The boy and his poison: The Raspberry Shrub

As a seasoned barhound, there's nothing quite like the exhilaration of stumbling upon a real diamond in the rough. Especially when you end up finding a waitress who is so keen for you to try a drink that she goes to the trouble of pouring you a bottle of it, corking it and sealing it with wax.

It goes without saying then that I can definitely recommend popping in to VOC if ever your travels leave you stranded in Kings Cross with time to kill. Taking its name from the Dutch East India Company it specialises in punches and barrel aged cocktails and comes from the guys that brought you the Worship Street Whistling Shop and Purl. The cocktail list read like an alchemists recipe book and whilst I made a hefty dent in their repertoire, the waitress was insistent I went away withe a sample of the raspberry shrub. Once I'd tasted it I knew why, and once I'd found a recipe online I knew it would be a great one to share here.

A shrub is essentially a pre-refrigeration means of preserving fruit using acid and sugar. If you fancy exploring the world of 'hardcore shrubbing' (I kid you not, its a term) this article is fantastic, but for the purpose of this cocktail we can break the process down into two simple stages, making the syrup and adding the booze.

You'll need

• 450g of raspberries
• 450ml cider vinegar
• 400g granulated sugar
• 230ml cold water
• 60ml golden rum
• ice

Shrub it:

• Drop the berries into a non-metal bowl, add the vinegar and cover
• Let it mature in the fridge for 4 days
• Using a sieve, strain the mixture into a saucepan, pressing the fruit to release all the juice. 
• Stir in your sugar and bring to the boil for 2-3 minutes
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool before decanting in a jar or much sexier covered container

Make it boozy

• Shake 30ml of the shrub and 60ml of dark rum over ice 
• Strain into a martini glass and start the weekend with a bang

The boy and his poison: The Michelada

As restoratives go, there's no denying that sometimes a bloody mary can be a bit of an ordeal. The vodka and worcestershire sauce suspended in a high-ball glass of coagulating tomato juice and coarse ground pepper punctured by that limp stick of celery. What if there was another way, one where you could get all the vitamins of the tomato, the spice of the tabasco and the soothing hit of alcohol, but with the fizz and joy of some sort of internal mariachi band? That is the power of the Michelada.

The drinks name is derived from "mi chela helada," or "my cold beer" and while its best suited to lazy summer days by the beach (preferably in its Mexican country of origin) its also an incredible panacea to over indulgence. So grab yourself a bottle of negra modelo, pick your favourite bloody mary flavours and get making this incredible drink:

You'll need:

• 12oz beer (Brewdog's IPA is lovely but for authenticity try a Mexican one like Negra Modelo)
• 1 oz of tomato juice
• The juice of half a lime
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash hot sauce

Then make:

• Salt the rim of a tumbler by running some lime juice round the rim and dipping it in salt
• Add all the ingredients except the beer to a chilled glass
• Top up with the beer and grate some black pepper over the top.

The boy and his poison: The Hanky Panky

Let's talk Fernet Branca. With codeine, coca leaf and wormwood being just three of its alleged 47 ingredients, when drank neat I'd go so far as to say its the marmite of spirits. With one taste you're either going to instantly fall in love with it or promptly punch your bartender square in the face for violating your tastebuds. It's a contentious one, but as a huge fan and having noticed it even received a mention in the Domestic Sluttery book (albeit as a hangover cure) I thought a decent Fernet cocktail suggestion was well overdue.

If bitter drinks are your thing I highly recommend the San Franciscan tradition of "taking the train to Fernal Heights" (a chilled straight shot of the stuff with a ginger beer chaser) but to kindle your love affair with it I'm going instead start you off on an incredible cocktail I tried at Purl called the Hanky Panky. With its origins in the Savoy Cocktail Book it's often described as a twist on a sweet martini but I prefer to think of it as a pimped up negroni and lets face it, who doesn't like a bit of hanky panky.

You'll need:

• 1.5oz gin
• 1.5oz italian vermouth
• 2 dashes of fernet branca

Shake it:

• Pour your ingredients into a cocktail shaker full of ice
• Shake hard for 10 seconds
• Serve in a martini glass garnished with an orange peel twist.

The boy and his poison: The Bloody Mary Martini

There are times when a bacon sandwich and a pint of berocca aren't going to cut through the fog of listlessness that a compound hangover brings. It would be ok if you could just camp under the duvet for the rest of the day, but you said yes to your best friends party, its 5pm and you've run out of iplayer, you need a pick me up, a sharpener and wow is this one.

I first spotted it at a Belvedere tasting, but found it works just as well with gin if thats your preferred spirit. Don't be afraid if its a bit spicy before you add the ice (the flavour really develops when you shake it) and don't skimp on the basil (the smell when you drink it is a restorative in its own right).

