From mojitos to espresso martinis, whip up a cocktail during lockdown with these tasty and simple DIY recipes

THE pubs are closed but there is no reason you can’t enjoy a quarantini.

Cocktail experts Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham – aka The Thinking Drinkers – have designed eight simple recipes so you can put the spirits in the back of your cupboard to good use.

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Cocktail experts Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham – aka The Thinking Drinkers – have designed eight simple recipes for you to try at home[/caption]

With their help you can whip up a mojito – recently revealed as the nation’s favourite cocktail – or give Covid-19 the V with a vodka martini.

Each recipe makes one cocktail.

You can learn more and listen to the duo’s podcast, Around The World In 80 Drinks, at thinkingdrinkers.com.

Cheers! But do please drink responsibly.

• All spirits, bitters, syrups and mixers available from whiskyexchange.com

The Pink Gin

PINK-coloured gins are all the rage right now but we prefer the classic Pink Gin cocktail created for British naval officers to cure seasickness in the 19th Century.

The tummy-settling Angostura bitters is what gives the drink its lovely blush colour.

YOU NEED:

• 50ml Plymouth gin
• 50ml water
• 1 dash of Angostura bitters

METHOD:

1. Stir all the ingredients with ice in a big glass/shaker and fine-strain into a chilled tall or gin glass.
2. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Bloody Mary

NOT only is the Bloody Mary a perfect pick-me-up after too many alcoholic beverages, it is also a classic brunch cocktail – the perfect accompaniment for elevenses during lockdown.

Despite the long list of ingredients, it is simple to make.

Getty - Contributor

The Bloody Mary is the perfect accompaniment for elevenses during lockdown[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 50ml Ketel One vodka
• 90ml tomato juice
• 20ml dry sherry
• 8 drops of Tabasco
• 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 pinches black pepper

METHOD:

1. Pour all the ingredients over ice in a tall glass and stir.
2. If you want something super-spicy, add more dashes of Tabasco.
3. Craving something salty? Stir it in with a stick of celery. And you can garnish with an olive.

Mojito

THIS refreshing rum classic is much loved by British drinkers – less so by bartenders because it takes so long to make. But one thing most of us have at the moment is time.

And if you swap the rum for Wild Turkey whisky, you will have yourself a makeshift Mint Julep.

E+ - Getty

A mojito can take a long time to make, but one thing most of us have at the moment is time[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• Fresh mint leaves
• 1 tsp caster sugar/sugar syrup
• 60ml white rum (or dark rum)
• 4tsp lime juice
• Crushed ice (bash some freezer ice with a rolling pin under a tea towel)
• Soda water

METHOD:

1. Crush the mint leaves and sugar in a tall glass, add the rum and lime juice and fill with crushed ice.
2. Stir and top with soda water.
3. Top with more ice if necessary and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Tom Collins

IMPRESS your friends (online) by trying this twist on the simple gin and tonic, first created in London back in the early 1800s.

All you do is swap the tonic for some sparkling water – fewer calories, therefore, but just as tasty.

Getty Images - Getty

A Tom Collins is a twist on the simple gin and tonic[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 60ml Plymouth gin (a proper, ­classic gin from the UK’s oldest ­continually working distillery)
• 30ml lime juice
• Sparkling water

METHOD:

1. Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a tall glass over ice. There is even a Collins glass created for this cocktail.
2. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a slice of lemon.

Margarita

IF you have a bottle of tequila in the cupboard, don’t be daft and down it in one. Instead, make a Margarita – a superb summer sip that is very easy to make and even easier to drink.

You can make a frozen version by whacking the ingredients into a blender or NutriBullet.

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A Margarita is a superb summer sip that is very easy to make and even easier to drink[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 50ml Don Julio tequila
• 25ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
• 25ml fresh lime juice
• Lime for garnish (optional)

METHOD:

1. Wet the rim of your rocks/martini glass and dip it in a bowl of salt.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake hard.
3. Pour into a low or martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Vodka Martini

SALUTE the nation’s medical workers with this V-shaped gesture to coronavirus.

This classic cocktail was famously ordered by Sean Connery as 007 in James Bond flick Dr No back in 1962 – and it is an amazing drink best served chilled. The key is to keep everything as cold as possible – the vodka, the vermouth and even the martini glass.

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The key to a vodka martini is to keep everything as cold as possible[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 60ml Absolut vodka (or Absolut Elyx if you are treating yourself)
• 3tsp dry vermouth
• Ice cubes
• Olive or lemon for garnish (optional)

METHOD:

1. Stir the ingredients in a glass filled with ice then strain the liquid into a martini glass.
2. Garnish with an olive or lemon twist.

Old Fashioned

ARGUABLY the oldest recorded cocktail, the Old Fashioned has been consistently named as the most-asked-for drink among the world’s greatest cocktail bars.

It is an American classic we make using Wild Turkey 101 – a beautiful, quintessential bourbon that creates the perfect balance.

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The Old Fashioned is arguably the oldest recorded cocktail[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 75ml Wild Turkey 101 whisky
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 tsp of sugar/sugar syrup
• Orange zest to spritz

METHOD:

1. Place the sugar and bitters in a low/rocks glass, add one ice cube and stir.
2. Add some of the whisky with another ice cube and continue stirring.
3. Keep adding ice and bourbon alternately, while stirring, until all the bourbon has been added.
4. Stir again, then squeeze the oil from the orange over the drink, drop in the zest and continue stirring.
5. The whole process normally takes a few minutes. But it is worth the wait.

Espresso Martini

FEELING tired or bored? This will perk you up.

Originating in the Eighties, this is a far more elegant alternative to a vodka-Red Bull and will add some serious zip to even the dullest Zoom call during lockdown.

Getty - Contributor

An espresso martini will soon perk you up if you’re feeling tired or bored[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 30ml Ketel One vodka
• 30ml Kahlua coffee liqueur
• 30ml espresso coffee – make sure it is fresh and hot
• Coffee beans to garnish (optional)

METHOD:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
2. Fine-strain into a chilled glass, preferably a martini glass.
3. Garnish with the coffee beans.

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