The boy and his poison: The Domestic Spritz

Domestic Sluttery might be drawing to a close this afternoon but the show isn’t over ‘til the sardonic cocktail correspondent sings. Firstly let's celebrate Team DS's occasionally questionable drink tastes. Laura B went for the whisky sour, Caleigh is into a cheeky Godfather and I swooned at Laura H and Frances's gin focused French 75/Bramble conundrum. Gemma made a heartfelt plea for the promise of a decently made Cosmo and Sara championed the Pornstar Martini (it makes one HELL of a shooter).

What about your editor in chief, the original Domestic Slut? It turns out that Sian has a thing for the retro erm... 'classic' – the Piña Colada. She'll help save your Dad’s Christmas present, pick that perfect first date restaurant, find the perfect interior design goodies and make you an incredible sandwich but she still can't choose a classy cocktail. No matter, I’m issuing a ‘pass go and collect £200 worth of pina coladas’ card especially for her; Let's rustle up the coconut cream and get that rum going.

I can’t say goodbye to this amazing blog without a bespoke drink to unite this stylish but disparate crowd. Tonight we shall be drinking more than one Domestic Spritz.

There had to be bubbles. This is something of a bittersweet goodbye so there’s some Aperol and sugar syrup in there too. And what would a summer drink be without some strawberries? I hope I did everyone justice in this final drink and if anyone needs a suave dipsomaniac, I'm @nicksmith on Twitter. Raise a glass and keep it tipsy, everyone.

The Domestic Spritz (makes one, but surely you know how this goes)

You’ll need:

• 5 medium strawberries
• 25ml Aperol
• 25ml Sugar syrup
• Prosecco to top up
• Strawberry to garnish

Make it:

1. Add the strawberries and aperol to a cocktail shaker or something you can bash them to death in
2. Pulp the strawberries. You can do this either in a blender or by pummelling them with a rolling pin in a cocktail shaker
3. Strain the pulp in a sieve
4. Add 25ml of the strained pulp to a champagne glass
5. Add 25ml of sugar syrup to the glass
6. Top up with champagne
7. Garnish with a strawberry
8. Shed a tear in memory of an awesome blog and smile.

The Boy and his Poison: The Bourbon and Peach Smash

I've been toying with the idea of starting up a lucrative sideline in cocktail making as therapy. There's no shortage of anxiety quashing adjectives at play in most of my recipes. I've had you pulverising fruit, burning brandy, smacking herbs, beating eggs - in fact, I'm starting to think I'm more cocktail sadist than cocktail curator.

After a particularly stressful start to the week, I decided that the only thing for it was to make the most violent sounding drink I could. Introducing the Bourbon and Peach Smash, with a garnish of smacked thyme. Syrupy, fruity and fragrant, this is definitely one of my sweeter drinks, but the tiny hit of lemon and aroma from the thyme balance it perfectly. I'll take that over a session of yoga any time.

You will need:

• 50ml of bourbon (a nice and strong one like Wild Turkey but rye also works really well)
• 25ml Grand Marnier/curacao
• 17ml Honey or agave (the runnier the better)
• 17ml Lemon juice
• 1 Peach
• 1 Sprig of thyme

Make it!

1. Add the bourbon, Grand Marnier, honey and lemon juice to a shaker.
2. Dice the peach and add to the shaker.
3. Muddle (i.e. pulvarise) the peach with the a rolling pin. PEACHSMASH!
4. Shake without ice for 5-10 seconds.
5. Add ice and shake again for 5-10 seconds (really exorcise the horror of your day).
6. Strain into a cocktail glass.
7. Take your thyme and smack it against a work top to release the oils, and rest it on the glass.
8. And relax...

The boy and his poison: The GC&T

I love those occasions when an unexpected but simple twist on a familiar favourite results in something incredible. I found myself doing a bit of impromptu hosting on Saturday with the unannounced arrival of my brother and an entourage of people expecting to have a 'night out'. As you can imagine, the last thing I expected was to come home at some point Sunday-morning enthusing about a tiny twist on the classic G&T. Seeking stomach lining we piled into a burger joint where the waitress managed to convince us that they'd found the best gin and tonic recipe in London. Sceptical (in part due to being surrounded by the sibling's testosterone fuelled man-party) I ordered a round.

