Name: Gin and Tonic De Luxe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 or more bottles of Bombay Sapphire, chilled; 2 Lebanese cucumbers, half peeled and cut into julienne; 2 apples, halved and thinly sliced; 5 limes, thinly sliced; ½ cup small tender mint leaves, plus extra to serve; To taste: Angostura bitters, sugar syrup (see note) and lime juice; To serve: large ice cubes; To serve: tonic water or soda

This tastes best if the gin and aromatics have had plenty of time to get to know each other before serving.

Drink tips

Punches and cups, like any other cocktails, need to be made to taste. Fruits vary in sweetness, different brands of spirit have differing qualities and you may prefer your drinks sweeter, drier or stronger than we do as the situation demands. Treat this recipe as a guide, and bear in mind that as a rough rule, classic cocktails are typically made to a ratio of three parts strong drink to two parts acid, one part sweetness. Fresh lemon and lime juice, bitters and sugar syrup are good to keep on hand for last-minute adjustments. Keeping things cold is also essential. We’ve made large ice-cubes using cut-down clean milk and juice cartons. They work admirably and look pretty cool to boot. Get mixing.

Ingredients

1 or more bottles of Bombay Sapphire, chilled

2 Lebanese cucumbers, half peeled and cut into julienne

2 apples, halved and thinly sliced

5 limes, thinly sliced

½ cup small tender mint leaves, plus extra to serve

To taste: Angostura bitters, sugar syrup (see note) and lime juice

To serve: large ice cubes

To serve: tonic water or soda

Method

Main

1.Decant gin into a large jug, stir in cucumber, apple, lime and mint. Add a splash of bitters, sugar syrup and lime juice to taste and chill for at least 2 hours.

2.To serve, pour a measure of gin mixture into tumblers half-filled with large ice cubes, top with tonic or soda (and more bitters, sugar syrup or lime juice, as required), garnish with extra mint and serve.