Top 5 cocktails

The party season is here and

Cosmopolitan: as featured in TV's Sex and the City

Pour the following into a cocktail shaker with ice:

Shake well (this chills, mixes and dilutes the drink) and serve in a Martini glass or tumbler

Margarita: a Mexican classic, now a worldwide favourite

Pour into a cocktail shaker containing ice:

Shake well and serve on the rocks in a salt-rimmed glass. Or, once shaken to mix and cool, you can strain into a traditional cocktail glass. For a frozen variation, you can add more liquid and blend with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Bloody Mary: a classic well-known reviver and hangover cure

Wet the rim of a glass and roll in celery salt, then add:

Top up with tomato juice and stir. Garnish with a celery stick and wedge of lime.

Mojito: Cuba's legendary cocktail that is popular here

You need:

Use a pestle and mortar to crush all this together and release flavours.

Fill a glass with crushed ice and add a double measure of gin, vodka or Cuban rum. Stir and add more crushed ice, a sprig of mint to garnish and a splash of tonic water for a little fizz.

Raspberry Collins: sometimes called a Gin Collins

Mash it all up, top with soda water, pour into a tall glass and add sprig of mint.