Summer Cocktails

Cocktails are an essential part of any summer social gathering but forget the clichéd Cosmos and the been-there Bellinis; us style-savvy South Londoners know a thing or three about creating the perfect, über-cool cocktail party. Moreover, who wants to mess around mixing messy different drinks? Give everyone the same aperitif when they arrive and sip back and enjoy.

Chez Roullier White Martinis are the mot de jour and they require require just two ingredients. Today a classic Martini is three-parts gin to one-part vermouth. The dryer the Martini the greater the gin to vermouth ratio. Aficionados of a truly Dry Martini will just coat the inside of the glass with vermouth. Mix your ingredients in a tall glass with ice (a Martini should always be stirred not shaken as this will allow too much air into the mix) strain and serve. The key is not to allow any water into your mix so use large ice cubes and as they start to melt, drain them. A Martini must always be served with an olive and you will want to use one with a pit for maximum flavour, try the Olives at Mimosa on Half Moon Lane. Rinse your olives, otherwise a Dirty Martini is one which contains some of the brine. Crystal Martini glasses are £7.50 each from Roullier White. For a Vodka Martini simply substitute the gin.

Our beautiful friend Bella, of Lordship Lane Carpets, has for many a year been wowing us with her ‘Woo-woos’. A ‘Woo-woo’ is simply one part peach schnapps, one part vodka and three parts cranberry juice.

Following are some treats from local mixologists.

Angela from Black Cherry will be serving a cheery ‘Grande Royale’. Take 35ml vodka, 15ml lemon juice, 10ml pear puree, 10ml apple puree, 20ml sugar syrup. Pour all the ingredients into a long serving glass with ice, cap and shake. Top with Champagne and a chocolate dipped strawberry. (Place organic white chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of hot water, melt and dip the strawberry halfway in.)

As effortlessly elegant as her establishments, ‘Grace and Favour’ and ‘Butlers Emporium’ in Hastings, and indeed the lovely lady herself; Rose’s pale pink ‘Magnolia’ (pictured above) cocktail is a dash of pomegranate juice in a flute, topped off with Champagne.

Dulwich Village’s Crown and Greyhound, ‘the Dog’, proffers the aptly named ‘Hair of the Dog’. Take 12-14 ripe tomatoes, slice and put on to a flat tray. Drizzle plenty of olive oil over the top. Add crushed black pepper and salt to taste. Finely dice one clove of garlic, and 2-3 large basil leaves, sprinkle on the top of the tomato. Place under a grill until cooked. Add all this to a food blender and blitz. Add the tomato mix to a 2 pint jug and mix with tomato juice. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime, a small sprinkle of celery salt and add Tobasco, Worcestershire sauce and bitters to taste. Top off with 75ml of Vermouth.

Cheers!