For me, there is nothing quite as luxurious as sitting at a hotel bar, sipping an expertly prepared cocktail. As I sat contemplating life with a champagne cocktail in the bar of a fine country house hotel, I couldn’t help noticing not only how good the cocktail was, but also how busy the bartender was preparing pre-dinner drinks. The bar was a hive of activity and the bartender a real dynamo — mixing, shaking and stirring an array of beautifully presented cocktails, including an enticing creation called Cherry Bakewell. After finishing another champagne cocktail, I did feel a little like the American author Dorothy Parker, who shared my liking of champagne cocktails and once said, “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone” — a sentiment I have always agreed with. As I sat in the elegant bar of Cringletie House on the Scottish Borders, I realised that I had long yearned to learn more about the glamorous art of cocktail mixing. There really was no time like the present. I have read many books on preparing cocktails and have owned a vintage home bar for many years, but nothing beats expert tuition from a master bartender like Mark Barrett, Cringletie House’s head bartender. After a delicious three-course meal (to soak up the champagne), I was ready to learn more about the art of creating the perfect cocktail. Settling onto a barstool, I watched as Mark effortlessly crafted a zesty gin cocktail that was perfectly balanced. He explained that “knowledge is key” when it comes to making cocktails. “You should know every single product in the bar — what it looks like, tastes like and smells like — so that you can balance its flavours with other ingredients and create winning combinations.” Mark recommends that anyone planning to make cocktails regularly should invest in a cocktail shaker, jigger, juicer and strainer. However, these can easily be substituted with household items: Before becoming a professional bartender, Mark’s first cocktail kit consisted of a jam jar as a shaker, a pierced lid as a strainer and a rolling pin for crushing ice. Proof that creativity outweighs equipment. The cornerstone of cocktail mixology, Mark explained, is understanding the balance between strong and weak, and sour and sweet: Most cocktails combine strong and sour, with weak and sweet added to suit personal taste. His top tip? Start with the sour, then adjust sweet or weak before finally adding the strong. And above all — keep it simple and have fun. Inspired by the festive season, Mark created three wonderfully Christmassy cocktails. Oooo Christmas Tree A cocktail that captures the flavours and aromas of Christmas — fruit, spice and even the tree itself. Can be served warm or chilled. Pine Needle Syrup (Make in advance) Ingredients 2 cups Douglas or Scotch pine needles (green tips)2 cups waterZest of 1 orange2 cloves2 tbsp honey10 whole peppercorns2 cups caster sugar Method Boil pine needles in water for 5–10 minutes. Strain and return liquid to a clean pan. Add zest, cloves, honey and peppercorns; boil for 5 minutes. Strain again, add sugar and stir over low heat until dissolved. Store in a sterilised jar (keeps over a week). Cocktail Ingredients (Per drink) 50ml pine syrup25ml brandy75ml cider75ml Darjeeling tea Method Stir syrup, brandy and cider together. Finish with hot or chilled Darjeeling tea. Serve warm in a mug or chilled over ice. Perfect with Christmas crooners playing in the background. Festive Fizz Fast, fizzy and fabulous. Ingredients (Per cocktail)1 glass champagne25ml orange liqueur (Cointreau works well)25ml pomegranate juicePomegranate seedsEdible gold or silver baking glitter MethodRemove seeds from the pomegranate (cut in half and tap with the back of a spoon over a bowl). Stir glitter into the seeds and set aside. Add pomegranate juice and orange liqueur to a glass, add a teaspoon of glittered seeds, then top with champagne. Sit back and watch it sparkle. Candy Cane Dreamy, creamy and full of festive cheer. Top Tip: No cocktail shaker? Use an empty jam jar. Ingredients (Per cocktail) 50ml Baileys25ml crème de menthe25ml Glava or Drambuie50ml single creamDash of grenadine Method Add 50ml of baileys to 25ml crème de menthe and 25ml of Glava or Drambuie stir, then mix in 50ml single cream. It will thicken a little as you stir. Serve in a martini glass and add a dash of grenadine to the top by drizzling over a spoon. The grenadine should sink to the bottom of the glass; give the cocktail a quick swirl with a stirrer or the end of a spoon to get a nice candy Cane effect. Your work is done, sit back and enjoy. So get you cocktail shakers at the ready and prepare to get your guests warmed up. Let the good times flow with these cheeky cocktails and have a have fabulous festive season! If you want to just relax this Christmas and New Year, but you still want to sample some expertly made cocktails then Mark Barrett is usually behind the bar at , Cringletie House Hotel, Edinburgh Road, Peebles EH45 8PL, Scotland http://www.cringletie.com