You need:

• 2oz vodka or gin
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• A good squeeze of juice from half a lemon
• A desert spoon of sugar syrup
• A couple of dashes of Tabasco (four if you like it spicy)

Put it together:

• Muddle the cherry tomatoes with the sugar syrup (probably best to chop them up a bit too). The easiest way to do this is to drop the tomatoes in the bottom of your shaker and pumel them with the end of a rolling pin till they're well pulped. 
• Then add the lemon juice and tabasco. At this point give the mixture a taste. Bloody Marys are a personal thing and the sweetness of the tomatoes you use may warrant a bit more lemon or sourness from the tabasco.
• Add the gin or vodka with plenty of ice and shake vigourously. 
• Fine sieve it into a martini glass and add that all important basil leaf.

The boy and his poison: The (Fallen) Angel Martini

With its origins in the Leftbank Martini, this drink was conceived by none other than Simon Difford of The Difford's Guide fame back in 2006. I first encountered the drink whilst loitering around the 32nd floor of London's Paramount Club, the traditional lime garnish had been replaced by two irresistibly boozy grapes and with one sip the fate of my evening had been sealed.

As a balance of flavours you genuinely can't go wrong with this one. Its essentially sweet gin, St Germain and Sauvignon Blanc, but in essence all you need need is a gin base, a medium bodied white wine (i.e. anything you might have lurking around the cupboard… try Blue Nun, I dare you) and some form of elderflower flavour (I'm thinking elderflower cordial). By all means pick up a bottle of St. Germain and freeze some grapes to give them the texture of sorbet, but if you've had a crappy day and need a sophisticated pick me up feel free to take my fallen-angel variant of the angel martini.

You'll Need:

• 1½ shots gin
• 1 Shot Elderflower Codial (Or St. Germain)
• 1 Shot Sauvignon Blanc
• ½ Shot Dry Vermouth

Shake It:

• Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with some ice and shake vigourously.
• Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass and garnish with lime zest or white grapes skewered with a cocktail stick

I particularly like the recommendation of the St. Germain recipe "When feeling particularly snooty, drink solely to the 6th Arrondissment."

The boy and his poison: The Bloodhound

Reading about the girls' exploits on the Orient Express inspired me to hunt down a delicious 1920s-style cocktail to complement their trip. I adore prohibition-era cocktails partly for their sophistication and partly for their motor-skill destroying booze content, but I had no idea how diligently my co-contributors had already covered the subject. The Manhattan was long gone, as was the Sidecar and the Aviation, so it looked like I was going to have to be a little more esoteric in my choice. I give you the Bloodhound.

With its origins in the perfect Martini base of sweet and dry vermouth, this cocktail gets its evocative name from a good handful of crushed strawberries added at the end. Its a great drink when strawberries are in season, but you may need a squeeze of lemon juice to perk up the airfreighted ones you'll find in the shops at the moment.

You'll need

• 1 oz Gin
• 1 oz Dry Vermouth
• 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
• A slug of strawberry coulis or 2-3 Crushed Strawberries
  

Then Shake

• Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with some ice
• Shake it hard
• Strain into a coupe glass or flute and garnish with a strawberry.
  

The boy and his poison: The Black Stripe

It was towards the end of last week when, hunched feverishly next to a radiator (sinus exploding/head imploding) it dawned on me… cold and flu remedies just haven't been progressing at the same pace as the rest of modern medicine. I just can't believe that on one hand we have MRI scanners whilst on the other we're in the medical dark ages of paracetamol and decongestants so ineffective you can't even make crystal meth from them anymore.

It was this flu-addled insight that set me on the path of discovering the ultimate flu-crushing tipple and by day two I'd found it. Whilst indisputably the classic hot toddy reigns supreme (especially with a bit of ginger) I'm finding viruses these days are increasingly resilient to its powers. This is where the Black Stripe comes in.

Full of mood enhancing throat-soothing rum, antibacterial manuka honey and a grating of that mind bending psychoactive nutmeg. If it doesn't fix the problem, I can guarantee after three you won't be as worried about it:

You'll need:

• 3oz of dark rum
• 2 tsp of manuka honey (molasses if you want to be a purist)
• hot water
• grated nutmeg

Stir it:

• put two tsp of honey into a glass and melt with a little hot water
• add your rum and top up with more hot water
• stir then grate a little nutmeg on top

The boy and his poison: Jimmy's Caucasian

Anyone who has seen the Coen Brother's movie The Big Lebowski will understand the lure of the White Russian. I defy anyone to watch more than about 30 minutes of that film without developing an inexplicable craving for bowling and the velvety creaminess of a drink which you can knock back like Nesquik. Whilst there's a right way to make them and plenty of variations on the theme, I've been waiting to share this little spin on the recipe until you can all get hold of the main ingredient: Jimmy's Iced Coffee.

