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  • Marmalade and Mandarin Margarita.

    Marmalade mojitos make a deliciously jammy cocktail, made to look really delicious with mandarin slices and star anise. Try this five minute cocktail recipe for an easy refresher.

    What you’ll need.

    · 1 rounded tsp marmalade

    · 2 tbsp dark rum

    · 1 mandarin, plus 1 slice

    · 1 star anise

    · to serve ice or chilled tonic water

    How to make it.

    · STEP 1

    Put the marmalade, dark rum, mandarin juice and slice, and the star anise in a jar, screw on the lid and leave until ready to serve.

    · STEP 2

    To finish, add some ice to the jar, screw the lid back on and shake well to mix and chill everything. Top up with tonic, then serve.

  • Banana Daiquiri.

    Bring sunshine to your cocktail repertoire in the form of a punchy, fun banana daiquiri. Garnish with banana slices, lime wedges or cocktail cherries

    What you’ll need.

    · 50ml white rum

    · 25ml banana liqueur

    · 10ml lime juice

    · 1 ripe banana, peeled

    · 2 handfuls of crushed ice

    · banana slices or banana chips, lime wedges or cocktail cherries, to garnish (optional

    How to make it.

    · STEP 1

    Put the rum, banana liqueur, lime juice, banana and ice in a blender suitable for crushing ice, and blitz until smooth.

    · STEP 2

    Pour the drink into a hurricane or other tall glass, and garnish with banana slices or chips, lime wedges or cocktail cherries, if you like (we skewered two cocktail cherries and a lime wedge on a cocktail stick).

  • The Paper Plane.

    This four-ingredient cocktail from Maria G’s balances bourbon with amaro – a bitter-sweet herbal liqueur. It makes a great digestif.

    What you’ll need.

    · 30ml Mondino Amaro

    · 20ml Amaro Santoni

    · 15ml Four Roses bourbon

    · 10ml lemon juice, plus a strip of lemon peel to garnish

    How to make it.

    · STEP 1

    Pour all the ingredients, except the lemon peel, into a cocktail shaker along with some ice.

    · STEP 2

    Shake well, then double-strain into a martini or coupe glass and garnish with a strip of lemon peel.

  • Jurassic Julep.

    For all you Jurassic Park lovers out there, this Peach Mint Julep is perfect for peach season and is great for a themed Jurassic Park/World party. This Jurassic Julep is themed to look like the original Jurassic Park colors.

    What you’ll need.

    • 1 cup ice
    • 2 Ounces Bourbon
    • 3 sprigs mint 2 for the cocktail 1 as garnish
    • 1/2 Ounces mint syrup
    • 1 tsp. Peach syrup
    • 3 Ounces Lemon-lime soda

    How to make it.

    1. Dice your mint very fine.

    1. Add your mint to a small bowl and muddle to a paste.
    2. In a cocktail shaker, add the mint syrup, ice, bourbon, fresh muddled mint, and peach syrup.
    3. Shake for 30 seconds.
    4. Pour into the chilled glass.
    5. Top with lemon-lime soda.
    6. Garnish with a mint sprig.
  • The Fruity Martini.

    King Charles is partial to a martini, famed for being one of the strongest and most alcoholic drinks on every menu. It has been reported that HRH supposedly enjoys a gin martini every night.

    The punch-packing cocktail is typically comprised of one part of vermouth to about four parts of gin or vodka, but the fun comes in putting your own twist to it. Charles enjoys his martinis wet, with equal portions of gin and dry vermouth.

    What better way to celebrate the King’s coronation on May 6 than by toasting the royals’ ascension with a fruity martini?

    What you’ll need.

    • 45ml Gin
    • 20 ml fresh lemon juice
    • 15 ml sugar syrup
    • 5 fresh Raspberries
    • Viola flower to garnish (optional)

    How to make it.

    Step 1 – Add 45ml of Bombay Sapphire gin to the shaker alongside 20ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

    Step 2 – Mix 1 part sugar syrup, 1 part water, before adding 5 fresh raspberries.

    Step 3 – Add ice cubes and shake hard for 15 seconds.

    Step 4 – Use a strainer to separate the solid raspberries and lemon juice liquid from the cocktail. Enjoy!

  • The Queens Park Swizzle.

    You’re going to put your skills of swizzling and layering to the test with a photo-worthy cocktail straight from Trinidad.

    What you’ll need.

    · 6-10 fresh mint leaves

    · 2 ounces demerara rum OR aged rum

    · 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

    · 1 ounce simple syrup

    · 2 dashes aromatic bitters

    · Ice

    · Aromatic bitters for garnish

    How to make it.