I recently took a trip to Chiang Mai in Thailand where, in addition to many holistic treatments, I enjoyed a variety of excellent detoxifying smoothies and fresh juices. On my return home, I felt inspired to get my blender out and create some healthy smoothies to cleanse, detox and simply perk myself up. However, in the absence of the exotic fruits I sampled in abundance on my trip, I decided to look for good British detox ingredients instead. My first thought was strawberries. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and have diuretic, purifying and detoxifying properties, making them perfect for this purpose. In addition, red fruits are often recommended for asthma and allergy problems. When making smoothies, frozen berries can easily be substituted for fresh if they are out of season. Strawberries alone were not enough to give the necessary boost to my detox plans. Inspired by smoothie recipes featuring kale, I decided to add the fabulous mineral qualities of British seaweed. In Ireland and the Caribbean, seaweed-based drinks and soups are consumed as regular pick-me-ups or after illness. Seaweed might not win any beauty contests, but it is undoubtedly a superfood, packed with health-giving minerals. Strawberry & Seaweed Detox Smoothie Ingredients 5 strawberries, hulled1 teacup of rice, oat or almond milk1 tablespoon cooked seaweed (laver works well)1 twist of lemonA pinch of sea salt Preparation Cut the strawberries into pieces, add a pinch of sea salt and allow them to marinate for 20 minutes. Blend the rice, oat or almond milk with the strawberries in a liquidiser. Add the seaweed and lemon, then blend again until smooth. Serve over ice. As you become more familiar with seaweed and its impressive health benefits — including balancing hormones, aiding digestion, supporting cardiovascular health and acting as a natural detoxifier — you may wish to try another energising smoothie perfect for a morning boost. The Green Goddess Ingredients 1 frozen banana, peeled and chopped¼ pineapple, including the core, chopped300ml cold water2 tablespoons laver seaweed2 teaspoons local honey Method: Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth, pour into a glass and enjoy immediately. If you are struggling to find seaweed in your local shops and don’t fancy foraging your own http://www.justseaweed.com can supply fresh and dried British seaweed straight to your door. All that remains to say is drink up your greens, chin, chin!

Drink Like It’s the 1920s Pull on a flapper dress, dust off the cocktail shaker, and let the big band jazz roll. The 1920s were a time of glamour, rebellion and remarkable creativity behind the bar. From smoky speakeasies to glittering hotel lounges, cocktails became symbols of style — and gin was very much the spirit of the age. When it comes to mixing drinks, there are countless options, but in my opinion gin remains the finest clear spirit on any bar. Its botanical complexity makes it endlessly versatile, lending itself to everything from gimlets and punches to smashes and martinis. So chin-chin — or bottoms up — as we revisit a few classics from the roaring twenties. Bee’s Knees The expression “bee’s knees” was popular slang in the 1920s, meaning something excellent or outstanding. This cocktail earned its place during Prohibition, when honey and lemon were used to soften the harsh edges of bathtub gin. Ingredients MethodStir the honey into the water until dissolved to create a light syrup. Add the syrup to a shaker with the gin, lemon juice and ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Classic Martini Few drinks embody sophistication like the Martini. Claimed by bars from London to New York, it flourished in the 1920s when gin was abundant — and sometimes questionable in quality. Simple, elegant and unapologetically strong, the classic combination of gin and dry vermouth remains iconic. MethodPour two and a half shots of gin and half a shot of dry vermouth over ice in a mixing glass. Stir for at least 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a single green olive. Pink Martini A blushing variation with a slightly fruitier profile. Ingredients MethodAdd all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Strain into a stylish cocktail glass and serve immediately. Vintage Inspired A conversation with award-winning bartender Mark Barrett of Cringletie House produced a delightfully unexpected 1920s-style garden party cocktail. Inspired by a health tonic, this drink pairs fresh fruit and vegetables with quality gin for a vibrant, modern twist on vintage