COCKTAIL STRAWS RECIPES

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients in a Collins or Highball glass over lots of ice, stir gently and garnish with a wedge of lime. 3 TWISTS Orange mule Bring a sunburst of citrus to the brooding dark & stormy by making it with two dashes of orange bitters instead. Angostura orange bitters will give the drink more spicy, marmalade notes, while Bitter Truth orange bitters taste much more of freshly-peeled orange zest. Then make the drink as normal and garnish with a lime wedge. Minty mule Take inspiration from the mojito and mix up a dark & stormy twist with 50ml dark rum, 25ml lime juice, bitters and ginger beer served over crushed ice, garnished with a wedge of lime and a fragrant sprig of mint (for best results, give the mint a clap between your palms before tucking it into the drink as this will help to release the aromatic oils). Then add two straws and enjoy. Mexican mule Tequila really loves ginger and lime and all three come together beautifully in this Mexican twist on the mule. Just make the drink as normal but instead of rum, use a nice lightly-aged reposado tequila like Ocho or Olmeca Altos – it will give the drink a whole new layer of interest.

Steps:

• Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker with a good handful of ice cubes then strain into a rocks glass full of crushed ice. Drizzle the crème de mure over the top so it ‘bleeds’ into the drink. Garnish with the lemon slice and blackberry, if using. 3 TWISTS Fresh fruit bramble This drink is one to make when the hedgerows are groaning with ripe fruit. Start by muddling 6 blackberries in a rocks glass. Add 50ml gin, 25ml lemon juice, 25ml sugar syrup and fill the glass two thirds full with crushed ice. Mix with a long-handled spoon. Top with more crushed ice, a garnish and paper straws. Bramble royale Go glam with your bramble by adding a splash of champagne to the mix. Just make the drink as normal but reduce the amount of crushed ice by about a third to leave room for the fizz. Then top with 25-50ml of champagne, mix gently, add a bit more crushed ice, garnish and serve. Peach sour The classic ‘sour’ formula that the bramble sticks to is easy to adapt by switching out the liqueur. Try 12.5ml of crème de peche instead of crème de mure – it might not look quite as eye-catching as the bloodshot bramble but it will taste just as delicious.