I'd like to claim that the next four rounds I ordered were also due to scepticism but, with apologies to my liver, it was because they were some of the finest gin and tonics I've had this year. Like The London Gin Club, the bar staff at Honest Burger have concluded that gin and tonic needn't be just a dull staple and by accentuating their chosen gin with a complementary flavour they've elevated a simple drink into to an altogether more smile-inducing affair. With a base of Hendrick's, the glass was lined with fresh strips of hand-peeled cucumber, exposing a greater surface area of the cucumber to infuse even more fresh flavour into the drink. Use the recipe below for a starter and, once you've been bowled over by adding flavour to your G&T, try out some of the other suggested flavour pairings below. Better still, share the ones that work for you. I'd be particularly interested if someone can pair something with Tesco's Value Gin, other than regret and memory loss.

You'll need:

• Cucumber
• 50ml Hendrick's gin
• Ice
• Fever Tree tonic

Make it

• Slice your cucumber into thirds lengthways
• Using a peeler slowly slice wafer thin strips out of the cucumber portions
• Line a small tumbler with the strips covering the glass
• Drop in a handful of crushed ice followed by the gin and top up with tonic
• Drop a straw in and let it steep for a minute or so

Other flavour pairings to try (courtesy of the London Gin Club):

• Tanqueray with orange and watercress
• Tanqueray Rangpur with olive and basil (make sure the olives are in brine)
• Gilpins with lemon and sage
• Sacred with grapefruit and rosemary
• Bloom with strawberry

The Boy and His Poison: The Breakfast Martini

I'm not advocating drinking in the mornings, but there are certain times that simply necessitate it. Birthdays, crippling hangovers that morning TV and a cup of tea don't cure and an early lunch with the in-laws are all acceptable reasons for morning lubrication. That said, even I know drinking pre-noon on an empty stomach is a bit of a reckless move and one must tread carefully. This cocktail is the perfect solution, a Breakfast Martini… a delicious citrus sharpener with a side of well done toast.

A little like a 1920s Marmalade Cocktail, I 'borrowed' the garnish idea from when I had it at London's Paramount Bar. Between the smell of the toast, and the punch of the marmalade flavour it's a totally respectable replacement for your usual bowl of cornflakes, and I'm sure it could even count as one of your five-a-day.

You'll need:

• 50ml gin
• 12ml (1/2 a shot) Cointreau
• 12ml (1/2 a shot) lemon juice
• 1tsp (generous) of good quality marmalade
• toast

Then shake

• Add all the ingridients to a shaker
• Stir until the marmalade has fully dissolved 
• Add some ice to the shaker and shake for 10-15 seconds
• Strain into a coupe glass
• Garnish with a small piece of well-done (almost burnt) toast

The boy and his poison: Midnight

Top o' the afternoon to you. Saturday marks the commemoration of the imbibers preferred saint, St. Patrick. You could of course have some fun assaulting your taste buds with the Irish trashcan (I'll save you the trouble of following the link, it involves dropping a whole redbull can in a mixture that reads like a drinks cabinet) dye your beer green or go for mini Guinness shooters (fill your shot glass with 2/3 Kahlua and top with 1/3 Baileys) but I'm a classy kind of guy and there's plenty of room for a more sophisticated approach to your revelry.

Sian's nailed my absolute favourite - Black Velvet, it felt a little too soon to suggest the Clover Margarita (after the chilli and lemongrass one I made a few weeks ago) and the Emerald, whilst a great drink, felt a bit of a Manhattan cop out. With the Midnight I've decided to instead share something which is part cocktail and part life-enhancing tip I learnt from my college barman during my time at university. Something about the sweetness of the port really brings out the flavour of the Guinness in a subtle but delicious way.

You'll need:

• 1 bottle/can of draught-flow Irish stout
• 50ml of port

Make it:

• Pour the guinness into a tall glass and allow to settle
• Slowly pour the port over the top of the drink which should leave just the hint of red in the head

The boy and his poison: Ginger Brew

In my eyes, there's only one thing better than cocktails… steak and cocktails, which is why the small Hawksmoor chain has such a special place in my heart. I was fortunate enough to be taken there to recover after a fairly heavy birthday weekend and decided I needed something fizzy, and with a sly little kick that could take the edge off of a blinding headache sufficiently enough to enjoy the incredible food.

