What’s your poison? Six enterprising aperitifs to kick off cocktail hour. Photograph: Charlie Lee / The Guardian. Food styling: El Kemp View image in fullscreen What’s your poison? Six enterprising aperitifs to kick off cocktail hour. Photograph: Charlie Lee / The Guardian. Food styling: El Kemp Cocktails A vodkatini, a garibaldi and a shrub – your essential autumn cocktails – recipes Try a millionaire’s martini, a Campari that couldn’t be simpler and a booze-free blackberry fizz (plus an Aperol that doesn’t need a spritz)
Mina Holland Fri 2 Oct 2026 17.00 CEST Last modified on Fri 2 Oct 2026 17.01 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Bramble and ginger shrub View image in fullscreen I make a variation on this year-round. Bring on the autumn.
2 tbsp shrub syrup Ginger beer, to top 1 spring of rosemary, to serve
For the shrub 200g blackberries 200g golden caster sugar 1 grating each of nutmeg and black pepper ½ tsp ground cinnamon 100g vinegar (I use raw apple cider)
To make the shrub, measure the berries and sugar into a sterilised jar, mashing them so they meld together. Add the spices and mix again. Put in the fridge for 24-48 hours.
Strain the mixture; set aside the solids for baking or to top your morning porridge, and keep the syrup for your drink, putting it back into a sterilised jar. Add the vinegar, stir and put back in the fridge until you’re ready to drink.
To a tumbler, add ice and two tablespoons of the syrup. Top with the ginger beer and rosemary to serve.
View image in fullscreen An evening’s first drink is important to get right, and I often wring my hands over it. A vodka martini or a glass of fizz? My friends, the answer is both.
30ml vodka (from the freezer) 15ml dry vermouth, or aromatised wine like Cocchi Americano 3 drops Angostura bitters Sparkling wine, to top Lemon twist
To a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, vermouth, bitters, and a couple of cubes of ice. Stir gently for 20 seconds, then strain into a martini glass fresh out of the freezer. Top with sparkling wine, then briefly run the lemon twist around the glass rim before dropping it in. Serve.
View image in fullscreen I recently discovered Fever Tree’s Mexican lime soda – if you use this rather than sparkling water, you don’t need the maple syrup. Either way, this is something between a paloma and a margarita, and I can’t get enough of it.
60ml tequila blanco Juice of ½ lime, plus a slice to serve Tiny pinch of salt ½ tsp maple syrup (optional) Mexican lime soda or sparkling water, to top
To a cocktail shaker, add the tequila, lime juice, salt and maple syrup, if using. Give it a quick shake.
Put a handful of ice in a highball or large tumbler, and strain the content of the cocktail shaker over. Top with the lime soda, stir briefly and garnish with the lime slice on the glass rim.
View image in fullscreen A bittersweet drop to remind you of warmer days – but which I’ll happily put away year-round. Slips down dangerously easily.
Halve the oranges, then cut a half-moon slice from one of the halves and set aside, and squeeze the remaining oranges into your blender. Whizz for one minute, so the juice is frothy.
To your glass (I like a stemmed old fashioned glass but a tumbler works just as well), add a few ice cubes and the Aperol, then pour the blended orange juice over. It will gradually mix, but you can give it a quick stir if you wish (I like to see the colour gradations of Aperol, juice, froth). Garnish with the half moon slice set acros…