra melted butter, garnish with roast almonds and pomegranate and serve with the chutney on the side.

Argubly the best thing about summer is the al fresco get togethers and barbecuing to your heart's content. One of our Executive Chef's Aidan top tips for a great BBQ is boosting the flavour of your chosen meat with marinades and dry rubs, which you are best doing before cooking to get the most from the flavour. Check out our favourite recipes below for marinating!

House Rub Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 100g soft dark brown sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 2tsp garlic powder
• 100g table salt
• 3tsp smoked paprika
• 6tsp paprika
• 1tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cayenne

METHOD

1. Toast the fennel, cumin, coriander & back peppercorns in a dry pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan, until the spices release an aroma

2. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool

3. Use a pedestal and mortar to grind the spices to a coarse powder, combine with the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly

Hot Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg red peppers
• 250g red chillies
• 5g Maldon sea salt
• 25ml cider vinegar
• 25ml maple syrup
• 25g garlic cloves

METHOD

1. Grill the peppers and chillies on the BBQ backening the skin all round. Place into a container with a lid and leave to cool. Peel the peppers and chillies, Discard the skins and as many seeds as possible, then put the flesh into a saucepan

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, bring to a simmer and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes

3. Put the mixture into a blender and blitz until well mixed but still a little chunky. Decant into a 500ml sterilized jar or bottle and refrigerate. The sauce will keep in the fridge for 1 week.

BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 25 ml vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and grated
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
• 25g Spice Mix (see below)
• 125ml apple juice
• 125ml cider vinegar
• 135 ml maple syrup
• 125mlFrench's mustard
• 125ml treacle
• 125ml apricot jam
• 500ml Ketchup
• 25g smoked Maldon sea salt

SPICE MIX INGREDIENTS

• 5g fennel seeds
• 5g cumin seeds
• 5g coriander seeds
• 5g celery seeds
• 5g mustard seeds
• 5g black peppercorns

METHOD

To make the spice mix, toast all the spices in a dry pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan until golden. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool. Blitz the toasted spices in a blender to a rough powder.

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and spice mix and cook gently for 10 minutes, or until the onions are cooked through.

2. Add the apple juice and cider vinegar and simmer until reduced by a third

3. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Blitz the sauce with an immersion blender, then pass it through a fine sieve. Pour into a 1 litre sterilized bottle. Once cool, store in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.

MORE BBQ TIPS

Preheat your BBQ

Whether you are using a gas or charcoal BBQ, ensure you leave enough time for it to get to cooking temperature before you actually need it.

Precook your meats

Works great if you have a large number of people to feed. Cook in a low oven, without colour and finish on the BBQ. Works great for tender pork or beef ribs

Prevent sticking to get those grill marks

Ensure the grill is hot enough before putting any food on it. As an extra trick rub the grill with a ½ raw potato. The starch will act as a temporary non-stick barrier.

Know your heat zones

BBQs will naturally have hotter and colder areas, and knowing where these are and what to cook on them will help your BBQ skills. Direct heat for searing, indirect heat for finishing cooking. The Shelf in the lid can be used to keep your food warm whilst you cook more.

Let your meat rest

Get a casserole dish with a lid, when you have finished cooking, put your meat in there and let it relax, this will help ensure it is tender. If you carve or start eating it before, it will be really tough in comparison to when it’s properly rested.

Don't run out of fuel

Seems like an obvious one, but make sure you have enough charcoal or gas in the tank before you start.

Clean up

Get into the habit of cleaning down the grill after you’ve finished will make it quicker to set up next time. Don’t worry about intense scrubbing, instead scrunch up some foil and rub it along the bars of the grill to get them clean and help keep them rust-free, too. Did you know? Half of a raw onion it will get any unwanted burnt bits off with ease!

Try out our favourite summer sour cocktail at home, made using the new Watermelon & Basil Grey Goose Essences vodka. This recipe is provided by our talented mixologists and is sure to be a great choice for summer.

Ingredients

• 35ml Grey Goose Watermelon & Basil Essences Vodka
• 15ml Midori Melon liqueur
• 25ml Fresh Lime Juice
• 20ml Simple Syrup
• Whites of 1 Egg

Method

• Chill a coupe glass with ice and set to the side
• Add all ingredients to the large half of the cocktail shaker, we advise starting with the fruit juices in case you make a mistake and waste the precious alcohol.
• Place the smaller half on top keeping one side flush with larger half and the other creating a semi-circular opening, ‘dry shake’ (without ice) vigorously for about 10seconds.
• Hold the tin in one hand, and clap it with your other hand as the tins start to separate at the semi-circular opening you left, Add ice to shaker, place the smaller half back on top at the same angle and shake again.
• Once you have removed the smaller of the two tins, place your strainer on top, I hold the tin in my palm between my thumb and last three fingers leaving my first free to hold the strainer in place on top of the tin. Ditch the ice from your chilled glass and pour - for best results, use your other hand to hold a double strainer and pour your cocktail through both strainers to remove any little shards of ice.
• Garnish with a slice of fresh watermelon

Enjoy!