Shake it up, baby

Every mixologist dreams of having a cocktail named after them. Imagine being known as the architect of someone's demise - from the beaches of Thailand to the bordellos of Boston.

Well Salvatore Calabrese of the Lanesborough Hotel does. His is the Salvatore Morning Martini. A rousing twist on the original - only with marmalade. And a 'best-before' of lunchtime.

A good cocktail should not only reflect its maker, but its drinker. Showy? Try a rainbow Pousse-Cafè. Girly? Plump for Sweet Sue (cognac, Kahlua, frangelica and double cream). Classic and cool? Martini, no question. Lazy and languid? It has to be Bourbon Smash, hands down.

Sizing me up with the eyes of a master, Salvatore reaches for the vodka. Assuredly, there's a slosh (5cl) of Stolly, a dash of framboise liquors and two ribbon-thin slices of ginger.

To sweeten, he crushes raspberries in a cocktail mixer, using the ice as a natural muddler that won't bruise the vodka or smash the fruit. And as an afterthought adds fresh mint - and a garnish that could pass for a corsage.

'Cocktails should be like the personality, something you unravel.' Mine, the Metro, starts deceptively fresh and sweet before reaching up to a crashing, clean vodka crescendo, then winding down with the warm after-burn of toxic waft and ginger.

Should we take this as a compliment? 'Your cocktail should satisfy all senses,' intones Salvatore, 'not just the palate and the nose, but the eyes.' That's full marks for the Lanesborough, then.

Drinks are tiered treats (you can build layered drinks by using the heaviest alcoholic content as your base - the higher the alcohol, the more sugar, ipso facto the heavier) and garnishes are glorious - kumquats with the leaves on for natural umbrellas and an abacus of blueberries, blackberries and cherries on a toothpick to create citrus spirals. But what if you're a mortal with a minibar? No problem.

'Anyone can make a great cocktail. The trick is to start with great ingredients (essential spirits are vodka, tequila, white rum, gin, bourbon, whisky and brandy), keep it classic and save your fireworks for the fixings.' Instead of a cocktail shaker, use a screwtop jar (an old coffee jar will do).

No ice crusher? Wrap your ice in a towel and use a meat tenderiser or the blunt end of a bottle to crush it. Turn your veg peeler to making chocolate curls for garnishes. And store glasses in the freezer for that frosted, posh feel. We manage a Raspberry Daiquiri. Nail a Metro. It's a fair liquid legacy. Compact but with colossal punch. Good in the morning - a great equaliser.