The hipster house party

The vibe here is firmly in the aperitif zone with fizz, cocktails, rosé and beer as well as a commitment to low-and-no. For cocktail inspiration, invest in The Cocktail Edit by Alice Lascelles (Hardie Grant, £16.99). It’s an excellent book and Lascelles has great advice on how to choose a party cocktail (go for one you can mix in batches in advance, she says, or you’ll spend the night welded to a shaker) as well as the recipes to go with them – I recommend her Mulled Apple Punch and Riesling Cup.

SUPER TO SERVE

Forchir Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut NV, Friuli, Italy (12%, Majestic, £13.99 or £9.99 in a mixed six)

A sprightly and delicate sparkling wine made in the same way as prosecco in the north-east of Italy. The grape is an ancient variety called ribolla gialla; the fizz is subtle with flavours of physalis, hay and yellow flowers.

Arbousset Tavel Rosé 2022, France (13.5%, Tesco, £12.50 or £11 for Clubcard holders until 3 December)

A beautiful, deep raspberry-coloured rosé from Tavel in the southern Rhône, not far from the pale rosé territory of Côtes de Provence. Don’t be fooled by the colour; this pink is completely dry with rich berry flavours and a rounded feel and a crisp edge.

The Original Small Beer Session Pale Mini Keg (2.5%, theoriginalsmallbeer. com, £25 for a 5l mini-keg)

Small Beer specialises in brewing beers with a low abv. This is a thirstquenching but impressively tasty pale, with a citrus tang, gentle hoppy bitterness and soft tropical glow. Not ready to commit to a keg? Majestic, Waitrose and Ocado stock Small Beer Session Pale in bottles.

Hip Pop Apple & Elderflower Kombucha (0%, Sainsbury’s, £5.25 for 4 x 330ml cans)

Sweetened, fermented tea has proved a good base for many of the drinks in the new low-and-no sphere. Here, the crisp and sherbetty flavour of green apple – with a floral lift from elderflower – makes it a worthy winner of two Great Taste stars.

GREAT TO TAKE

Fortnum’s Dão Tinto 2018, Portugal (13%, Fortnum & Mason, £12.50)

No food brand says ‘present-worthy’ quite as well as Fortnum & Mason – you’re in safe hands with almost anything you pick as their range is excellent. This red is an unoaked blend of Portuguese grapes, made by the very highly regarded Niepoort. Plus, if you do end up drinking it during the party, you’ll be happy.