New Year’s Eve is coming up which in any normal year is a strange event and this year has been a rollercoaster. The night often has the feel of if you don’t attend something, you are the uncool kid at school who wasn’t invited to the party. In the past, I have attended balls, parties, spent it on a Thai boat and babysat in my youth with mixed results and often a sense of why? This year we are finally in France and we have a Covid curfew of 8pm. We will meet other careful friends for lunch outside and then stay home with a cocktail and clink our glasses to the end of this crazy year!

Cocktail Basics

Get the best liquor you can afford as quality is important in a real cocktail. Go to a store that specialises in different spirits and try a variety of gins, vodkas or whatever is your key drink – they really do vary depending on the make and style and find out if you prefer something dry, woody or botanical. When making a good cocktail make sure everything is as cold as it can be. Get some good cocktail glasses, you have to do it in style! Here are some tips on how to make a decent cocktail without all the sugary mixers.

 

  • Copperhead Gin is a favourite and is a great base for martinis having a base of interesting botanicals;
  • Buy the best Martini Bianco, Cassis or other liquor as a second part to the cocktail;
  • Fresh ice – use filtered water and make it the day before;
  • Real fruit – not syrups or bottled juice, use good limes and lemons;
  • For a sweeter drink, buy good fruit liquor such as Cassis, Framboise and my favourite – St Germain;
  • Shaken or stirred – for a less lethal cocktail, shake over ice and pour;
  • If you really want a longer drink, use a good tonic or ginger ale such as Fevertree and look for the lowest sugar content;
  • Add spices such as star anise, black pepper, juniper or salt and sugar depending on the drink;
  • Finally, taste it – all good mixologists stir and taste for balance

Some Favourite Recipes

St Germain Martini – grab your shaker, put in fresh ice and pour in the following per person, 2cls of gin, 1cl of white martini and 1 cl of St Germain, shake, add juice of half a lime.

Christmas Martini – per person 2cls vodka, 1 cl white martini, shake over ice and add Cranberry juice and a star anise.

Gin Gimlet – as above and going against my tips, add Roses lime cordial, this is lethal when stirred!

And just remember the rhyme – 1 martini, 2 martini, 3 maritini – floor! Happy New Year and Cin-cin!