WE NEED A HOLIDAY! 5 DRINKS THAT TAKE YOU THERE

I don’t know about you, but here at the MM HQ and our sisters at Ladyland Towers, we need a holiday! And a drink! With small kids in tow the days of spontaneous travel and lazy afternoons in hammocks are long gone but you can always mix yourself a summer cocktail and hopefully find 10 minutes of peace to drink it! So whether you’re looking forward to your annual break, or just living vicariously through Instagram, here are 5 drinks from 5 ladies that that will take you away to that magical place… and it’s not Butlin’s.
Cheers ladies!

1. Skip over to France with a Campari and Soda

It’s simple but it is my MOST favourite drink. I can get through it like water. And it makes me overflow with nostalgia for summers in the south of France: me, (in my teenage mind) rocking bronzed skin; bi-lingual; effortlessly dressed in white; hair in tendrils; casually picking white-fleshed peaches from the fruit trees and falling asleep reading Colette in a hammock. BUT, in reality, turning patchwork tanning into a fine art; fearing the bikini reveal and getting all my genders and verb tenses wrong like a fool. But the Campari always took the edge off, so it’s a fond memory.

Slosh of Campari.
Add ice.
Top up with soda.
Add a wedge of orange.
Mmmmmm. Stunning pink-to-red. Slightly bitter. Totally refreshing. Perfect pre-wine. Perfect post-wine. Winner.

2. Go full Brazilian with Clem’s Caipirinha

This time two years ago, I was in Tokyo discovering Shochu, a clear, thin, highly alcoholic beverage, always served mixed with some juice or another. And nothing beats a Shochu with passion fruit and mango juice at the height of summer.

50ml Shochu
75ml mango juice
50ml soda water
Half a juicy passion fruit with its seeds
Ice

Mix up all the ingredients and pour them into a glass full of ice cubes. And if you fancy it à la Japonaise, try it with a Tonkotsu Ramen at Bone Daddies.

4. Enjoy a very British staycation with an Elderflower Collins

All this (occasional) sunshine has me hankering after the most summery of drinks. I recently discovered the utterly refreshing and dangerously drinkable Elderflower Collins and it’s my new weekend tipple – try it next time the sun makes a cameo appearance.

Ice
Nip of gin (I particularly fancy Hendricks)
1 1/2 tbsp elderflower cordial (or 2 tbsp, if you absolutely love the stuff)
Soda water
Squeeze of lemon, plus a slice of lemon to garnish
Sprig of mint

Place your ice, gin and cordial in a cocktail shaker and give it a good old shake. Pour the mixture, including the ice, into a glass, top it up with soda water and add a squeeze of lemon before popping in your lemon slice. Scrunch up your mint a little to release the oils, and add it to the glass to finish.

5. Make your Instagram followers jealous with Aperol, vodka, strawberry and lime

I have a friend who’s holidaying in Mexico at the moment. Every time I flick through Instagram she’s sampling a fabulous cocktail or perusing some amazing colourful and rustic homewares. I’ve been living out my tropical fantasies through her images, so now that the sun has come out I’ve recreated one of her cocktails so we can all pretend for a moment we’re lounging in a hammock too. ¡Salud!

1 shot of vodka
1 shot of Aperol
1 tablespoon of blended strawberries
A squeeze of lime
Strips of lime zest, to garnish

Blend the strawberries, pour it into a cocktail shaker (or a jar if you’re fancy like us) add the booze, lime and ice and shake. Pour into a tumbler and top up with soda. Sprinkle over your lime zest to add some Instagram magic.

For more stiff drinks, as well as food, beauty, interiors, kid-wrangling and kick-ass craft go to Ladyland

Photography by Emma Scott-child (1.2,4,5) and Dee Ramadan (3)
Styling by Emma Scott-Child and Margherita Poggiali