Spilling the Beans
How to make summery cocktails that aren't sickly sweet
Apart from Cosmopolitans and anything containing limoncello, cocktails are rarely revolting, but there's no doubt that they come into their own in warmer weather.
You might have a hot toddy, but winter is more about alcohol straight up (schnapps, whisky on a small rock, red wine). Spring and summer are when fizzy, fruity, zesty, herby additions feel right.
The trick, of course, is to keep things unsickening. The fatal flaw with warm-weather cocktails is too much sugar, so often resulting in concoctions which bring back unwanted memories of that 1980s nightmare, Esprit.
Here are my two favourites for the cocktail-strewn months ahead:
SASHA'S PINK G&T
G&T is having its day. Maybe it's something to do with the fantastic tonic waters that are coming out. None are actually bitter enough for my liking (where's the quinine gone?) but they're delicious all the same.
Try this combination, from a gifted cocktail-concocting and pink-loving friend:
Makes: 1 cocktail
Ingredients:
Couple of blocks of ice
Generous few tots of the best, not-too floral gin
Large pink grapefruit wedge, first squeezed to release the juice
Sprig of mint and/or a sprig of rosemary
Fitch & Leedes Pink tonic (rose and cucumber flavour)
Method:
In a generous glass, add the ingredients in the order listed above, topping up with enough tonic to fill the glass or to dilute the drink to your taste.
LOUISE'S GINGER-LICHI FIX
Generally, fruit juice which isn't freshly squeezed tends to be horrible. But litchi juice out of the carton - if it's a good brand - just works.
And now that I think about it, this second drink was also created by a friend, in the thick of a surreal catering job long ago, which involved the feeding and watering of 200 people from a few counters in a 2m passageway. Certain essential bar items hadn't arrived, and some serious creativity was required.
Thus was born Louise's Ginger-Litchi Fix (see recipe below), which is also brilliant frozen and served as a granita cocktail.
Makes: 1 cocktail.
Ingreidents:
Few blocks of ice
2 tots vodka
1 heaped tsp slivered fresh ginger, smashed a bit to release its flavour
100ml litchi juice
Frinding of black pepper (plus some whole ones because they look nice)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Method:
Mix ingredients together and serve in a tall, elegant glass.