Cocktail Capers

There's nothing like making your cocktail and, really, it's not particularly hard. You need a shaker, a jigger, some booze, limes, lemons, an orange perhaps and plenty of ice. Get a book of cocktail recipes ... I highly recommend The Ultimate A-Z Bar Guide by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst ... and you're in business.

Personally I stay away from cocktails that require oddball fruit juices and peculiar liqueurs like peach ... although Lillet sounds fascinating ... and cream. Seriously, cream in a cocktail is an abomination. I find I like cocktails that are a variation on either the Martini, the Manhattan or the Cosmopolitan. I like my cocktails with combinations of alcohol that make sense and are not overly exotic ... which rules blue caracao out ... all of which reflects my liking of protocol and tradition.

Sloe Gin Cocktail: A gin-based plum liqueur with a sensuous deep red colour, a smokey taste and a potent kick, Sloe Gin has quickly become a favourite of mine. The Sloe Gin cocktail combines dry vermouth and sloe gin with a dash of bitters. This cocktail has a deceptively delayed kick to it and its very heady.

The Eclipse: I'm fascinated by by those cocktails in which liqueurs of various weights are layered one on top of the other, creating a multi-hued and varied taste experience. The process of creating such a cocktail is exacting, pouring each liqueur delicately over the rounded back of a spoon to create a layer. For those who don't want to invest in a variety of liqueurs but would like to try layering a cocktail, the Elipse is the perfect cocktail. Using grenadine, a syrup-y pomegranite liqueur as a base, a mixture of gin and sloe gin is poured over it to create a dark red over a light red cocktail. Combining the slow burn of sloe gin and added kick of regular gin with a delicious but not too sweet ending of grenadine. As beautiful to look at as it is a pleasure to drink ... and fun to make.

The Margarita: This is a basic cocktail and for some reason people find margarita mixer a necessity. Mixers of any kind are junk and ruin the cocktail. A Margarita is extremely easy to make, being tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Try the real thing and you'll give mixers the bum's rush.

The Bobby Burns: Allow me to wax poetic about the wonders of Benedictine, its aromatic scent with hints of the rosemary, basil and sage, delicately sweet from the honey and orange peel, a slow burning liqueur with a lingering, enchanting taste. A true pleasure for all the senses. I dare say I could write a sonnet about Benedictine. Now imagine this wondrous elixir combined with scotch and sweet vermouth and you have the Bobby Burns cocktail. I'm moving this one up to the top of my list!