Shakey Pete's Ginger Brew leapt off of the menu. Last summer I adopted ginger beer shandies as my sundowner of choice and this drink combines all the taste of that drink with the icy hit of a slush puppy and the ABV of a turbo shandy. I highly recommend popping in to their new bar if you're out in East London, or better still pick up a copy of Hawksmoor At Home to get the proper recipe for the ginger syrup. But if, like me, you're in need of a quick fix to the 'spinning room' problem this should hit the spot.

You'll need:

• 50ml of gin
• 25ml ginger cordial (Bottle Green's Ginger and Lemongrass worked well)
• 25ml of lemon juice
• A small bottle of beer
• Half a glass of crushed ice (use a blender or a rolling pin and a plastic bag)

Make it

• Pour the gin, cordial and lemon juice into any available long glass you have and stir
• Add the ice
• Top up slowly with the beer

The boy and his poison: The Figata

I'm currently doing my best at channelling Hemmingway, or at any rate an iPad equipped, cigar toting Hunter S Thompson. Holed up in a country retreat on the outskirts of Bath, I've decided to elegantly sip away a post-birthday hangover in decadent style.

The most memorable entry on the bar tab from last night was a delicious twist on a whisky sour called a Figata. It has a perfect bourbon and lime base, rich sugary depth from fig jam and even a cute Peychaud swirl on the top, it has all the tastes of Winter with all the promise of Summer, making for a perfect Spring drink.

You'll need:

• 50 ml bourbon
• 25 ml lime juice
• 2 tsp of fig jam
• 1 egg white
• 1 dash of Peychaud bitters

Then shake:

• Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and dry shake for a few seconds to get the egg white to mix
• Add ice to the shaker and continue to shake for 10 seconds
• Pour into a cocktail glass until 2/3 full, take the top off of the shaker and then spoon some of the delicious foam into the glass.
• Put one more dash of bitters on the foam and swirl with a cocktail stick

Top Ten Gin Recipes

Of all this boy's poisons, gin is his favourite pleasure. My first post here was about my perfect martini (Dukes Bar is still my hallowed church) and in the last couple of years I've had the luxury of being at the centre of a gin renaissance with countless small batch distilleries popping up to quench my juniper thirst. There are some real gems lurking around in the Sluttery archives and here's my top ten

Martini
Sophisticated, classy and perfectly simple. If you like gin this should benchmark the bar you're drinking in, if they can't shake this its time to move on.

Gin Sour
A classic and a great way of learning the basics of balancing sweet and sour. It's the cornerstone of countless other cocktails.

Negroni
If you don't mind bitterness this is the taste of summer.

Clover Club
A raspberry hit with a delicious lip tingling foam.

Bramble
With blackberries dominating this drink, the flavours are distinctly autumnal but the fresh lemon hit makes it a perfect anytime drink.

Corpse Reviver
If you're feeling the worse for wear the aniseed hint of the absinthe rinse and tartness of the lemon is a total panacea.

Ramos Gin Fizz
In writing it's a bizarre recipe but the egg white and sparkling water make an incredible long drink.

Ivy Gimlet Royale
Sparkly, tart and adult this is a great twist on a traditional gimlet.

The Business
Much like a bees knees, the lime and honey marry perfectly in this one.

Floradora
It's a gin cocktail named after a musical and its ingredients can't help but sing. Raspberries, lime and ginger ale all work perfectly in another long and sippable drink.

The boy and his poison: The Lemongrass and Chilli Margarita

This site is a dangerous place. I was triple checking a recipe last week when I stumbled on Sian's review of the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town. By paragraph two I was instantly transported back to my virgin experience of the chilli and lemongrass margarita and a couple of hours later I set out like a booze fuelled 'hunter-gatherer' to fetch a bottle of tequila to try and recreate this amazing cocktail.

There's something about the savoury balance of the lemongrass and the chilli that makes this a really special drink. I opted for reposado tequila to make it even smoother but it would work equally well with silver or golden tequila.

