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Seasonal drinks follow the weather and what is fresh
A drink suits a season when it answers the weather. Warm days want long drinks over plenty of ice, lower in strength so they last an afternoon. Cold nights want something hot, or something short and strong to sip slowly. What is fresh does the rest: elderflower and the first mint in spring, berries in summer, apples in autumn, citrus in winter.
Two drinks for each season
Spring
- Drink
- French 75
- Build
- 30ml London dry gin, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml simple syrup, topped with 60ml Champagne
- Why it suits the season
- Sparkling and light, for Easter and the first warm afternoons
Spring
- Drink
- Elderflower Collins
- Build
- 45ml gin, 20ml elderflower liqueur, 25ml lemon juice, 90ml soda water
- Why it suits the season
- Floral and long, as the elder comes into flower
Summer
- Drink
- Mojito
- Build
- 45ml white rum, 20ml lime juice, two teaspoons of cane sugar, six sprigs of mint, 75 to 100ml soda water
- Why it suits the season
- Long, cold and full of fresh mint
Summer
- Drink
- Aperol Spritz
- Build
- 90ml prosecco, 60ml Aperol, 30ml soda water
- Why it suits the season
- Low in strength, so it lasts an afternoon outdoors
Autumn
- Drink
- Old Fashioned
- Build
- 45ml bourbon or rye, one sugar cube, a few dashes each of Angostura bitters and water
- Why it suits the season
- Short and strong for the first cold evenings
Autumn
- Drink
- Paper Plane
- Build
- 30ml each of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice
- Why it suits the season
- Whisky, bitter orange and herbs as the nights draw in
Winter
- Drink
- Hot Toddy
- Build
- 60ml Scotch, 15ml honey syrup, 15ml lemon juice, 120ml hot water
- Why it suits the season
- Hot, for coming in from the cold
Winter
- Drink
- Espresso Martini
- Build
- 50ml vodka, a strong shot of hot espresso, 30ml Kahlúa, 10ml simple syrup
- Why it suits the season
- Coffee and spirit after a long dinner
| Season | Drink | Build | Why it suits the season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | French 75 | 30ml London dry gin, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml simple syrup, topped with 60ml Champagne | Sparkling and light, for Easter and the first warm afternoons |
| Spring | Elderflower Collins | 45ml gin, 20ml elderflower liqueur, 25ml lemon juice, 90ml soda water | Floral and long, as the elder comes into flower |
| Summer | Mojito | 45ml white rum, 20ml lime juice, two teaspoons of cane sugar, six sprigs of mint, 75 to 100ml soda water | Long, cold and full of fresh mint |
| Summer | Aperol Spritz | 90ml prosecco, 60ml Aperol, 30ml soda water | Low in strength, so it lasts an afternoon outdoors |
| Autumn | Old Fashioned | 45ml bourbon or rye, one sugar cube, a few dashes each of Angostura bitters and water | Short and strong for the first cold evenings |
| Autumn | Paper Plane | 30ml each of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice | Whisky, bitter orange and herbs as the nights draw in |
| Winter | Hot Toddy | 60ml Scotch, 15ml honey syrup, 15ml lemon juice, 120ml hot water | Hot, for coming in from the cold |
| Winter | Espresso Martini | 50ml vodka, a strong shot of hot espresso, 30ml Kahlúa, 10ml simple syrup | Coffee and spirit after a long dinner |
Two drinks for each season are enough to start with. The full recipes, with method and glass: French 75, Elderflower Collins, Mojito, Aperol Spritz, Old Fashioned, Paper Plane, Hot Toddy and Espresso Martini.
Most months of the British year bring an occasion with its own drinks
Eleven fixed dates, Easter and the four seasons each have a guide of their own, with the recipes, quantities and timings.
The drinks calendar
25 January
- Occasion
- Burns Night
- What to pour
- Scotch neat for the toasts; Rob Roy, Penicillin, Hot Toddy
- Guide
- Burns Night drinks
14 February
- Occasion
- Valentine’s Day
- What to pour
- Champagne Cocktail, Kir Royale, French 75, Boulevardier
- Guide
- Valentine’s Day drinks
1 March
- Occasion
- St David’s Day
- What to pour
- Penderyn whisky, Welsh Gold, Snowdonia Sour
- Guide
- St David’s Day drinks
17 March
- Occasion
- St Patrick’s Day
- What to pour
- Irish whiskey, Irish Coffee, Dublin Mule
- Guide
- St Patrick’s Day drinks
22 March to 25 April
- Occasion
- Easter
- What to pour
- Mimosa, Bellini, French 75, Elderflower Collins
- Guide
- Easter drinks
23 April
- Occasion
- St George’s Day
- What to pour
- Gin and tonic, Bramble, Pimm’s Cup
- Guide
- St George’s Day drinks
June to August
- Occasion
- Summer
- What to pour
- Mojito, Aperol Spritz, Daiquiri, Storm & Spice
- Guide
- Summer cocktails
31 July
- Occasion
- Black Tot Day
- What to pour
- A tot of navy rum, Navy Grog
- Guide
- Black Tot Day
16 August
- Occasion
- National Rum Day
- What to pour
- Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Ti’ Punch
- Guide
- National Rum Day
September to November
- Occasion
- Autumn
- What to pour
- Old Fashioned, Harvest Mule, Autumn Gold
- Guide
- Autumn cocktails
31 October
- Occasion
- Halloween
- What to pour
- Cauldron Punch, Witch’s Brew, Black Widow
- Guide
- Halloween drinks
