Joma Shinji

The Joma Shinji Japanese New Year archery ritual is based on the Japanese belief that arrows have the power to banish evil – the word Joma translates

Rainbow Sour

Vinious pineau des charentes and apricot notes shine in this fruity sour.

Laphroaig

For years distillers and bartenders have struggled to express how their world of liquid and drinks fits in with the larger, more celebrated domain of food.

20 best Champagne Cocktails

Cocktails are intrinsically decadent, but those with champagne are also lavish, invigorating and celebratory. Champagne cocktails are condemned by some

Banoffee Espresso Martini

A vodka Espresso Martini with the banana and toffee flavours found in the eponymous dessert.

Minnie the Moocher

Spirit-forward and just on the rich side, this late-night sipper delivers satisfying botanical complexity. If you're after a slightly larger serve suited

Mezcal Dante

Some of the biggest flavours on the back bar are corralled, tamed and made to play together nicely to produce an assertive but very quaffable cocktail.

Matejcek 3-2-1 Manhattan

A rye-based Perfect Manhattan with an optional lift from maraschino syrup.

Clergyman's Lapse

Reminiscent of a Last Word and inspired by a Missionary's Downfall.

Marigny

Spirituous, sour, balanced and delicious with herbal notes, two brandies, and citrus freshness.

Absinthe Daiquiri

It's surprising both how much absinthe you can use in this bite-sized cocktail and then how much sugar is needed to tame it. Hit the balance and all these

Sake Sour

This delicately flavoured sour is low in alcohol and suited to being enjoyed as an aperitivo.

Nymph

Just enough apricot to add flavour and richness to a balanced backbone of Canadian whiskey and aromatised wine.

Grasshopper No. 2

A mezcal and amaro-influenced riff on the classic Grasshopper.

Maximilian Affair

Mezcal leads, underpinned by floral elderflower, rich herbal vermouth and sour lemon.

Margarita Negra

This coffee-flavoured tequila sour is more brown than Negra (black) but is a very tasty riff on a Margarita.

Monkey Bizz

Gin-laced aromatised wine with floral elderflower.

Sloppy Joes

Rich and fruity with a balancing brandy backbone. A bite-sized after-dinner or late-night treat that's reminiscent of a very fruity vintage port.

Trader Vic's Sour

Most sour renditions are strictly solo spirit-based, but why be so constricting when you can have a threesome? I like to let scotch have its way over the

20 best Christmas cocktails

Christmas is a time for overindulgence, and so Christmas cocktails tend to be rich in every sense of the word. In America, it's the creamy Eggnog that

Tom & Jerry cocktail

Once a wintertime staple served in taverns and saloons across America, the Tom & Jerry cocktail/punch was relegated to obscurity until recent years when

Champagne Snowball

Deliciously silky smooth, indulgent, and decadent. Rich thick and creamy advocaat freshened with dry sherry, zesty lime cordial, and invigorated with champagne.

Difford’s Shaker Bundle

Our boxed shaker bundle contains all the essential tools to make shaken cocktails and I (Simon Difford) have selected my preferred shaker, hawthorne strainer,

The 12 cocktails of Christmas Day

Christmas Day is a day like no other. As much a test of food and drink endurance as it is a day of celebration with friends and family.