Seasonal Cocktail - The Bloodhound

The strawberries that grow in all sorts of places round our garden are just starting to ripen (as are the loganberries, but that's another post!). They're delicious eaten straight from the plants, warmed by the sun, but also contribute to a fantastic cocktail that we're enjoying at this very moment. It's a good way to use them, because you don't need that many - perfect when they're just coming in and you haven't enough to make a decent sized pudding. The recipe's from Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book.

You need: 2-3 strawberries; gin; red Italian vermouth (we like to use Punt e Mes); white French vermouth (Noilly Prat or, even better, Dolin).

Crush strawberries in your cocktail shaker. I used the bottom of a rolling pin and then added the alcohol (to rinse the strawberries off the end of it): 1 measure of gin; 1/2 a measure each of Italian & French vermouth. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The standard strainer you get in a cocktail shaker lets big lumps of strawberry through, which you might think is ok, but we preferred it strained through a small sieve.

It's lovely: you get a big hit of strawberry up front and then a nice complex bitterness from the vermouths, a hit of gin and then a nice big finish from the punt e mes. A lesser vermouth might not give you the same finish....