Whether you mixologist veteran or simply enjoy stirring up a drink at your home bar (with us it’s a kitchen worktop), cocktail books have become increasingly popular over the years. To help you perfect your mixology skills, The Alchemist (the creative cocktail bar with several outposts across the UK), have just released a cocktail book brimming with 100 delicious and fun to make recipes – alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

The main ingredients in any cocktail from The Alchemist is chemistry and theatre, so it seemed fitting to share three recipes that’ll up your at-home drinking game in no time.

Garden Martini

Come, walk with us into our spring garden and relax into this special cocktail, blooming with elderflower and lavender. We find that floral Hendrick’s gin provides the best base over which to layer elderflower and rose liqueurs, followed by a splash of apple juice, and finished with lavender foam and a cucumber slice.

Makes: 1

Ingredients:

– 30ml Gin

– 1½ Teaspoons elderflower liqueur

– 1½ Teaspoons rose liqueur

– 15ml (1 tablespoon) L&G

– 25ml Apple juice

– Ice cubes

– 100ml Lavender foam

– Cucumber slice, to garnish

Method:

Pour the gin, elderflower liqueur, rose liqueur, L&G and apple juice into a Boston shaker. Add some ice cubes and shake well. Strain through a fine strainer into the coupe. Finish with the lavender foam and a slice of cucumber, and serve.

Chocolate Orange Smash

Here is a serious and boozy tipple that will delight any cocktail connoisseur. We’ve had a little bit of fun with the absolute classic New Orleans Sazerac, which has been knocking around since the end of the 19th century. Once mixed, our slightly sweeter version is poured into a glass, then topped with an orange glass disc. Tap with a spoon to crack it and reach the elixir underneath.

Makes: 1

Ingredients:

– 30ml Bourbon

– 30ml Cognac

– 10ml (2 teaspoons) Cointreau

– 10ml (2 teaspoons) Chocolate cookie syrup

– 1 Dash of chocolate bitters

– 1 Dash of orange bitters

– Ice cubes

– Piece of Orange Glass to garnish

Method:

Pour the bourbon, cognac, Cointreau, syrup and both types of bitters into a Boston shaker along with some ice cubes. Stir for 30 seconds to mix and dilute, then strain into the jam jar and lay the piece of orange glass on top. Serve with a teaspoon and smash the orange glass and drink. Smashed it.

Milk Lolly

Here’s one of our favourite fun cocktails — it really doesn’t take itself too seriously at all! It has a creamy vodka base and tastes just like the milky ice lollies of your childhood. We serve it with a mini ice cream on the side. One for when the sun comes out…

Makes: 1

Ingredients:

– Ice cubes

– 25ml Vodka

– 25ml Crème de cacao blanc (white chocolate) liqueur

– 10ml (2 teaspoons) Vanilla syrup

– 100ml White chocolate foam, plus a small scoop to serve

– 50ml Soda water

– Mini ice cream cone, to serve

Method:

Fill a Boston shaker with ice cubes and add the vodka, crème de cacao blanc, vanilla syrup and white chocolate foam. Shake, then strain through a fine strainer into the chilled coupe. Top with soda water to create a frothy texture. To serve, fill the mini ice cream cone with white chocolate foam to resemble a Mr Whippy and serve alongside the cocktail.

The Alchemist Cocktail Book, Master the Dark Arts of Mixology is now available for from Amazon and The Alchemist’s online shop.  It’s also available in a number of book shops including Waterstone’s and WH Smith retailing at £16.99