Confidently mixing and pouring a mouth-wateringly delicious cocktail – for yourself or a guest – is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Everyone should have a signature cocktail: either something you’re known to order at the bar, or a special little number that you whip up at home when entertaining. But if you’re yet to discover yours – that special alcoholic something that makes you stand out from the crowd – we’ve made life a little easier with four easy recipes for the world’s most popular cocktails. Reserve your favourites here and pay for them before boarding your flight. Enjoy!
Negroni
The Negroni supposedly got its start in life in Florence, Italy, in 1919 when the Count Camillo Negroni asked for the soda water in an Americano to be replaced with gin. The bartender added a flourish of orange peel and the rest, as they say, is history. Purists will insist on equal parts gin, Campari and Martini Rosso, but we like to swing the odds in favour of gin.
You need:
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35ml Beefeater London Dry Gin
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25ml Campari
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15ml Martini Rosso
Get mixing
Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass and give everything a good stir to properly mix the spirits. Strain the mixture into a glass over ice and garnish with a strip of fragrant orange peel.
Expresso Martini
The Espresso Martini supposedly came about in the 1980s when a model walked into a London bar and asked for a cocktail that would ‘wake her up’. Legend has it that the model was Kate Moss, but by our calculations she would have been far too young, so our money is on fellow Brit model, Naomi Campbell. Whatever its origins, the rousing combination of espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur is certainly a crowd pleaser.
You need:
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50ml Absolut Vodka
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50ml Cold espresso
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50ml Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
Get mixing
This recipe couldn’t be simpler. Combine your ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Give everything a good shake for at least 10 seconds to incorporate the ingredients, and strain the liquid into a waiting coupe glass. The cocktail will settle and the foamy ‘crema’ will rise to the top. Garnish with three coffee beans.
Old Fashioned
The classic Old Fashioned is around 200 years old, and in that time the recipe has become somewhat distorted. It’s pretty common, for example, to find it on a cocktail menu mixed with muddled fruit. The classic (and, as far as we’re concerned, proper) way to drink an Old Fashioned is to go back to its simpler origins.
You need:
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55ml Knob Creek Straight Rye Whiskey
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1 tsp sugar syrup
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2 splashes Angostura bitters
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2 splashes orange bitters
Get mixing
Combine the rye whiskey, sugar syrup, bitters and ice in a mixing glass and give everything a stir together. This cocktail should be served on the rocks – that’s served over ice – but it’s important to use just one very large ice cube, rather than a handful. A large piece of ice will stall the melting and stop it diluting your cocktail. Pour the liquid through a strainer and into a frozen glass, over the ice. Garnish your Old Fashioned with the peel of an orange and a lemon. Top tip: squeeze the pieces of peel over your drink to release the fragrant oils.
Mojito
A delicious Mojito is just about the most refreshing cocktail ever. Fact. It’s believed the rum cocktail came out of Cuba in the 16th century, and it still remains a firm favourite. Serve this sparkling and punchy drink at your summer barbecues.
You need:
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A small handful of mint leaves
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22ml sugar syrup
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23ml fresh lime juice
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50ml Captain Morgan White Rum
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A dash of soda water
Get mixing
Add the mint leaves and sugar syrup to a cocktail shaker and use a wooden muddler to gently press the mint leaves and syrup together. Be careful not to pulverise the mint. Add your fresh lime juice, white rum and a handful of ice cubes. Now, pop the top onto the shaker and shake, shake, shake. Ready a cold highball glass with plenty of ice and strain your cocktail into it. A few pieces of mint leaves will escape into the glass, but that’s more than OK. Top off the rest of the glass with soda water and garnish with a sprig of mint.