You know how it is.Homemade co*cktails seem so appealing when you're paying bar prices for someone else to shake them for you, but somehow, when you're actually standing in front of the fridge at 6pm, it's always easier just to fall back on a beer instead.
Well, let this be the weekend you finally channel your inner Tom Cruise – with six great summery recipes below, and two long, light evenings ahead of you, there's no excuse for laziness.
Every summery eventuality is catered for: there's a fruity frozen daiquiri and a cool Caribbean punch fordrinking in the sun, plus aspicy booze-free option for the abstemious; afragrant martini to kickthe evening off in style, and a celebratory royal mojito for those inevitable World Cup wins. And frankly, I can't think of any situation that wouldn't be improved by a blushing pink rhubarb sour – all the childhood pleasure of a rhubarb and custard sweet, in more acceptable adult form. It's my drink of the summer.
Rhubarb sour
Rhubarb is the quintessential taste ofspring and summer, and it is ideally suited to a classic sour-style co*cktail. Irecommend making your own rhubarb vodka or gin for this; it's very simple and it allows you to control the level of sweetness.
Infusing a simple syrup with fresh herbs is a fantastic way to get extra flavour into your co*cktails. The smell of crushed lemon verbena leaves is very uplifting and this co*cktail harnesses that power to uplift and refresh after a long day. The rhubarb bitters are not essential, but they do bring it all together.
If you don't want to spend three weeks infusing your own vodka, try Herefordshire's Chase rhubarb vodka instead. To make the fragrant syrup, dissolve 50g white sugar in 75ml water and bring to the boil. Add a few sprigs of lemon verbena (lemon thyme makes a good substitute) and then leave to infuse off the heat for an hour. Strainbefore use.
Aoifemax, via Guardian Witness
Serves 1
60ml rhubarb vodka or gin
30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
15ml lemon verbena-infused syrup
3-4 drops rhubarb bitters
Lemon twist, or lemon verbena leaf, togarnish
1 Combine all the ingredients in a large glass or co*cktail shaker. Add plenty of ice. Stir until chilled.
2 Strain into a prepared co*cktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist or lemon verbena leaf.
Frozen strawberry glut daiquiri
When I got my allotment I jokingly said I wanted to pimp my shed and have a mini co*cktail bar in it; nothing fancy, just a shelf with a shaker and a few glasses. The nearest I've got is taking the freshly picked strawberries home, mixing a co*cktail and sitting in the garden supping. It's like bringing a bit of Havana home from the allotment!
ID8145743, via Guardian Witness
Serves 1
50ml white rum
110g strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 lime
6-8 ice cubes, depending on how slushy you like your daiquiris
1 Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blast for a few seconds (warning: it will be noisy as the ice gets bashed!). Process until smooth, then pour into glasses, settle down and sip.
Ginger Rogers
This non-alcoholic co*cktail was invented for a dear friend who could not drink. However, it still packs a serious punch of citrus and ginger flavour, and is wonderfully refreshing served chilled straight from the fridge. Add a shot of your favourite tipple if you prefer the boozy option; this little firecracker will cope with anything.
Ruth Joseph and Sarah Nathan, veggischmooze.blogspot.com, viaGuardian Witness
Serves 4
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
1 litre of hot (not boiling) water
Juice of 4 oranges (blood oranges give alovely rich colour)
3 tbsp golden syrup
1 Grate the ginger into a jug and add the water. Pour in the orange juice, whisk in the golden syrup and chill until you're ready to serve.
The Empire Windrush
On 22 June, 66 years ago, the Empire Windrush sailed into the UK, bringing with it one of the first large groups of immigrants from the Caribbean. They brought a host of treasures with them: their music, style, culture and cuisine. As a result, we now have a beautiful melting pot of heritages and cultures; really something to celebrate. So, to honour those brave souls, and the others who came over by sea or air, here is my Empire Windrush co*cktail; afusion of cultures. (I had fun coming up with this recipe, a lot of research was required).
MizPepperpot, via Guardian Witness
Serves 1
Ice
25ml dark, spiced, Caribbean rum
75ml Pimm's
Juice of ½ orange
Squeeze of lime juice
Sparkling lemonade, to top
1 Almost fill a tall glass with ice, then add the rum, Pimm's, orange and lime juice. Top up with lemonade, stir, and enjoy at your leisure.
The English Martini
Nothing says English more than gin and elderflower. While rosemary isn't indigenous to Britain, it has become one of our staple herbs. Combine them for a great twist on the martini.
Ryan Pharmilton, via Guardian Witness
Serves 1
75ml gin, such as Tanqueray or Beefeater
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
25ml elderflower cordial
1 Chill a martini glass with iced water. Place the gin and one rosemary sprig into a co*cktail shaker and muddle to release the flavour. Add an ice cube and the elderflower cordial and stir gently, so not to break the ice. Taste, and add more cordial or some sugar syrup, if needed.
2 Empty the martini glass, wipe the rim with the fresh rosemary sprig and drop it into the centre. Strain the martini mix into the glass, preferably using a sieve to catch any small pieces of rosemary broken off during muddling.
Straight-up royal mojito
The general idea behind this drink is to have all the flavours of a mojito but in a more concentrated form. I chose here to use a small measure of overproof rum for character and then added the champagne to give the co*cktail a crisp freshness.
Chris Matre, via Guardian Witness
Serves 1
25ml Wray & Nephew, or other overproof (high proof) white rum
25ml lime juice
2-3 tsp caster sugar
6-10 mint leaves
Champagne, chilled, to top
1 sprig of rosemary, to garnish
1 Add all the ingredients, except the champagne, to a co*cktail shaker. Shake, then double strain into a chilled martini glass or champagne coupe.
2 Top up with chilled champagne and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