You'll need:

• 50ml Tequila, either silver or preferably reposado
• 50ml Lime juice
• 25ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier
• 1 stalk of lemon grass
• 1/2 a red chilli

Make it

• Slice the lemon grass in half lengthways
• Dice one half of the lemongrass
• Finely slice the chilli
• Add 5 slices of the chilli and your diced lemongrass to a cocktail shaker with the tequila, cointreau and lime juice.
• Muddle the three ingredients with a rolling pin
• Add ice and shake for 10 seconds
• Strain into a martini glass or small tumbler and garnish with the other half of the lemongrass stalk and a few more slices of chilli.

The boy and his poison: The Right Hand

First up this week is the Right Hand. If I'm guilty of one thing it's my total obsession with a certain juniper based spirit. So when I found a recipe that presented the opportunity of sharing a gin-based classic with even the gin-naysayers, I couldn't help but go for it.    

The Right Hand is essentially a rum based negroni enhanced with a few dashes of Xocolatl Mole bitters (better known as chocolate bitters and available here). So not only will you be drinking a rum fuelled negroni but you'll be getting a boozy chocolate hit as well.

You'll need:

• 50ml aged rum 
• 25ml red vermouth
• 25ml Campari
• 2 dashes chocolate bitters

Make it:

• Add all your ingredients to an ice filled shaker
• Shake for 10-15 seconds
• Strain into a cocktail glass and prove the gin-naysayers wrong.

The boy and his poison: Bacon Bourbon

You can stop rubbing your eyes in saliva induced disbelief. That's right, we're talking bacon infused bourbon. Better still this is part one of a two part recipe, so get excited, we're going to have a week of bacon based booze fun.

The best part of all this is that the method is so easy it feels like you're cheating, but in five easy steps you're going to have the perfect base for a range of golden pork based drinks. Better than that you'll also 'have' to find a way to discard the left over bacon, I find a stack of pancakes or a few slices of buttered bread and a bit of ketchup can assist here.

Then you can either try this delicious nectar on ice or come back on Friday to see how to put it to great use in a PDT Bacon Old Fashioned.

You'll need:

• 100ml of bourbon (enough to make two drinks)
• 4 strips of streaky bacon (i went for a packet of pancetta) you need enough to render about 25ml of fat
• A jam jar
• A paper coffee filter

Make it:

• Dry fry the bacon in a pan on a low heat for 3-5 minutes. This is the vaguely science part, we're trying to render the fat out whilst avoiding burning the bacon and leaving any acrid flavours in our infusion
• When the bacon looks like its given up all its juice, drain the fat into a sterilised jar
• Let it cool for 30 seconds and pour over your bourbon.
• Allow to steep for 4 hours
• Then put your jar in the freezer for a further 3 hours, this will cause all your fat to solidify to the top of the jar
• Strain the jar's contents through a paper coffee filter and collect your bourbon nectar in a measuring jug or jar then do your best to not drink any till Friday.

The boy and his poison: Pyromania and other smoky antics

Half the fun of shaking drinks is the flamboyance. Those little touches of glamour that impress your crowd and whet their appetites. Nowhere is this more pleasurable than when it involves fire. I've always had a fascination with fire and despite kicking the cigarettes I've never managed to cure my obsession with the Zippo.  Initially it might be intimidating there's nothing quite like the theatrics of fire.

The basics
I'm overlooking torching absinthe and sambuca, not because of cocktail-elitism, just for fear of law-suits. I think the basics of cocktail pyrotechnics come in when making drinks like the Cosmopolitan. Whilst cranberry juice, vodka and triple sec is a fairly lazy, albeit tasty mix, what really sets it apart is the flamed zest of an orange.

• Starting with fresh citrus fruit (the freshness and firmness will give you an indication of the oil content of the fruit) peel a strip of the orange using a vegetable peeler and hold it with finger and thumb on the long-sides 
• Light a match or lighter over your drink and move your hand with the peel above the flame and the drink
• Squeeze the peel sharply which should project the citrus oil towards your drink
• Drop the peel into the drink

The quirky
I'm always an advocate of the idiosyncratic. Whether it's the addition of a rum filled flaming lime to a zombie or a flaming sugar cube to a lemon drop this is where bartenders have decided to embrace the fun of eyebrow singing to enhance the flavour of perenial favourites. For example, take a standard lemon drop recipe (lemon vodka/Galliano) soak a sugar cube in 151 proof rum and set it alight before dropping it in the drink.

