Wedding Presents and Cocktail Recipes for Cocktail Lovers

For budding mixologists with lots of ideas but none of the gear, we suggest starting with a great cocktail shaker, a cocktail jigger and a muddler or a cocktail set. These are all wedding presents that your guests will love to buy off your gift list and you will get hours of fun out of in the years to come. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 1

• 40ml Gin or Vodka
• 10ml Dry Vermouth
• 15ml Lime or Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
• 30ml Elderflower Cordial or Elderflower Liqueur
• Ice
• Lemon Twist to garnish

METHOD

• Pour Dry Vermouth into your martini glass and swirl around to coat the glass well. Pour Vermouth away.
• Add Gin, Lime Juice and Elderflower to a cocktail shaker and top up with Ice.
• Shake well and strain into your Vermouth coated glass.
• Serve with a fresh lemon twist garnish.

When creating your wedding gift list, think about adding different types of glassware for different occasions and different cocktails. For example, you may want to add some highball glasses perfect for a classic G&T, a Moscow Mule or other long drinks. You may want to add some coupes and champagne saucers for cocktails with fizz in. Tumblers are a great option for cocktails such as sours. You may also want to add some classic martini glasses for one of our favourite cocktails - the Espresso Martini. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 1

• 50ml vodka
• 50ml Kahlua (or any coffee liqueur)
• 50ml espresso coffee, chilled
• 1 tsp Salted Caramel sauce

METHOD

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan set over a low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.
• Turn up the heat and bubble the sauce for 2-3 mins until golden and syrupy.
• Leave to cool.
• Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice.
• Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
• Strain into a martini glass.
• Garnish with coffee beans

INGREDIENTS

Serves 1

• 30ml Chambord
• 50ml Gin
• 60ml Fresh Pineapple Juice
• 2 Sprigs Basil
• Pinch of Sugar
• Raspberries to Garnish

METHOD

• In a cocktail shaker, combine the basil, a pinch of sugar and a tablespoon of water. Gently crush the basil with a spoon 8-10 times to release the flavours
• Add ice to the shaker and add the Chambord, Gin and Pineapple Juice
• Shake well for 30s and sieve into a cocktail glass
• Garnish with Raspberries and Basil 

We don't tend to follow interiors trends, instead we love recommending timeless products that will last our couples a lifetime. That said, the revival of the cocktail trolley is a trend that we have a LOT of time for. We have so many options that you could add to your gift list, from the classic brass style, to rattan and leather butlers trays. Add some practical elements such as a bottle opener for tonics and an ice bucket to save you going back to the kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 1

• 50ml Gin
• Fever Tree Tonic
• Fresh Thyme
• Grapefruit wedge
• Grapefruit Slice to Garnish
• Ice

METHOD

• Pour your Gin into a tumbler or highball glass
• Add a sprig of Thyme and 3-4 ice cubes and muddle well with a spoon
• Squeeze in some fresh Grapefruit juice
• Top up with tonic and garnish with a fresh sprig of thyme and a slice of grapefruit

For more cocktail inspiration for your gift list head our dedicated Pinterest board or follow our 'Quarantini' series over on our Instagram.