This cocktail works with all types of champagne or sparkling wine. If you have a bottle of bubbly that has been open for a while and lost a bit of its fizz, don’t worry; the sugar in the recipe will revitalize it.
Serves 1
5–10 sprigs of mint, plus 1 to garnish
15ml sugar syrup
1 dash lime juice
champagne, to top up
Muddle the mint, sugar syrup and lime juice together in a highball glass. Add crushed ice and the champagne (gently) and stir well. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve Photograph: William Lingwood/Ryland Peters & Small
A great litmus test for a bartender’s capability – too much lime and the drink turns sickly, not enough and the drink is too strong. This one needs to be shaken hard to ensure a sharp freezing zestiness.
Serves 1
50 ml gin
25 ml lime cordial
Add the gin and cordial to a shaker filled with ice. Shake very sharply and strain into a frosted martini glass Photograph: William Lingwood/Ryland Peters & Small
This fresh-fruit cooler always appeals due to the nature of the ingredients – there just seems to be something about raspberries in cocktails that everyone enjoys.
Serves 1
4 fresh raspberries
50 ml vodka
20 ml fresh lime juice
1 dash Chambord
soda water, to top up
a lime wedge, to garnish
Muddle the raspberries in the bottom of a highball glass. Fill with ice, add the remaining ingredients and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve with two straws Photograph: William Lingwood/Ryland Peters & Small
The Sidecar, like many of the classic cocktails created in the 1920s, is attributed to the inventive genius of Harry McElhone, who founded Harry’s New York Bar located in Paris. It is said to have been created in honour of an eccentric military man who would roll up outside the bar in the sidecar of his chauffeur-driven motorcycle.
50 ml brandy
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml Cointreau
sugar, for the glass
Shake all the ingredients together over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass with a sugared edge Photograph: William Lingwood/Ryland Peters & Small