The smoky
Finally there are the smoky drinks. Whether its an accompaniment to the taste like the Corner Rooms 'Ron Burgandy' (served on a leather bound book and smoked in mahogony) or a Don Draper from Amanda Humphrey's Paramount bar with its charred cigar smoke lacing the taste of each sip, these drinks decide that taste isn't the only sense that deserves pleasuring when we order our cocktails. Whilst it may sound perverse, the smell of smoke as you drink can complete a drink. The 'Draper' is essentially a nuanced old fashioned but the theatre and fun of pulling off a napkin from a glass of cigar smoke really makes it.

Whether its a spritz from some orange peel or a waft from a cigar, have some fun. It can't just be me and my secondary-school mentality that delights in playing with the odd bit of controlled fire. If it entertains you it will amaze your guests. So get flaming.

The boy and his poison: The Business

This is my de facto favourite drink to entertain with. As I discovered the other day, having a recipe in your back pocket that looks great in any glass, tastes fantastic and can be made with even a modest liquor cabinet is essential (especially if you're dealing with a gusset of thirsty Domestic Sluts).

Somewhere between a syrupy gimlet and a limey 'Bee's Knees', credit to the drink goes to New York's infamous Milk and Honey speakeasy. Its perfect strained into a coupe glass, served over ice if you don't have a shaker or if you're feeling a little flush top it up with some bubbles.

You'll need:

• 50ml of gin
• 30ml of lime juice
• 1tbsp of honey

Make it:

• Spoon your honey into a heatproof container or jar and microwave it for a few seconds to loosen the consistency
• Add the lime juice and gin to the honey with a handful of ice and stir for 10 seconds 
• Strain or just plonk a straw straight in.

The boy and his poison: The Three Kings Cobbler

Allegedly 2012 is going to be a year of fortified wines, aged cocktails and bitters. On that basis its definitely going to be the year of Paramount's chief bartender Amanda Humphrey. Perched up on the 31st floor of London's Centre Point, she's a champion of these deep and complex cocktails that take aperitifs and base spirits you'd usually associate with your grandparents and put a delicious contemporary spin on them.

The Three Kings Cobbler is a perfect example. A mixture of port sherry and madeira, its simple to make but yet it has an incredibly classic and sophisticated taste. When picking your sherry aim for Olorosso and a nice aged Madeira, 10 years should be perfect.

You'll need:

• 20ml of Port
• 20ml of Olorosso Sherry
• 20ml of Madeira
• Orange and lime slices

Then shake:

• Muddle all the ingredients 
• Stir in an ice filled shaker for 10 seconds
• Strain into a lowball glass
• Garnish with some lemon peel

The boy and his poison: The English Garden

It's time for a bit of a refresher. If you're feeling a little too egg-nogged or overly brandy flipped, I promise this will act like a liquid SAD light to perk you up after a miserably dark commute home.

If you're lucky enough to have an iPad, or if Santa dropped one in your stocking (you were good last year, weren't you?), you should definitely consider snatching up a copy of Difford's cocktail guide. Even if you've been blighted with socks and gift vouchers (tsk, you must have been naughty) you should still make sure the latest printed copy makes its way to you as soon as possible. I was hankering after something light, cheery and reminiscent of summer to perk up the dismal day I was having yesterday and a few swipes and taps later I was looking at the English Garden. It's the perfect antidote to a winter's day. Lighter than the boozy brandy drinks of Christmas, it's based on autumnal apple juice then flavoured with elderflower liqueur and fortified with gin.

You'll need:

• 2.5 shots of cloudy apple juice (Cawston Press with ginger is perfect) 
• 2 shots of gin
• 1 shot of elderflower liqueur
• 1.5 shots of lime

Then make:

• Stir the ingredients in a collins glass or small tumbler over chilled ice
• Garnish with sliced cucumber

The boy and his poison: The Mid-Morning Reviver

I'm a secret Radio 4 junkie. From the abrupt early morning alarm call of the Today programme to settling down to lunch with the Archers, my daily eight hour habit has been a fantastic way to preserve my sanity between between breakfast and cocktail hour for the last few years.

