Cocktail and mocktail drinks for Summer Guide 2026

It depends on my mood. If I’m part of a cocktail tasting or drinking socially with friends, I’ll be happy to try anything, no matter if it’s sweet or sour. However, for other people, I tend to lean toward the sour side of cocktails. I feel that people see cocktails as an indulgence and therefore go for sweet cocktails as it’s a treat and often a safer choice. By giving them a more sour cocktail, it can be a surprising yet good change and perfect for sipping. I like to create cocktails which have flavours that bounce off each other and perhaps start sweet but have a bit of a bitter undertone which makes them refreshing.

My choice definitely changes with the season, and I think a lot of people would agree. During winter and the Christmas period, we’ve started introducing drinks that had more of a ginger, cinnamon, or nutty kick, and that are more complex flavours. We’re looking at how we can use gin, cranberries and anything that gives that warm winter feeling to create our Christmas-themed drinks. For example, chocolate or Baileys is really popular around Christmas as it’s a bit more indulgent, and is perfect for relaxing indoors. In the summertime, people want to be outside in the sun and have a drink that’s refreshing and will help them cool off.

Our chefs are incredibly creative and experimental, constantly creating flavours which are complex and amazing. It can be hard to match a cocktail with an entire meal but we work closely with them to pull an element from one of the courses and base our cocktail around that.

For example, if the dessert is a crumble with a vanilla-flavoured accompaniment, we use vanilla vodka to create an after-dinner drink. We also hosted a lunch recently around the theme of summer and gardens so we created a custom cocktail based on the cherry blossom and fresh flavours, pairing beautiful lychee and a wonderful vanilla vodka to make a lychee cocktail.

Yes of course, on top of our corporate summer parties, we offer custom summer events and can create custom cocktails based on those. These cocktails can be based on the brand’s ethos or logo and can be simple or more complicated. We try to offer multiple options to a client but how many variations of a cocktail we can propose will depend on the request. For example, a client recently wanted pink cocktails to match their brand colours. We were able to suggest 3 options starting with a simple cosmopolitan and then a Passoa spritz (similar to a Sex on the Beach but with a twist to add that pink element). Our final option was a Pink Lady; a raspberry and gin-flavoured cocktail with egg whites to create an amazing fluffy top.

We have been asked to create cocktails with a client’s logo on them and came up with the idea to use sugar paper so the whole cocktail would still be edible. It was tricky to get it to stay in position and be visible but we were able to create a few options which the client was really happy with and we can now continue to offer this as an option for future cocktails.

We really try to understand and showcase a brand’s identity with a custom cocktail to make it unique to them. Perhaps they’re more likely to want a spiced rum or something like a cognac, whereas some clients are much more suited to a refreshing, lighter drink. As much as possible, we research the client to get under their company’s skin to make a drink that represents who they are.

For example, we recently worked with a luxury watch designer and as their watches are so unique and made from high-quality materials, we wanted to create something as individual as they are. After researching online and meeting one of their representatives, we were able to offer a one-of-a-kind cocktail they were really happy with.

Another part of the process is understanding how many cocktails are needed. This plays a huge part in what we can create and how quickly we can make them behind the scenes.

There are a couple of things:

• Garnishes are important! I think people are often afraid that their garnish choice might look a bit over the top or looks strange but it’s a key part of the drink. Whether you choose a simple slice of lemon or a piece of shaped cucumber, there are so many options that will help your cocktail stand out.
• Ice is another key element to any drink. There are so many options that can set your drink apart, such as a fun shape and different sizes. What can look really great is a tumbler with a single large ice block at the bottom. It pairs well with cocktails such as Whisky Sour as the drink sits around the cube.
• Don’t be afraid to try different liquors and aperitifs and get creative. I’m a big fan of Campari, Aperol and Passoa which many people take as one-drink-only alcohols, like an Aperol Spritz. But there are so many cocktails out there that can be created by using these flavours, trying something new and getting creative.