Making cocktails easy at the Science Museum

A huge thank you to the 300+ guests who came along to our talk at the Science Museum Lates last night – if you were expecting anything remotely scientific, please accept our apologies now! Instead we did our bit  to demystify the formulas behind cocktails and have hopefully convinced you that they are easy enough to whip up at home – with or without the kit! It ain’t rocket science, just have fun.

For those of you who asked us to share our tips and recipes demonstrated during our four booked-out presentations throughout the evening, please find the info below:

THE SOUR

2 parts No. 3 London Dry Gin
1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
0.5 part sugar syrup
2-3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
0.5 part egg white (optional)
If you add the egg white, do remember to give it a good dry shake first (shake up all liquid ingredients without ice in a shaker to emulsify, then add ice and shake again)

Method:
Add all ingredients to your cocktail shaker or kilner jar. Add lots of ice and give a good old shake until your hand feels cold. Pour into a chilled wine or cocktail glass. If none available, just use a tumbler, simples.

Tip: Replace the gin with pretty much any spirit including whisky, brandy, rum – all the other measures and ingredients remain the same.

THE DRY MARTINI

3 parts No. 3 London Dry Gin
1 part Dolin Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Citrus peel to garnish

Method:
Add ingredients to your beaker or kilner jar. Add plenty of large cubed ice and stir gently with a cocktail spoon or chopstick – you’re going for the chill factor and dilution, as a guideline count to 100 as you stir. Pour into a chilled Martini glass. Gently pinch and squeeze the citrus peel to release oils over the surface of your drink and drop the peel in.

Tip: Instead of a lemon twist go for another citrus peel like grapefruit or orange – remember, you’re the boss.

THE G&T

2 parts No. 3 London Dry Gin
1 part fresh fruit juice – we used pink grapefruit but play around and see what tickles your fancy
2 parts Fever-Tree Tonic Water

Method:
Pour all ingredients to a long glass filled with ice. Stir gently with a bar spoon or chopstick. Taste and add more Fever-Tree Tonic Water to your particular palate.

Tip: Garnish with complementary or contrasting flavours to your choice of fruit juice – a slice of pink grapefruit to echo the juice used above, or a sprig of thyme adds a nice herbaceous touch. If you choose strawberry or apple juice, you could add a mint garnish. Orange juice? Try rosemary or keep it safe with an orange wheel – the choice is yours.

The bit where we say thank you…

With special thanks to our friends at No. 3 London Dry gin for providing our base spirit for the evening. The deliciously crisp and agreeably zingy gin is made to Berry Bros’ own recipe by distillers with over three centuries of experience and is perfect in all our recipes, in particular the Dry Martini. It’s available from Waitrose, Ocado and all good drinks retailers, priced approx £35. Find out more at bbr.com.

We’d also like to thank Fever-Tree for their Premium Tonics – if you take your G&T seriously, trust us, these are the best. An ideal partner for our choice of beautiful gin. Available from all good supermarkets and drinks retailers, priced approx. £3 for 4x200ml bottles. Find out more at fever-tree.co.uk.

And for the many people who wanted more information on Angostura aromatic bitters, you can find them in most good supermarkets for around £8. Find out how they work in cocktails and food at angosturabitters.com.