THE AMERICAN BAR, GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND

Where? A 45-minute drive from Glasgow or Edinburgh is the five-star, 100-year-old hotel Gleneagles. Tucked away within the hotel is The American Bar. It has a 1920s and 30s opulent interior with stylish touches such as Scottish heather-dyed cashmere wall panels.

What to order? The bar’s latest cocktail menu, The Book of Berries, is inspired by pocket Observer Books and focusses on the botanical berry. Wanting to create deep bonds within the setting, the bar has creatively used ingredients from the hotel itself. Drinks such as the Cucumber – cucumber ends from the hotel kitchen used to create a cucumber wine which, combined with gin and a jasmine liqueur, results in a bright, refreshing and slightly savoury cocktail. Other intriguing serves include the Bell Pepper made with the cores of red pepper, a mai tai style drink using an orgeat derived from avocado pits, and the Blueberry cocktail created with surplus blueberry muffins baked at the hotel. The signature serve is the martini – using one of three gins created in partnership with South Loch Distillery in Edinburgh. gleneagles.com

Bartender’s tip

Michele Mariotti, head of bars, Gleneagles: “The easiest way to make drinks at home for a crowd is to pre-batch things. Even drinks that are not particularly complicated, like a negroni, if you have to make it on the spot, it’s quite a time-consuming procedure. If I’m expecting guests at home, I always have a bottle of something like a negroni or rob roy in the freezer, made with plain water for dilution.”