As today is National Cocktail Day, we thought we would take a look at a selection of eight show-stopping cocktails that you can make at home with ease to impress your guests at dinner parties or simply enjoy in the garden to celebrate the start of Spring.
Our first cocktail is the ADRIATICO Bianco Paloma which is made with 50ml ADRIATICO Bianco Amaretto, 20ml Fresh Lime Juice and Pink Grapefruit Soda.
Simply add ADRIATICO Bianco Amaretto and lime juice to a highball glass full of ice before filling it with pink grapefruit soda and garnishing with a slice of pink grapefruit.
RRP: £28.99 for 70 cl. ABV 16%, and is available from: Amazon, The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt.
Second on our list is Cotswolds Clover Leaf for which you will need 50ml Cotswolds Dry Gin, 15ml Fresh Lime Juice, 12.5ml Raspberry Syrup, 5 Fresh Raspberries, 2 Mint Leaves and 1 Egg White as an optional extra.
To create, muddle the raspberries and mint before shaking all the ingredients over ice and strain back into the shaker. Then dry shake and fine strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with raspberry and mint for the perfect Spring cocktail.
RRP: £34.95. ABV 46%, and is available from: Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Amazon, Majestic, Oddbins, Fortnum & Mason and Cotswolds Distillery.
Our third cocktail is the Mermaid Seaview Sour, which is a mix of 50ml Mermaid Gin, 25ml Lemon Juice, 25ml Lime Juice, 25ml Peach Syrup, 35ml Orange Juice and a dash of Vegan Foamer.
Shake all the ingredients with ice and fine strain over an ice-filled tumbler before garnishing with a lemon peel and single cherry.
RRP: from £41 for 70cl. ABV 42%, and is available from: John Lewis, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, Harvey Nichols, Fenwick, Tesco, M&S, Waitrose, Amazon and Isle of Wight Distillery.
Our fourth cocktail is the Betty Buzz Sparkling Margarita for which you will need ½ Bottle Betty Buzz Sparkling Lemon Lime, 50ml Tequila, 2-3 Lime Wheels and some salt for the rim.
Add some ice and tequila to a lowball glass with salt on the rim if preferred. Then add ice and tequila to the glass before pouring Betty Buzz Sparkling Lemon Lime over top. Stir together and garnish with some lime wheels for a lovely refreshing cocktail.
RRP: from £2.50 per 260ml bottle from Whole Foods Market and as a multiple pack from Amazon for 24 x 150ml cans from £29.99.
Fifth on our list is the Mermaid Spiced Rum & Ginger for which you will simply need 50ml Mermaid Spiced Rum and some Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale.
Fill a glass with ice and add a measure of Mermaid Spiced Rum, then top up with a dash of Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale and garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a maraschino cherry.
RRP: from £41 for 70cl. ABV 40% and is available from Isle of Wight Distillery and John Lewis.
A refreshing Opihr Grapefruit Spritz is number six on our list. All you need is 50ml Opihr Aromatic Bitters Gin, 25ml Bitter Aperitif and some Grapefruit soda. Then simply build in a wine glass with ice and top with some soda and garnish with a grapefruit slice.
RRP: from £25.99. ABV: 43%, and is available from: DrinkSupermarket, Amazon, Master of Malt and Neat and Shaken.
Number seven is a Mermaid Citrus Basil Smash for which you will need 50ml Mermaid Zest Gin, 25ml Lemon Juice, 25ml Sugar Syrup, a handful of basil and some Mediterranean Tonic.
Leaving the tonic to one side for the moment, shake all the ingredients with some ice and fine strain into an ice-filled highball glass and then top up with the Mediterranean Tonic and garnish with a few basil leaves.
RRP: £41. ABV 40%, and you will find it available from John Lewis, Master of Malt and Isle of Wight Distillery.
Our eighth and final cocktail for National Cocktail Day is the Choya Honey Bees Knees which will require 35ml Choya Royal Honey, 15ml London Dry Gin of your choice, 20ml Orange Juice, 20ml Lemon Juice, 2 Dashes of Foamer (or you can use an egg white or 50ml of Aquafaba if you perfer).
Then add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker, shake hard and double strain into a large brandy glass.
RRP: 70cl from £32.99. ABV 17%, and is available from DrinkSupermarket, Amazon and Master of Malt.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man On The Ground, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Be the first to comment