Now down to the nitty-gritty … the cocktails
Here are a few simple cocktails that you should be able to make as individual drinks or as pitchers for sharing and use the basic ingredients you should have in stock in your bar
Unless otherwise stated the measure is one 25ml of each ingredient
Where to start with so many? Well the classic cocktail is the Martini: 2 x good dry gin (such as Tanqueray), 1 x dry vermouth (the eponymous Martini will more than suffice); pour spirits over ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, stir, strain to a Martini glass and add a fresh pitted green olive or a twist of lemon.
*Woo Woo: Peach Schnapps, Vodka and Cranberry Juice Mix in high ball glass
*Long Island Ice Tea: Tanqueray ½ measure, Stolichnya ½ (or other quality vodka), Tequila ½, Havana Rum (or other quality dark rum) ½, Cointreau dash, Lime wedge squeezed. Crush ice, mix and shake, top with Pepsi and lime wedge served in highball
*Sea Breeze: 175ml white wine, Stolichnya , 175ml Cranberry Juice and 175ml Grapefruit Juice, crush ice, mix and shake strain to margarita (or large wine glass) glass add twist of lemon
B52 : Kaluha 1/3, Grand Marnier 1/3 and Baileys 1/3 in shot glass float Baileys over the Kaluha and Grand Marnier
Jelly Donut: Crème de Cassis 2/3, Baileys 1/3, lemon and brown sugar. Rub rim of shot glass on lemon slice, coat rim in sugar, pour in cassis and float baileys over the top
*Turbulence: Southern Comfort, Amaretto and lemonade; pour into highball filled with ice top with lemonade and lemon twist and stirrer
Screaming Orgasm: Kaluha, Stolichnya and Baileys poured into a small wine glass filled with crushed ice and stir
*Moscow Mule: Stolichnya, dry ginger ale, lime wedge squeezed mix in high ball glass with ice
*Dust Buster: Kaluha, Havana Rum and pineapple juice mix in high ball glass with ice
*Hot Summer Breeze: Stolichnya, Orange juice, ginger ale, ginger wine. jalapeno pepper; mix in high ball glass with ice add jalapeno
Earthquake: Tanqueray, blended whisky, Pernod; shake with ice serve in short high ball
Cointreauceptive: Cointreau and Baileys stir in short high ball (or old fashioned) glass with ice
*Cuba Libra: Havana Rum 50ml and Pepsi/coke, lime wedge squeezed, pour over crushed ice in highball add lime wedge
*Superfly: Tanqueray, lime cordial, ginger ale, lime wedge squeezed mix in high ball glass with ice
Sunriser: Tequila 50ml, Orange juice and Grenadine. Fill high ball with ice add tequila, pour over orange juice to just below top, drizzle grenadine down inside of glass, whilst rotating the glass
*Blue Lagoon: Stolichnya, Blue Curacao and Lemonade; fill shaker with crushed ice, add Stoly and Blue Curacao, shake, top with lemonade, strain into glass, garnish with orange slice
Liquid Banoffee: Crème de Bananes ½, Crème de Cacao Brown ½, Baileys pour both into shot glass , float baileys over top
*Jelly Bean: Pernod, Cointreau, blackcurrant cordial (or cassis) and lemonade; fill high ball with ice, pour over equal measures of Pernod, Cointreau and blackcurrant , fill with lemonade and stir well
Rusty Nail: Drambuie ½ and Courvoisier ½ in shot glass (warm) or old fashioned with lots of ice
*Ferrari Jacks: Jack Daniels, Amaretto, limed wedge squeezed; pour over crushed ice in a high ball glass with lime wedge; fill with Coke/Pepsi, stir well.
*Mojito: 2 x White Rum, 1 x fresh lime juice, 10 fresh mint leaves muddled (mashed into the liquor), top with soda water in a high ball glass, add cubed ice and a slice of lime
Cocktails marked * are suitable for making pitchers for four to share, simply multiply the ingredients for each spirit by 4, uses lots of ice in the pitcher and top with the mixer to fill the pitcher