glamour. Garden Gin Martini Ingredients MethodBlend all ingredients together until smooth. Add 50ml gin, blend briefly again, then strain into a cocktail glass and serve. A Note on Bathtub Gin “Bathtub gin” originally referred to homemade spirits produced during Prohibition in the United States, often mixed in bathtubs due to the size of bottles and lack of proper equipment. The quality varied wildly — and frequently dangerously. Thankfully, today’s gin renaissance offers a wealth of expertly crafted artisan options, so you can enjoy your cocktail without questionable chemistry (though relaxing in a bath while sipping one remains entirely optional). The Golden Age of Cocktails was about more than just drinking — it was about style, rebellion and creativity. So dim the lights, cue the jazz, and raise a glass to the spirit of the 1920s. Cheers. 🥂

The cocktail is often thought of as a purely American creation — all jazz bars, speakeasies and swagger. Yet scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find unmistakably British fingerprints on its history. Some American bartenders may throw their hands up in protest, but before the ice starts flying, let’s consider the evidence. Gin, Grain and Georgian Excess In the seventeenth century, London underwent a dramatic shift in drinking habits. Reduced taxes on distillation, combined with a surplus of grain, led to a surge in the production of grain spirits. Gin became cheap, plentiful and widely consumed — especially among the urban poor. By the 1720s, London distillers were producing an astonishing 20 million gallons of spirits annually, not including illicit production. The consequences of this “Gin Craze” were immortalised by William Hogarth in his 1751 engraving Gin Lane, a stark depiction of social collapse fuelled by what became known as “Mother’s Ruin.” Yet from these murky beginnings came something transformative. Alcohol-based bitters such as Stoughton’s Elixir — patented in 1712 — were originally sold as medicinal tonics. Whether restorative or recreational, these early bitters would become foundational components in the evolution of the cocktail. Today, gin has long shed its dubious reputation and enjoys a full revival. No self-respecting bar would be without it. After all, classics such as the Tom Collins, Gimlet and Martini would be nothing without gin at their heart. The American Claim America often claims ownership of the cocktail’s rise to prominence, and with good reason. In 1862, Jerry Thomas published The Bar-Tender’s Guide, the first book to include a dedicated section of cocktail recipes. Thomas has since been hailed as the “Father of American Bartending.” However, it is worth noting that Thomas worked in London before writing his book. Who is to say that London’s drinking culture didn’t influence his craft? Whatever the case, his contribution to codifying cocktail culture is undeniable. Britain’s Own Cocktail Literature In 1869, Britain published its first cocktail book: Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks by William Terrington. The opening recipe — a Gin Cocktail made with brandy or gin, ginger syrup, aromatic bitters and water — demonstrated that British bartenders were more than capable of innovation. The book also included recipes by Britain’s first celebrity chef, Alexis Benoit Soyer, whose drinks had appeared earlier in Thomas’s guide. The transatlantic exchange of recipes was already well underway. As American tourists began visiting London in greater numbers, cocktail bars flourished. British bartenders created new drinks that often travelled back to the United States, only to reappear in Europe later branded as “American.” The Savoy and the Golden Age By the early twentieth century, the term “American Bar” was firmly established in London. One of the most iconic was at The Savoy Hotel. Among its most celebrated bartenders was Ada Coleman, affectionately known as “Coley.” Recruited from Claridge’s, she became one of the first female celebrity bartenders. Working alongside Ruth Burgess, the pair were dubbed “Kitty and Coley” by the press. Coleman’s enduring legacy is the Hanky Panky — a mix of gin, sweet vermouth and Fernet-Branca — created for actor Sir Charles Hawtrey. Upon tasting it, he reportedly exclaimed, “This is the real hanky-panky!” and cocktail history was made. When the 18th Amendment ushered in Prohibition in the United States, bartenders and wealthy American tourists flocked to London. During this era, Harry Craddock rose to prominence at The Savoy’s American Bar. Though celebrated as an American bartender, Craddock was in fact born near Stroud, Gloucestershire. After decades in the United States, he returned to Britain and published the legendary The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930 — a collection of 2,000 recipes that remains a cornerstone of mixology literature. A Shared Heritage So, is the cocktail American or British? The truth is more nuanced. Like many great cultural creations, its origins are intertwined. Britain provided the gin, bitters and early drinking traditions; America refined, codified and popularised the form. In today’s cocktail renaissance, we are perhaps less concerned with ownership and more interested in celebration. Bars around the world honour both traditions — and continue to innovate. As for me, all this talk of history has left me rather parched. Time to switch on the bar lights, reach for the shaker and mix something suitably spirited. Cheers. 🥂

