Aside from being the Reserve Brand Ambassador for Diageo in India, Tim Etherington-Judge is the founder of the #BombayCocktailClub and regarded as one of the world’s leading bartenders. He’s also whipped up my special wedding cocktails remember? As you can see when it comes to cool jobs, he’s setting the bar pretty high 🙂 xoxo

1) SCIROCO

This beautifully refreshing bastard lovechild of two of the most overdone cocktails, is a wonderful summertime cooler for those looking for something a little different to the tired old mojito or the passé cosmopolitan. Everyone’s favourite grape vodka, CIROC, stirs up a storm with mint, fresh lime juice and a touch of cranberry and served tall with a large helping of crushed ice. It’s time to go against the grain.

2) AVIATION

At their very best, cocktails are lessons in minimalist elegance: three ingredients, perfectly measured, tempered by water and shaken to minus 6 degrees centigrade. One of my favourite gin cocktails exactly fits this carefully constructed description. The Aviation is a sublime combination of Tanqueray No.TEN gin, Luxardo Maraschino (read dry cherry) liqueur and freshly squeezed imported lemon juice. Served ice cold, there is nothing better.

3) BLUE MANHATTAN

Some people believe that whiskey as fine as Johnnie Walker Blue Label shouldn’t be used in cocktails. It should be sipped slowly, savoured by bearded old men over good conversation. I say poppycock to that. To make the best cocktails you need the best ingredients, and what is better than Johnnie Walker Blue Label? Mix it 3 parts Blue Label to 1 part rosso vermouth and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters and you have a cocktail as smooth as Kashmiri silk and as complex as a Salman Rushdie novel.

4) RON ZACAPA MOJITO

Not all mojitos are born equal. Whilst most are made with authentic Cuban white rum, or Puerto Rican rum masquerading as Cuban, those made with the iconic Ron Zacapa are born with an advantage. Using one of the world’s premium gives a full flavoured mojito with beautiful chocolate, coffee and cinnamon notes balanced by refreshing lime and mint flavours.

5) THE ORIGINAL COSMOPOLITAN

Long before an American sitcom about four middle aged women trying to get laid (whilst consuming copious amounts of bright pink cocktails in New York) came along, a Cosmopolitan was a deliciously fruity concoction of Tanqueray No.TEN gin, Cointreau, freshly squeezed lime juice and raspberry syrup. It’s still pink, still comes in a martini glass but it’s a damn sight more interesting than a glass of vodka and cranberry juice.