Mix any gathering into a party, by Fred Sirieix

THERE’s no need to spend a fortune stocking up on booze this Christmas, only to be left with lots of half-finished bottles, says Fred sirieix, Maitre D on Channel 4’s First Dates. Just make a few smart picks and everyone will feel spoilt for choice. No drinks trolley required!

Spruce up gin in a tin

SPIRITS last, so I would rather invest in a good bottle of gin and enjoy it — such as Adnams or BrewDog — though it will probably disappear more quickly than a bad one.

So many brands now do 20cl bottles (Signature Gin 20cl Hooting Owl Distillery, £16, hootingowldistillery.co.uk, or Gordon’s Gin 20cl, £5.89 drinksupermarket.com). You can also buy a readymade gin and tonic. Put it in a nice glass, add ice cubes, a wedge of lemon, or some cranberries, or some pepper or rosemary. No need to tell your guest it came from a can.

Tiny bottles are a tonic

AS WELL as minimising waste, small bottles of tonic are always better than full-sized ones. They look more elegant when served, and if you’re making a G&T you can let people add their own mixers. Usually they’ll pour in the whole bottle, but it’s a nice gesture. You don’t just drink with your mouth — you also drink with your eyes!

Quality not quantity

M&S does a full bottle of beautiful Crémant for £10 (M&S Cremant de Bourgogne NV, marksandspencer. com). You can drink it straight the first day, at lunch, and maybe the next day add some creme de cassis (De Kuyper Creme de Cassis Liqueur 35cl £9, ocado.com) to make a Kir Royale. It’s more important to buy quality than a lot. Life is too short to drink rubbish!

Red wine in the fridge

WE HAVE a saying in France: ‘ Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire’ — it means when the wine is open, you’ve got to drink it. But if this year you have a small gathering, and there is wine left over, it’s not wasted — remember, you can keep an opened red wine in the fridge as well as a white. Recently, I had a beautiful bottle of Beaujolais (M&S Classics No. 35 Beaujolais-Villages 2019, £8, marksandspencer.com). I had a couple of glasses for dinner, then a glass the next day, and it was just as good as when I first opened it. Alternatively, I like to put it on my kitchen windowsill. At the moment the temperature is ranging between 13, 14, 16 degrees — perfect to keep wine. I feel that I’m doing something natural and it makes the wine taste better.

But a spoon won’t stop fizz going flat!

CAN you imagine — you just put a spoon in the bottle neck? I mean, seriously . . .! Do it if it makes you happy — but I have never, ever done it!

FRED is M&s’s wine ambassador and has his own Christmas Mixed Case at marksand spencer.com