A true taste of the tropics The Piña Colada is an iconic cocktail from the 1950s — creamy coconut, sweet pineapple and a splash of rum that instantly transports you somewhere sunny. Mention it and it’s almost impossible not to think of Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes — “If you like Piña Coladas…” When I’m not mixing this classic tropical cocktail behind a vintage bar, I like to bake it instead. This retro-inspired Piña Colada Cake captures all those sunshine flavours in one indulgent, celebration-worthy centrepiece. Ingredients For the Cake Filling Buttercream Decoration Method To Make the Cake Layers To Make the Buttercream Assembly Spread a generous layer of pineapple jam over one sponge.Spread buttercream over the other sponge.Sandwich the layers together. Place the cake on a serving plate and cover completely with a smooth layer of buttercream. Decoration Carefully cut the dark chocolate Bounty bars into quarters and arrange them neatly around the edge of the cake. Decorate with glacé cherries, candied pineapple and preserved angelica for that fabulously retro tropical finish. Rich coconut sponge, sweet pineapple filling and creamy rum buttercream — a cake that’s nostalgic, indulgent and unapologetically tropical.

Cakes are one of the most familiar and extraordinary objects of the Western world. There is nothing quite like cake – no wedding or children’s party would be complete without it. Cake comes in many shapes and sizes, and there is even debate about what really counts as a cake. Is a Jaffa Cake really a cake? What about pancakes or cheesecakes, or chocolate teacakes? The classic rule is simple: cakes dry as they go stale, while biscuits soften – a principle that famously won McVities their legal battle in 1991, officially declaring the Jaffa Cake a cake, not a biscuit. Cakes carry traditions and memories and hold a fascinating history that stretches from Ancient Greek and Roman times, through medieval feasting tables and Victorian parlours, to today’s modern creations that are only limited by imagination and ingredients. When we think of cake today, we imagine soft, sweet, light sponge cakes, but these actually have a surprisingly short history. This style of cake only really appeared in the mid-eighteenth century. The earliest cakes were nothing like what we know today. They were flat rounds of crushed, moistened and compacted grains – more like ancient oatcakes. Even today, the word “cake” still refers to compacted forms, like rice cakes or cattle cakes. In medieval Britain, this idea survived through gingerbread, which was made from breadcrumbs mixed with honey and spices such as ginger, cinnamon and grains of paradise, often coloured and pressed into moulds. These early cakes were treats and centrepieces for celebrations, just like modern cakes, but modern baking also evolved from porridge, pancakes and bread. Pancake batter is closely related to cake batter, and medieval fruit porridges eventually became ancestors of Christmas puddings and fruit cakes. For centuries, the history of bread and cake was intertwined. Yeast-raised bakes were still considered cakes as late as the 1800s, and even Mrs Beeton included yeast cakes in her famous household books. The real turning point came when yeast was replaced by eggs and later by chemical raising agents. Pearl ash was the first, followed by bicarbonate of soda, and finally baking powder in the mid-1800s. Baking powder became the true hero of the modern sponge cake, making light, fluffy cakes possible without large quantities of eggs or long beating times. From medieval gingerbread to Victorian fruit cakes and wartime eggless cakes, baking has always adapted to history, culture and necessity. Cakes are more than recipes – they are memories, traditions and stories passed from generation to generation. Whether you dream of show-stopping creations or simple homemade sponges, cake connects us to centuries of history. And as you enjoy the last crumbs of your own baking, you’re not just tasting sugar and butter – you’re tasting a story that goes back thousands of years.