Your next couple of weekends for the foreseeable future might be looking a little bleak at the moment.

Catching the tube to Liverpool Street on a Saturday night for a few drinks with your pals currently seems like a hazy distant memory.

Not to worry though. Weekends are getting warmer, meaning our back yards and balconies are staying dry! Bearing this in mind, we’ve put together a few very simple cocktail recipes, with ingredients that a lot of you will already have at home, for you to enjoy in the sun. If you’re missing a few ingredients from the list, we have done our research and most major Supermarkets will have them on hand for home delivery. For an added bonus why not dust off some nice glasses, grab a shaker, a strainer and some ice for these recipes.

But of course, please drink responsibly guys!

Cardinal Cocktail

This is for you wine lovers. A perfect way to bring that undesirable bottle of red sitting at the back of the cupboard to life!

  • 30ml Crème De Cassis
  • 150ml Red Wine So easy!
  • Pour your crème de cassis into a wine glass filled with ice. Top up with red wine. Enjoy!

OMG&T

A fruity take on a quintessentially British classic.

  • 50ml Dry Gin
  • 8 Berries (up to you what kind!)
  • 150ml Tonic Water
  • 1 Glug of Elderflower Cordial
  • 1 Squeeze of Lime Juice
  • Ice and shake it and serve in a tall glass.

The bartender’s world equivalent of “Chef, make me the perfect omelette!” Easy to make, but just as easy to fumble! The perfect combination of sweet and sour.

  • 60ml White Rum
  • 30ml Freshly squeezed Lime Juice
  • 10ml Simple Syrup (You can make this with 240ml of water and 200g of caster sugar. Boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved).
  • Throw the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and shake well. Strain into a glass.

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

This takes a little more planning ahead and a blender, but is still very simple and delicious. Perfect for those peak summer afternoons!
(4 Servings)

  • 1kg Fresh Seedless Watermelon
  • 2 Tablespoons of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon of Granulated Sugar
  • Zest of 1 Lime
  • 60ml Lime Juice
  • 120ml Silver Tequila
  • 60ml Triple Sec
  • 4 Watermelon Slices For Garnish
  • 4 Lime Rounds For Garnish

The night before you make these, you’ll need to chop up some fresh Watermelon and throw it in the freezer overnight. The following day combine salt, sugar and lime zest on a small plate and stir to mix. Wet the rim of your margarita glasses with the lime and dip in the salt mixture. Use a blender to mix frozen watermelon, lime juice, tequila and triple sec and blend until smooth. Pour into your glasses and garnish with watermelon and lime round.

Gimlet

Did somebody say the easiest cocktail to make, ever?! Gin lovers will like this but vodka works just as well.

  • 60ml Gin or Vodka (Please don’t use 60ml of both spirits!)
  • 20ml Lime Juice
  • Shake with cracked ice and strain.

Champagne/Prosecco Cocktail

Definitely one for those who like a drop of Courvoisier.

  • 85ml Prosecco (Champagne if it’s a special occasion)
  • 10ml Cognac
  • 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 1 Sugar Cube Add the bitters and sugar cube into a champagne flute. Add cognac and top up with bubbles!

The Greyhound

The grapefruit juice completely engulfs the taste of the vodka, meaning cheap voddy from the corner shop will work!

  • 60ml Vodka
  • 120ml Grapefruit Juice
  • 1 Lemon or Lime Wedge
  • Pour into a tall glass filled with ice cubes, stir and garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.

Black Russian

That lovely bottle of premium vodka you got at duty-free on your way back from Ibiza last year? You’ve been saving it for this moment, believe us. The best of the cocktail and coffee worlds come together.

  • 60ml Premium Vodka
  • 30ml Kahlúa
  • Mix with ice and stir. Strain into a glass over fresh ice. Use more kahlúa and less vodka for a sweeter drink.

Bellini

Often found on a lot of cocktail menus. A sweet and delicious cocktail nonetheless.

  • 85ml Cava
  • 60ml Fresh Peach Puree
  • Pour the peach puree into the bottom of a champagne flute and top with cava. Garnish with a peach wedge if you like. Use champagne or prosecco instead of cava, depending on how sweet you like your drink.

Sangria

It is nearly summer after all. You really thought we’d make a list of cocktails without including this?!

  • 600ml Orange, Mango or Peach Juice
  • 750ml Bottle Red Wine (We Recommend Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir)
  • Orange Slices
  • Pour the wine and juice into a big pitcher over ice and stir in the fruit. Best enjoyed on a hot summer’s day.

Your nights out on the town may currently be on hold, but why not catch up over a drink with your friends over Facetime or Skype? We recommend that you download the Houseparty app where you are able to connect with friends and play different games. It’s a great way to socialise whilst remaining physically isolated!