Since it first popped up on a packaging blog I've been hoarding cartons of this stuff in my fridge, occasionally even using it as a substitute for cereal milk. Available in full fat or light, its nothing but lovely ethically sourced white coffee laiden with demerara sugar. The simplicity of their recipe is where the beauty of the drink as a cocktail ingredient comes from. Pick yourself up a pint of the skinny stuff from Ocado, Waitrose (or even chill your own coffee) and you have the base of an incredibly light and even more complex white russian, or as I like to call it, Jimmy's Caucasian.

You'll need:

• 2 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Kahlua/Tia Maria
• A generous slug of Jimmy's Iced Coffee (full fat or light)

Shake it:

• Drop the coffee liqueur and vodka into an ice filled shaker
• Give it a firm shake
• Top up with chilled Jimmy's Skinny Iced Coffee 
• Give it a whisk with one of those amazing little milk frothers and serve.

And what other drink gives you a cool moustache when you're drinking it? 

The boy and his poison: The Citrus Press

Whether its squeezing a few limes for a cheeky Dark and Stormy or that obligatory lemon for your gin sour... the ability to juice the odd bit of citrus is a vital skill for any budding mixologist or domestic bar fly. If you're stuck at a party with limited equipment no one's going to chastise you for pummelling that lemon between two palms, but if you're trying to follow a recipe sometimes its can be a lot more successful if you have access to a more precise juicing contraption.

This is where the citrus press or Mexican Elbow comes in. Its not going to win a design award but this little angel of the kitchen works (as the name suggests) by pressing the juice out of the fruit, rather than pulverising it into cocktail submission. So, what this means for you is lots of precisely measured juicy enjoyment with zero bitter pithiness, not to mention the subtle air of drink-making superiority gadgets like this impart.

It might not be quite big enough for small oranges or grapefruits but that little addition to your home bar tending arsenal is going to make you feel like a cocktail making pro, not to mention the plethora of other situations this little gem could save you… I've been reliably informed by several people that apparently my kitchen isn't just an experimental cocktail laboratory.

You can buy one from Amazon for around £13 which I'm pretty sure is worth the benefit of not having to fish around your drink for pips alone.

The boy and his poison: No.3 Gin

I covet new gin like the Domestic Sluttery girls covet shoes. Unfortunately though I've yet to persuade most off licenses to adopt the shoe selling approach of letting me try before I buy so there's often a healthy element of risk involved with each purchase. Still, who doesn't like a juniper-based gamble? For every obscure bottle I've grimaced through (I'm looking at you, Cork Dry Gin, and the birthday you ruined) there's always the lure of sipping something incredible.

And so to the bottle of Berry Bros. No.3 gin. I finally got hold of the other day. Named after its home at No.3 St James's Street in London and heralding from 300 years of keeping us well lubricated; its little surprise that the folk at Berry Bros. decided to look towards their heritage to make their first gin and what a great start. Whilst I admire Hoxton and Beefeater for experimenting with their botanicals, No.3 is doing what I adore, letting every ingredient sing by keeping the drink simple. They've stuck to three fruits, three spices and kept the falling-down water right up at 46%, allegedly they even found someone with a Gin PHD to put the whole thing together.

Don't taint this lovely juniper juice with anything too harsh. I had a killer recipe for a Bramble I wanted to share, but this just didn't feel right as the cocktail dilutes everything that makes No.3 special. If you want to be bling, feel free to use it in any cocktail but if you're a fan of the taste of mothers ruin it makes perfect dry martinis, and incredible G&Ts. Bright and punchy with a earthliness from the angelica and slightly higher alcohol content, dare I say it, this is a ballsy manly gin, but what better drink to pack a punch after a hard day.

As for the bottle, it's a thing of beauty. Apparently the key on the front of the bottle is modelled on the key of the distiller's parlour door. For the record I have not taken an impression, and I am not going to explore whether is actually works next week.

It's not a cheap gin by any means (the good booze never is). The best-value stockist is The Whiskey Exchange and it'll cost you £30.95. Just divide that price by the number of martinis you'll make - drunken maths is always the best maths.

The boy and his poison: The Lazy Amaretto & Ginger

Have you ever noticed that stray bottle of amaretto lurking in the back of you kitchen cabinet? Don't worry, until it was pointed out to me I hadn't either. Amaretto has a habit of sneaking into your drinks cabinet like some sort of liqueur ninja, but fear not, in one sip this deliciously lazy recipe will have you ordering bottles of the stuff like its going out of fashion.