The 10am ritual of Woman's Hour with a quadruple espresso is pivotal to my working day and so when I discovered we were going to be on today (27 minutes in if you fancy a listen) I thought I'd honour the occasion with a bespoke cocktail. I couldn't resist gin (mainly due to the arsenal of bottles I'd inherited from Christmas) but I wanted something a bit special to set it apart, so I settled on the sophisticated taste of Aperol (if you can't get hold of any feel free to substitute it for Campari). A tangy spoonful of apricot jam later I'd hit on 'The Mid-Morning Reviver'. Shake in a jam-jar (far more fun than cocktail glasses) with ice and serve between ten and eleven if circumstances permit.

You'll Need:

• 50ml Gin
• 25ml Aperol (Campari should work just as well)
• 1 heaped teaspoon of apricot jam
• A piece of orange peel

Then Shake:

• Shake over ice
• Strain and pour into a small coupe glass
• Pinch the orange peel over the top of the glass to release the orange oil over the drink

Or my new favourite shaking method:

• Fill a jam-jar with ice
• Pour all the ingredients in and close the lid
• Shake vigorously and remove the lid
• Squeeze the orange peel over the top and drop a thin straw in the jar

The Boy and his Poison: The Sluttery Mincepie Martini

With only a few days left I wanted to pull out the festive stops for the last drink. Egg nog has been covered very well, there were a few punch recipes I toyed with and a few cocktails from the Colebrooke Row festive roundup but they just didn't quite meet the Griswold level of extreme-xmas-fetishism I was aiming for.

You were ten minutes away from hearing about a very nice Port Cobbler when I suddenly noticed an unopened jar of mincemeat and tempting bottle of Chase vodka*. One sterilized jam jar later I was patiently waiting for my mincemeat to infuse its yuletide magic on the vodka (great minds think alike). I gave it about two days then all that was left was to add a few different bitters to enhance the flavour and a touch of vermouth to round things off.

For the Mincepie vodka:
The rough rule I developed was a level dessert spoon of mincemeat for every 100ml of vodka in a jar. For a whole jam-jar of the stuff i'd recommend about three decent desert spoons of mincemeat.  Give it a hefty shake and leave it somewhere cool for 48 hours. When you're ready to use it strain it through muslin, unfortunately a simple bar strainer won't keep all those distilled bits of suet out and your drink will look wonderful as a result of this small step. You can then happily dump your soused remnants on some ice cream and marvel at your clear golden liquid which smells like the sort of rocket fuel that Santa would use.

You'll need:

• 50ml Mincemeat infused vodka
• 10ml Vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• Orange peel
• Maraschino cherry to garnish. This will probably be the only time I ever recommend bringing those maraschino infused relics out of the cocktail cabinet but 'tis the season for it.

Then shake

• Add the ingredients to an ice filled shaker
• Shake vigourously for a minute
• Strain into an ice cold coupe glass
• Spray the zest of some orange peel over the top
• Garnish with the cherry

* It was found buried at the back of a cupboard and may potentially have been a designated Christmas present, I've yet to admit opening it.

All I want for Christmas: Gentleman's Bits

Santa's coming and whilst I'm sure you've all diligently written your lists and checked them twice, your life is no doubt blighted by people like me: the 'hard to buy for'. We're a group who don't really 'need' anything but have an annoying habit of buying ourselves all the best presents the week before the main event. So if you're stuck for something to get that loveable boozehound or just down-right awkward to buy for person in your life, this list is for you.

Raw materials:
The Kraken: To clarify, I wouldn't advise buying a mythical sea monster of giant proportions,  I would though wholeheartedly recommend this £21 incredible dark spiced rum, perfect neat or mixed.

Bathtub gin: A gift list from me wouldn't be complete without a gin. There have been a slew of incredible new gins this year, but with its brown paper, twine packaging and ornate illustrated label this earthy creamy drink will make for a really unique choice.  Worth every one of those £32.  

The Bitter Truth: Cocktail Bitters Traveler's Set: I like to think that bitters elevate my gin addiction into a more sophisticated 'cocktail problem' and this is a great miniature set to get you started for £20. I've already placed my order and am looking forward to the celery and chocolate in particular.

Lastly, if you're drinking gin made in a bathtub, then why not complete the circle with a shower gel that smells of Gin & Tonic (£13) or if you have slightly more expensive tastes maybe a Marc Jacob fragrance to remind you of your favourite drink from £47.

