Shrub & Smash Cocktails Demo

Our popular cocktail demo sessions returned in early August, this time focusing on summer fruits. We demonstrated two types of smash cocktail and one type of shrub cocktail. Smashes are as the name suggests – fresh fruit smashed with a muddler to extract the fruity juice. These are quick and easy to do while shrubs take a little more planning a few days in advance. The 'shrub' is a sweetened vinegar-based syrup. It's made by infusing fruit in sugar and leaving for 24hrs to make a thick sugary syrup. Then a vinegar is added to taste – usually cider vinegar but for a richer flavour try a balsamic with a brown sugar.

Strawberry & Basil Smash

Serves 2
100ml Campfire London Dry Gin
8 Strawberries (sliced)
4 Basil Leaves
6 tbsp Sugar Syrup
¼ Lime Fever-Tree Indian Tonic

Add ingredients (except tonic) to acocktail shaker, muddle to extract flavour from the fruit and basil.Add some ice and stir.Strain into glasses, top with tonic and garnish with fresh strawberries and basil leaf.

Blackberry & Fennel Smash

Fennel Syrup
Add 200ml water, 4 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp fennel seedto a saucepan and warm until sugar is dissolved. Do not simmer or boil. Leave to cool.

To make (serves 2)
50ml Campfire Cask Aged Gin
8 Blackberries
25ml Fennel Syrup
¼ Lime
Fever-Tree Indian Tonic

Add ingredients (except tonic) to a cocktail shaker, muddle to extract flavour from the fruit. Add some ice and stir.Strain into glasses, top with tonic and garnishwith fresh blackberries and fennel.