COCKTAILS Four recipes for festive tipples

If it’s summer, it must be gin, obviously. And of course a bubble or two. And maybe a touch of tequila… Cocktails are breezy, delicious and fun – basically, a holiday in a glass.

The Rose Garden You’ll need:

• 50ml Hendrick’s gin

• 15ml rose syrup

• 25ml lemon juice

• 5 slices of cucumber

• soda water

To garnish: crushed ice and rose petals

How to do it:

1. Prepare the cucumber by removing the skin and the seeds, then add it to the cocktail shaker, and muddle.

2. Add the gin, rose syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Shake until the ingredients are fully combined.

3. Prepare a glass (or a dainty watering can if you have one!) with crushed ice.

4. Pour the cocktail mixture into the glass through a cocktail strainer.

5. Top with soda water. Garnish with rose petals and enjoy!

CULTURED KIR ROYALE You’ll need:

• Crème de Cassis

• Champagne or sparkling wine

How to do it:

Add a finger’s width of Crème de Cassis to a champagne flute, then fill the flute with chilled bubbly.

ELDERFLOWER POWER You’ll need:

• 50ml Hendrick’s Gin

• 30ml elderflower liqueur

• 150ml Fever-Tree Tonic Water

• 3 thinly sliced rounds of cucumber

How to do it:

Fill a highball glass with pieces of ice. Combine all ingredients and give a gentle stir. Garnish with 3 thinly sliced rounds of cucumber.

MOUTHWATERING MARGARITA You’ll need:

• fresh lime juice

• coarse salt

• tequila

• Cointreau

• crushed ice

• cocktail shaker

How to do it:

1. Chill a glass (any glass will do, but a cocktail glass is always pretty). Dip the rim of the glass in lime juice and then in coarse salt.

2. Fill the shaker with crushed ice, then add one part Cointreau and one part lime juice to two parts tequila.

3. Shake well to mix, then pour the chilled drink (without the ice) into the prepared glass.