Excursions:
A few horrific experiences as a child have meant I'm usually massively anti educational gifts but when the lesson of the day is how Plymouth distill their gin (from £6 to £40), or how best to taste wine and enjoy whisky at Vinopolis in London (from £22 to £40) I think i can make an exception.

Reading material:
Diffords guide is a bible for contemporary and traditional cocktails, you can grab it in book form for £24 or better still (if you've missed that last amazon posting date) on the iPad and iPhone (you get to save the planet and its only £5 too). If instead you fancy getting stuck into a classic, then the Savoy Cocktail Book is a perfect beautifully illustrated choice at only £9

The tools:
From the novice to the expert there will always be a gap in the tool arsenal of the seasoned drinker. I'd go so far as to say this £6 key bottle opener has literally saved my life at some dull parties. I've extolled the virtues of the £6 Mexican Elbow already this year, and I'm proud to say it can even have non-drink-related uses too. Sian's linked to a few beautiful shakers already but if you want to do it like a pro you'll need a Boston shaker so why not pick one up with this incredible £10 set.
Hip flasks don't come more stylish than in white ceramic with a cork stopper (its double underlined in my list to Mr Clause). Don't tell your friends but the rehabilitated soda stream (from £29) is actually a really clever way to make sure you have the freshest fizzing tonic water around as well as a limitless supply of soda water (n.b. I've yet to try fizzing a cocktail). Finally though, if you're completely stuck for a unique gift may I recommend looking at a foamer (from £40), anything that allows you to do things like add orangey Cointreau foam to cosmos can do no wrong in my eyes.

The boy and his poison: The Floradora

Friday and its best friend 'the weekend' have been avoiding me like the plague this week. Between the murky skies, the perilous winds and the dark mornings, I was seriously tempted to sack it all off and hibernate 'til Christmas day. Then I remembered the Floradora.

In particular, I remembered the last one I had one sunny August afternoon lurking around the Southbank. A long, refreshingly boozy drink… its history belongs to the celebration of a musical renowned for its delectable 'Florodora Sextette' - six identically dressed brunettes that apparently awestruck the population of New York enough to get a cocktail devoted to them. All I can say is I wish I had the capacity to inspire a drink like this. Tart and sweet from the lime and raspberry liqueur, leg numbingly boozy from the gin and respectably long and spicy from ginger beer, this drink will set your serotonin to 11 in two sips. So, welcome the weekend and get mixing.

You'll need:

• 2 shots of gin 
• 1 shot of lime juice
• 1 shot of cassis or Chambord 
• ginger beer to top up
• lime to garnish

Then make:

• Add the gin, chambord and lime to a collins/highball 
• Stir with ice 
• Top up with ginger beer
• Squeeze a segment of lime then drop it in the glass

The boy and his poison: The Corpse Reviver #2

As you’ll know by now, I'm all about helping the exhausted hedonist, especially on those days when they're more like this sort of animal than a party-animal. Cosmetic quick fixes can give temporary relief, I’ve even tried breathable caffeine, but lets face it, sometimes you need a more holistic approach to your restoration. Something that will grab your tonsils, spank your uvula, and cha-cha down your throat until your back to your usual convivial self.

Its 7pm, the body is willing but the mind needs a bit of coaxing. You need a sophisticated rapid remedy, we’re talking a corpse reviver #2.

Coming from a family of drinks devoted to the reanimation of a weary spirit this is my favourite of the three variants by far. Don’t be deceived by the simplicity of the recipe, the flavour is addictively complex with a perfect balance between sugary gin, sour lemon and that extra unfamiliar kick from the absinthe. Its also not at any costs, to be reserved purely for hangovers, its a sophisticated start to any evening out and a nice name-dropper to order off-menu in bars.

You’ll need

• 1 part gin
• 1 part lemon juice
• 1 part Cointreau/triple sec
• 1 part dry vermouth (ideally lillet blanc)
• 1 dash (tiny) of pastis/absinthe 

Shake it

• Add all your ingredients to a shaker with ice
• Shake for 10-15 seconds
• Pour into chilled coupe or martini glasses
• Garnish with a Maraschino cherry