Something about the way the heat of the ginger and the tart freshness of the limes compliments the almondy sweetness of the liqueur makes it one of those rare drinks thats as appropriate on a summers day as it is curled up on a sofa shaking your fists at winter.  But don't take my word for it.

You'll need:

• 50ml Disaronno (or a decent slug of the bottle)
• 25ml Lime Juice (half a lime if you’ve given up measuring)
• Fiery ginger beer to top it up 

Stir it:

• Pour the Amaretto into an iced glass.
• Add more ice and squeeze half a lime over the liqueur. 
• Drop the half lime into the drink and top up with ginger beer.

The boy and his poison: The Clover Club

Named after the early 20th century Philadelphia mens club, the first time I tried the Clover Club was at the tail end of a late night session at Milk and Honey. I had a craving for the unusual so asked the bartender for a recommendation. His advice was that as long as I could eat egg whites and didn't mind checking my masculinity into the cloakroom for a few hours I was in for a treat of a drink.

On first glance you could appreciate his warning. With its unashamedly bright pink raspberry base and foamy white head, you can understand why Esquire's 1949 'Handbook for Hosts' (I do love a book with "pans make the man efficient" as a chapter title) slipped the drink into its 'Something for the Girls' section (hey, it was the 40s). Don't let the sexism put you off, one sip and you'll be hooked on the depth of its flavour and silky smooth consistency not to mention the fun of challenging your guests to lose their raw-egg cocktail virginity.

You'll need:

• 2oz gin
• 1 oz Lemon juice
• 1/2 oz either raspberry syrup, grenadine or red currant syrup... think red and sugary and you can't go wrong.
• 1 egg white

Shake it:

• separate your egg white from the yolk leaving the white in your shaker
• pour the gin, lemon juice and raspberry syrup over the egg white and stir it for 10-15 seconds
• add some ice to the shaker and give it a good shake
• pour slowly into a cocktail or coupe glass and smile at that lovely frothy top.

The boy and his poison: The Gin Martini

I am a man. Granted not always a reliable one, but the one you never mind having around. Admittedly I may turn up to the party three hours late with a slightly gin-glazed, blithe expression, but I'll notice you're wearing new shoes and you've changed lip gloss. Not only that but I'll buy everyone drinks and I'll charm all your best friends until you reluctantly forgive me.

When the subject of being a booze correspondent for Domestic Sluttery came up I'm sure part of me should perhaps have questioned whether a few anatomical points may have presented an obstacle to joining in the fun. Oddly though, all I heard in my head was a small voice chanting 'license for fun', this is like writing for Esquire with a better audience.

So, a brief bit about Nick (that's me, by the way): He loves gin, he's put a ring on it and made it his own. He's not just about nursing cocktail recipes at home though, so he’s going to take this opportunity to introduce you to both where and what is great to drink right now. However all journeys have to begin somewhere, and whilst its been mentioned here before. We really can’t really start anywhere other than the classic martini.

The martini.

Gin or vodka, dry or wet, sweet, perfect or dirty, gibson, twist or olive? When you find a good bar, ordering it should make you feel like the bartender is tending to every nuance of your taste. Its widely accepted that it developed from the sweeter Martinez but for a drink that harks back to the 1800s it certainly doesn’t show its age. There’s also a lovely irony in its rise to prominence… you have the prohibition to blame. With bathtub gin being so easy to make during those dark times it shot to fame, and when the repeal happened the influx of quality gins and flavourless vodkas meant that martini could get drier and drier. Essentially there are two ingredients:

1. 2oz/50ml of gin or vodka. The best you can get your hands on.
2. A dash of vermouth around 5ml. Kina Lillet makes Bond's vespers, Noily Prat has amazing subtlety in its flavour but there's nothing wrong with Martini Extra Dry.

And then comes the art…

The Nick Martini (a la Dukes Hotel)

1. Freeze your gin for 2 hrs (over night if possible).
2. Chill a small martini or coupe glasse in the same freezer
3. Add a splash of your vermouth to the glass
4. Pour in the frozen gin
5. Take a strip off an unwaxed lemon (amalfi if possible) with a vegetable peeler and pinch it between your fingers over the drink. Brush the lemon over the rim of the glass then drop it in skin side up.

The Dirty Martini (traditional stirring method)

1. Fill your martini glass with ice (crushed if possible) and slug a dash of vermouth over the ice.
2. Add a handful of your ice to your cocktail shaker, then your gin, and then 3/4tsp of brine from an olive jar. Stir 10-20 times.
3. Tip away the ice and the vermouth into the sink (enjoy the excess of chucking away your low proof booze but savour how nice that martini lining to the glass will make the drink)
4. Strain your gin into the glass and drop a lovely plump olive in. Think of it as grown up bobbing for apples.