The boy and his poison: Sangrita

The 't' in this recipe name is critical, this is as far from a fruity, wine-shandy as it gets. I caught the name of the drink when it was mentioned by my cartoon idol Archer during a hungover TV binge on Saturday morning. Interest piqued I started researching.

Sangrita (which means 'little blood') is essentially a companion drink to a shot of tequila that dates back to the 1920s. Made primarily from seville orange juice, the spicy, sharp, citrus flavours perfectly complement a quick slug of the good stuff and not only does it make for a sophisticated change from the lime and salt ritual, it's also a far more appropriate chaser for any decent sippable tequila.

The definitive authentic recipe is hotly contested and led me to a bit of cocktail archaeology. Allegedly the drink originated from the left-over juices of a spicy fruit salad called pico de gallo. Most American recipes call for tomato juice, but from what I could find this is largely due to trying to recreate the red colour pomegranate juice gave the drink. In some there is also mention of grapefruit to recreate the Seville orange taste, or onion juice to enhance the taste of the chilli. I tried a few different combinations and ended up settling on one which was as authentic as possible whilst easy to make with store cupboard ingredients. Try the hollowed cucumber cup as well if you can. I'ts not necessarily authentic but it certainly makes for an impressive serving glass that adds to the flavour and experience.

For two shots you'll need:

• 50ml orange juice (freshly squeezed is the best)
• 1 lime
• 25ml grenadine
• 1 tsp of hot sauce (I loved it hot you may want to start with half)
• 1 cucumber

Then make:

• Juice the orange and lime 
• Mix all the liquid ingredients and chill for 30 minutes

For the cucumber cup:

• Take a cucumber and cut an 8cm length from each end. At this stage they need to be a little taller than shot glasses
• Slice the tips of the cucumber to make sure they’re stable and shot glass height
• Upturn the pieces and hollow them out with a teaspoon or melon baller being careful to leave about 5mm at the bottom.

The boy and his poison: The Scofflaw

I went on a massive hangover fuelled Boardwalk Empire binge at the weekend. I was left feeling that spiritually I belonged in the prohibition era and that there weren't enough dancing girls in my life. Point in case, in 1924, a nationwide contest took place in America to invent a word which best described those valiant souls that chose to flout the prohibition, the “lawless drinkers of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor”. The $200 winning entry was a portmanteau of Scoff and Law. It seemed inevitable that someone would make a cocktail celebrating the term.

Surfacing in the Savoy Cocktail book but originally heralding from Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, the place to try one at the moment is Shaker and Company's 'Hide & Speak' pop-up bar in Euston. The drink hits the senses a little like a sidecar, tangy, sweet and perfectly balanced. If you're not already a fan of whisky based cocktails you'll be a convert in 2 sips.

You'll need:

• 50ml Bourbon, Rye or blended whisky 
• 30ml Martini Dry Vermouth
• 30ml grenadine
• 30ml lemon juice
• 2 dashes of orange bitters

Make it:

• Throw all the ingredients in a shaker 
• If your grenadine is thick, dry shake first a couple of times then shake over ice for 10 seconds
• Strain into a coupe glass