I am going to explain how to make a drink that you would easily pay £5–6 for, but for 30p

With the world in the midst of a financial crisis, it is becoming more and more apparent that people are staying at home more often. Only last week it was announced that UK beer sales in the supermarket are going to overtake those in bars.

This only reinforces what I am trying to do, empowering people to make their own tasty drinks for their family, friends or loved one.

So how on earth do you get started…?

First things first, get up from your computer and have a little look around your cupboards and I guarentee you will be amazed at how much alcohol you actually have. The duty free purchases, the birthday presents…so why or why are you not using it?

This is why I have coined the phrase ‘dust away the cobwebs’.

Now the next thing you have to ask yourself is how do I go about making these? This is the easy and most importantly the fun part :)

If you have a basic cocktail kit, then that’s awesome but if you don’t then fear not, you have to begin improvising or ‘thinking outside the box’....which is not hard at all.

The first method of cocktail making we are going to run through is ‘muddling’. So to get the party started you need to get yourself a really nice tumbler or rocks glass. Like the one in the main picture.

Secondly you need a muddler or as I like to call it a mini truncheon. If you dont have one of these, then get a flat ended rolling pin, it will do exactly the same job and it looks wicked.

The only other bit of kit you will now need is a chopping board, knife, spoon and a measurer.

If you dont have one of these, then simply buy a bottle of Schweppes and they give you one for free :)

So now you have all the kit to make a delicious cocktail…so what’s next? Your ingredients.

This could be any simpler, you need a lime and if you want to go to town then maybe some soft fruit like raspberry or strawberry! Yum yum. A punnet of strawberry will make you a minimum of 5 drinks.

Buy yourself a bag of ice and raid your cupboard for some granulated sugar, something I guarentee you will have.

And finally the most important thing, the spirit to go into your drink. Remember though that is best to use something like vodka or rum. If you use liqueurs like Archers or Amaretto then you are going to have a really sweet drink, but some of you guys may like that.

Now watch this. This will guide you into how to make the drink.

So all you need to do is;

• Cut your lime into chunks, place into your glass and then add two teaspoons of granulated sugar
• If you want to look slick, then throw in some soft fruits, create your own mixture – raspberry & strawberry is lush, as is blueberry & peach. Just think of yoghurt flavours for inspiration
• Then get your muddler and go to town, get all the juices flowing, resulting in a limey, sugary, fruit base
• Get you bag of ice, pierce a hole to release the air, hold it tight and get your aggression out by hitting with anything…a hammer, rolling pin, the floor, it all does the same thing, it crushes it!
• Add this, making sure it fills right to the top
• Measure out 50ml of your chosen spirit
• Give it a good stir, so that all the ingredients combine together
• Top up with more crushed ice
• If you have some long straws, simply cut them and hey presto you have a sip straw
• Then sit back and marvel at your creation

If you want to make the drink a bit longer, then simply place into a bigger glass, use exactly the same method, but add a top; such as lemonade, cranberry juice, pretty much whatever tickles your fancy.

How awesome would it be if you said to someone you fancy a Strawberry Caiprissima (Rum) / Caiproska (Vodka)?

So there you go, I have show you how to make a wicked drink for 30p.

Give it a go and send me some pics of your creations to john@wanttoimpress.com or if you want to be kept updated with more tricks of the trade, then sign up to my newsletter

Laters amigos

John Collingwood – www.wanttoimpress.com