If you’re making cocktails for a crowd, there’s a fair amount you can do in advance so that things run more smoothly in the moment. Batch up as much as you can. In the case of a drink like a negroni (Campari, gin, red vermouth) you can mix all the ingredients together, so you have a cocktail ready to pour over ice. 

If you’re making a drink with a carbonated element – tonic, lemonade, soda, whatever – you can stir together the rest of the ingredients and add the freshly opened mixer just before serving. Create a serving station and get all your glasses lined up there, along with the garnishes which should all be ready-prepped. Make sure you’ve got loads of ice and that it’s in an accessible place, and off you go.

The paloma

The salty, peachy, succulently herbal smell of agave spirits is the flavour of cocktail lists this summer. Upmarket caterers are experiencing a huge demand for tequila and mezcal-based margaritas, palomas, picantes and Tommy’s margaritas (silver tequila with lime juice and agave nectar).

For parties, my vote goes to the paloma: at its simplest, a long, refreshing drink of tequila poured over ice and topped with grapefruit soda. Many recipes also include a vibrant squeeze of fresh lime juice. Some also add fresh grapefruit juice and agave or sugar syrup.

“When it comes to the paloma it’s very important to use a good grapefruit soda,” says Pietro Collina of agave bar Viajante87 in Notting Hill, London. “For me, London Essence Company, Two Keys and Three Cents are the best brands you can get.” I tried all three, as well as Fever-Tree. The latter was a definite “no”. London Essence Company’s is good and easy to get hold of but for me the clear winners were the other two. I recommend seeking them out. Two Keys Pink Grapefruit Soda (twokeys.co.uk, £35.95 for 24 x 200ml bottles) is thickly, freshly grapefruity. The one from Three Cents (easywineshop.co.uk, £29.99 for 24 x 200ml bottles) is more transparent in both appearance and flavour, with a tang of mineral salts that is particularly appealing on a hot day.

Tea-time paloma – alcohol-free

A zero-alcohol take on the everyone’s-drinking-it paloma that works really well. The delicate flavours of green tea pair perfectly with pink grapefruit soda, threading its juicy sweetness with a subtle, tannic bite while the lime juice brings a pop of refreshment. 

White port & tonic

This is the way to drink port in summer, and how they enjoy it on boats on the sparkling waters of the Douro in Portugal. 

Summer garden cup

A refreshing drink with mouth-watering swishes of sweet lime (from the riesling) and pops of nectarine, this is adapted from a recipe in The Savoy Cocktail Book. 

Hugo spritz

 The combination of elderflower and white wine is a good one and adding mint and lemon brings a fresh twist.

Peachy punch

A gorgeous, peachy punch whose recipe comes courtesy of drinks consultant Will Meredith of Daisy Age Drinks and which uses this summer’s in-vogue spirit, tequila. 

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