There are a few great things that happen once you know how to mix a couple of cocktails at home. Not only does your living room become the favourite spot for your friends to enjoy an after-work drink, but you also realise that most bar-made cocktails are relatively straightforward to recreate in the comfort of your own kitchen. If you’re wondering where to start, 60-Second Cocktails is a very good place.
Curated and written by booze industry veterans Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley, 60-Second Cocktails aims to develop your cocktail-making skills from serving up uncomplicated stirred drinks, to producing imbibements that will surprise and delight. With decades of experience to draw from between Harrison and Ridley as award-winning spirits writers, the cocktails featured in their new book range from the simple to the sophisticated, so there’s something to learn no matter how much you know about the art of cocktail-making.
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The book is broken down into three sections of escalating complexity, with ‘No Shake, Sherlock’, the easiest, followed by ‘Shake it up’ and ‘Magnificent Mixes.’ To begin, ‘No Shake, Sherlock’ covers the classics, but still serves up some curveball ingredients such as port, sloe gin and Weissbier for a little pizazz.
‘Shake it up’ doesn’t get too complicated, but still demands a bit more effort to create drinks such as the chilli Firecracker Margarita or a Gibson with an olive oil twist. Finally, the ‘Magnificent Mixes’ chapter takes things up a final step, including cocktails like the Banana Bread Daiquiri, the Best Ever Piña Colada, and an Elderflower Gimlet.
With a total of 60 different cocktail recipes featured in the book, there are enough tempting tinctures to get anyone excited about having mates over this summer. If you’ve been looking to add a new skill set to your entertaining arsenal, 60-Second Cocktails will impress even your most seasoned cocktail enthusiasts.
All image credits: Vinny Whiteman
