BREAKFAST MARTINI

I say, what a wonderful way to start your day! However, this wasn’t created to be drunk at breakfast – it was inspired by that unique breakfast condiment, marmalade. This is the signature cocktail of legendary bartender Salvatore Calabrese, who created it in 1996 when he worked at The Lanesborough hotel in London. Being Italian, Salvatore’s usual breakfast was just an espresso, but when his English wife Sue gave him toast and marmalade one day he was so impressed by it that he took a jar into work and started experimenting. This wonderfully tart, citric cocktail was the result.

SERVES 1

45ml gin

15ml Cointreau

15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 barspoon (5ml) orange marmalade

orange twist, to garnish

1 Chill a coupe glass and set to one side.

2 Fill a cocktail shaker with cubed ice and add all the ingredients (including the marmalade).

3 Shake to chill and combine.

4 Double-strain into your chilled glass.

5 Garnish with the orange twist and serve.

COSMOPOLITAN

Sex And The City has a lot to answer for. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte sent the Cosmo stratospheric – they didn’t invent it, but they are responsible for making this early-90s cocktail so popular again. I do love a Cosmopolitan, it’s possibly my favourite classic vodka cocktail. When it’s made properly – not overly sweet or tart from the cranberry juice – it’s such a delicious drink.

SERVES 1

45ml citrus vodka

22.5ml Cointreau

22.5ml cranberry juice

15ml freshly squeezed lime juice

flamed orange twist, to garnish

1 Chill a coupe glass and set to one side.

2 Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all the ingredients.

3 Shake to chill and combine.

4 Strain into the chilled glass.

5 For the twist, hold a lit match just above the cocktail and squeeze a strip of orange peel above the flame. This releases citrus oils that caramelise as they hit the drink.

TIP To add an extra sparkle, top with Champagne.

GINGER NINJA

By the early 18th century punch was all the rage in London – served, untaxed, in the modish coffee shops where gentlemen of style and distinction would gather to pass the time. Gin was often used as a base; in fact, gin punch was frequently prescribed to treat conditions including malaria and yellow fever, as juniper was thought to have health-giving properties. (There are many different recipes from this time.) The formula here features apple juice and rosemary, which really bring out the botanicals in the gin, while the ginger beer puts some fire in the belly of the drink.

SERVES 6-8

150g cucumber, sliced

30g fresh mint leaves

540ml gin

1 litre fresh apple juice

720ml fiery ginger beer

60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

60ml rosemary syrup

1 red apple, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

sliced cucumber, sliced apple, mint sprigs, to garnish

1 Put the cucumber and mint in a punch bowl and muddle gently.

2 Top with 3 large scoops of ice.

3 Add the rest of the ingredients including the sliced red apple and sliced lemon.

4 Serve in teacups and garnish with a sprig of mint, along with slices of apple and cucumber.

TIP You can mix all the liquids ahead of time and leave to infuse before adding the ice and serving.

PALOMA

Ah Paloma, my love! Or dove, I should say, as that’s what the word means in Spanish. Paloma is not the name of a Mexican lover of mine, although I’m very much in love with this wonderfully vibrant, thirst-quenching cocktail.

SERVES 1

60ml reposado (aged) tequila

15ml freshly squeezed lime juice

7.5ml agave syrup

120ml grapefruit soda

orange slice, to garnish

1 Fill a Collins glass with cubed ice. Set to one side.

2 Fill a cocktail shaker with cubed ice and add all the ingredients except the grapefruit soda.

3 Shake to chill and strain into your glass filled with ice.

4 Top with grapefruit soda.

5 Garnish with the orange.

TIP As an alternative, you can swap out the tequila for gin.

NOW BUY THE BOOK

Taken from The Cocktail Diaries by Sam Heughan (£20, Quadrille). To order a copy for £17 until 7 December, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25