5 November
- Occasion
- Bonfire Night
- What to pour
- Hot Toffee Apple, Fireside Punch, Guy Fawkes Grog, Hot Spiced Cider
- Guide
- Bonfire Night drinks
Cold nights
- Occasion
- Hot rum drinks
- What to pour
- Hot Buttered Rum, Tom and Jerry, Spiced Rum Punch
- Guide
- Hot rum drinks
30 November
- Occasion
- St Andrew’s Day
- What to pour
- Scotch neat; Rob Roy, Hot Toddy
- Guide
- St Andrew’s Day drinks
December
- Occasion
- Christmas
- What to pour
- Bucks Fizz, Snowball, Mulled Wine, Eggnog, Espresso Martini
- Guide
- Christmas drinks
December to February
- Occasion
- Winter
- What to pour
- Hot Toddy, Irish Coffee, Rusty Nail, Brandy Alexander
- Guide
- Winter cocktails
Any month
- Occasion
- A party
- What to pour
- One punch or one batched cocktail
- Guide
- How to batch cocktails
| When | Occasion | What to pour | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January | Burns Night | Scotch neat for the toasts; Rob Roy, Penicillin, Hot Toddy | Burns Night drinks |
| 14 February | Valentine’s Day | Champagne Cocktail, Kir Royale, French 75, Boulevardier | Valentine’s Day drinks |
| 1 March | St David’s Day | Penderyn whisky, Welsh Gold, Snowdonia Sour | St David’s Day drinks |
| 17 March | St Patrick’s Day | Irish whiskey, Irish Coffee, Dublin Mule | St Patrick’s Day drinks |
| 22 March to 25 April | Easter | Mimosa, Bellini, French 75, Elderflower Collins | Easter drinks |
| 23 April | St George’s Day | Gin and tonic, Bramble, Pimm’s Cup | St George’s Day drinks |
| June to August | Summer | Mojito, Aperol Spritz, Daiquiri, Storm & Spice | Summer cocktails |
| 31 July | Black Tot Day | A tot of navy rum, Navy Grog | Black Tot Day |
| 16 August | National Rum Day | Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Ti’ Punch | National Rum Day |
| September to November | Autumn | Old Fashioned, Harvest Mule, Autumn Gold | Autumn cocktails |
| 31 October | Halloween | Cauldron Punch, Witch’s Brew, Black Widow | Halloween drinks |
| 5 November | Bonfire Night | Hot Toffee Apple, Fireside Punch, Guy Fawkes Grog, Hot Spiced Cider | Bonfire Night drinks |
| Cold nights | Hot rum drinks | Hot Buttered Rum, Tom and Jerry, Spiced Rum Punch | Hot rum drinks |
| 30 November | St Andrew’s Day | Scotch neat; Rob Roy, Hot Toddy | St Andrew’s Day drinks |
| December | Christmas | Bucks Fizz, Snowball, Mulled Wine, Eggnog, Espresso Martini | Christmas drinks |
| December to February | Winter | Hot Toddy, Irish Coffee, Rusty Nail, Brandy Alexander | Winter cocktails |
| Any month | A party | One punch or one batched cocktail | How to batch cocktails |
Spring brings three patron saints’ days and Easter
St David’s Day on 1 March suits Welsh whisky and the drinks built on it. St Patrick’s Day on 17 March is for Irish whiskey and an Irish Coffee. St George’s Day on 23 April turns to English gin.
Easter falls between 22 March and 25 April, as the Royal Observatory at Greenwich explains. Easter drinks covers a brunch of Mimosas and Bellinis, the lunch, and the afternoon in the garden.
Summer drinks are long, cold and lower in strength
Summer cocktails covers the season in full: the classics, the barbecue, batches for a crowd and drinks without alcohol. Fill the glass with ice. A full glass melts more slowly than a few cubes, so the drink stays cold without going thin.
Rum suits the heat. A Storm & Spice is 50ml Expedition Spiced Rum, 150ml ginger beer, 15ml lime juice and two dashes of Angostura bitters over ice.
Two rum dates fall in the summer. Black Tot Day, 31 July, marks the last rum ration in the Royal Navy, poured in 1970. National Rum Day falls on 16 August.
Autumn turns to whisky, apples and spice
As the evenings shorten, drinks get shorter and stronger. Apple, pear, maple and warming spice take over from summer fruit, and whisky and brandy from white rum and gin. Autumn cocktails covers the season and its syrups.
Two nights five days apart want a different plan. For Halloween, make one punch and a drink that changes colour in the glass, and keep dry ice out of every drink. For Bonfire Night, make one hot pot before the first firework and carry it in preheated flasks. Hot rum drinks gives the rum-based pots and mugs.
Winter drinks are hot, stirred or rich
Winter cocktails sorts the season into three: hot drinks for coming in from the cold, stirred drinks for a long evening, and cream drinks in place of pudding. It runs to the end of February.
St Andrew’s Day, 30 November, opens the Scottish season with Scotch neat for the toast. Christmas is planned by the hour: something light and sparkling on arrival, wine or dry sherry at the table, and one small, strong drink after dinner. Burns Night on 25 January keeps whisky at the centre of the supper, and Valentine’s Day on 14 February turns to Champagne and drinks for two.
A party in any season runs on one batch
For a crowd, batch one drink ahead. Mix the spirit, liqueur and sugar the day before, squeeze the citrus on the day, and add water to stand in for the ice: about a fifth of the volume for a stirred drink and a quarter for a shaken one. How to batch cocktails gives the quantities.
Make one jug without alcohol for every party, with the same care as the rest.