    1. In a highball or collins glass, muddle mint with simple syrup.

    2. Add ice, rum, lime juice, and bitters.

    3. Stir to mix.

    4. Fill the glass half way with crushed ice.

    5. Briefly stir with a swizzle stick or bar spoon.

    6. Fill the glass completely with crushed ice.

    7. Garnish with two dashes of aromatic bitters, do not stir.

  • Mezcal Paloma.

    Check out this quick and easy summer cocktail recipe with mezcal, zesty limes and sweet yet slightly bitter grapefruit juice. A paloma is usually made with tequila but using mezcal instead adds a lovely smoky edge to the drink.

    What you’ll need.

    · 3 tbsp mezcal

    · 3 tbsp ruby grapefruit juice

    · 2 tbsp lime juice

    · 2 tbsp honey syrup, see notes below

    · a splash (optional) soda water

    · to serve grapefruit peel twists or grapefruit wedges

    CITRUS-CHILLI SALT

    · 1 tsp mild chilli powder

    · 2 tsp sea salt flakes

    · 1 lime, zested

    How to make it.

    · STEP 1

    For the citrus-chilli salt, mix together all of the ingredients on a plate. Rub a lime or grapefruit wedge around the rims of 2 coupe glasses then press into the salt mixture.

    · STEP 2

    Pour the mezcal, grapefruit juice, lime juice and honey syrup into a cocktail shaker, top up with ice and shake really well. Pour through a fine sieve into the glasses, adding a splash of soda water, if you like, to give the cocktail a little fizz. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit peel or a grapefruit wedge.

  • The Sidecar.

    Try your hand at recreating a classic 1920s cocktail, the sidecar. It’s easy to adapt – simply use cognac, or go with equal parts cognac, triple sec and lemon juice

    What you’ll need.

    50ml cognac

    25ml triple sec

    25ml lemon juice

    handful of ice

    To serve

    dash of Angostura bitters (optional)

    How to make it.

    STEP 1

    Put a coupe glass in the fridge to chill. Tip all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

    STEP 2

    Shake well, until the outside of the shaker feels cold, then strain the cocktail into the chilled glass. If the lemon juice is too sharp, add the bitters to taste.

  • The Tipsy Mermaid.

    What you’ll need.

    Ice

    1/2 a cup of Blue Curacao

    1/4 a cup of Midori (Optional)

    1 Bottle of Prosecco or Champagne

    1 1/2 cups of Pineapple Juice

    1 cup of light Rum

    2 cans of Seltzer

    Pineapple wedges and Maraschino Cherries to garnish.

    How to make it.

    Fill a large punch bowl with Ice then pour over the Blue Curacao and Midori (if using).

    Top up with Prosecco, Pineapple juice, Rum and Seltzer.

    Add the pineapples and cherries.

    Stir to combine and serve immediately!

    And now I have mine made up I’m off to enjoy drinking it 🙂.

  • Dracula’s Kiss.

    This vampire-inspired cocktail comes together using pink cranberry juice, black cherry juice, grenadine, and lime juice, giving it its ghastly, blood-red hue. A candied blood-droplet rim and a set of frightening fangs garnish this sweet yet tart Halloween beverage. These wicked ingredients are coalescing into a macabre concoction that will have you sinking your teeth in again and again.

    What you’ll need.

    For the candied blood droplet rim:
    2 tablespoons black cherry juice
    2 tablespoons light corn syrup
    10 drops red food coloring
    For The Dracula’s Kiss Cocktail:
    Ice
    2-ounces vodka
    2-ounces pink cranberry juice cocktail
    1-ounce black cherry juice
    1-ounce grenadine
    1 tablespoon lime juice
    Candied blood (for rim)
    Vampire teeth (for garnish)

    How to make it.

    FOR THE BLOOD DROPLET RIM:

    1. To a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add light corn syrup and black cherry juice. Stir to mix. Bring to a boil (about 5 minutes) then reduce contents to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes or so while continuing to stir. Allow to cool to room temperature. You can rush this by refrigerating the syrup for 20-30 minutes.

    2. Add red food coloring. Stir to combine. The “blood” will be highly viscous, allowing it to stay in droplets on or near the rim of the glass for long periods of time.

    FOR DRACULA’S KISS – HALLOWEEN COCKTAIL:

    1. Using a spoon, scoop out a small amount of the candied blood. A little goes a long way! Transfer the candied blood to the rim of your glass by tapping the spoon along the rim of your glass. Keep in mind that the “blood” will drip, even if you add the smallest amount to the rim. Start by adding very little and add more, if you need. Continue this process until you’ve coated the circumference of the rim.

    2. To a tall glass (or a cocktail shaker), add ice, vodka, pink cranberry juice, black cherry juice, grenadine, and lime juice. Stir with a bar spoon (or shake) for about 20 seconds. Strain into prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with plastic vampire teeth.