Classic cocktails

Champagne cocktail

Have you ever wondered what all those women were ordering in movies made during the 1950s? Well, here is a classic.

• 6oz/parts champagne
• 1 cube of sugar
• angostura bitters

Soak a sugar cube with Angostura bitters. Place the cube in the bottom of a chilled Champagne flute. Fill the glass with Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

Red wine cooler

Are you looking for a wine cooler that's refreshingly different? Try this fresh take on an old stand by.

• 4oz/parts red wine
• 2oz/parts white grape juice
• 1oz/part lemonade
• 1oz/part soda water

Pour the wine, lemonade, white grape juice and soda water into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Garnish with a twist of lemon and a slice of orange and serve.

Watermelon martini

Looking for something colourfully refreshing? Cool watermelon in a martini, you can't get better than that.

• some watermelon
• 50ml vodka (large shot)
• sugar syrup
• ice

In a shaker muddle a couple of matchbox sized chunks of watermelon, then add vodka, 2 dashes of sugar syrup and a handful of ice. Shake hard, and strain into a martini glass, garnishing with a wedge of watermelon.

The mojito

The coolest drink from Cuba - in more ways than one.

• 6oz/parts light rum
• 12 mint sprigs/spearmint, 8 roughly broken apart
• 6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and 4 slices of lime
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• club soda

Place ice in a shaker and add rum, 8 broken up mint sprigs, lime juice and sugar. Shake well and serve over ice in a highball glass. Top off with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.

Refreshing spritzer

A classic wine drink that adds a little fizziness and life to your favourite white wine.

• dry white wine
• *aperitif of your choice (sweet vermouth, dry martini, sherry)
• soda water
• fruit (lemon, lime)

Use a tulip shaped glass. Fill to 1/3 mark with dry white wine then the aperitif of your choice till the glass is 2/3 full. Then fill to near the top with soda water, add a slice of fruit and an ice cube.

*the aperitif you select determines the flavour and the type of fruit you use.

Pina colada

And while the music's playing, an old favourite, especially with the girls.

• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 2 ounces coconut cream
• 1 ounce dark rum
• Pineapple slices

Put ice, frozen pineapple juice, coconut cream, and the dark rum into a blender. Blend until smooth and frosty. Pour the drink into 2 glasses and garnish the rim with pineapple slices.