Drake Drinks! Making Cocktails, the Michael Drake Way

Our inimitable founder, Mr. Michael Drake, recently got in touch to share some of his favourite drinks recipes, to make the housebound experience a little more bearable. Here, he offers up his own takes on four classic cocktails. 

 "The secret to making good cocktails is to start with a decent portion of the base ingredient. 100ml gets things moving, I find."

- Michael Drake

Old Fashioned, the MD Way

Begin with a mixing glass
Add one sugar cube, with three good shakes of Angostura to saturate
Add a good wedge of both lemon and orange, and muddle together thoroughly
Add four ice cubes
Add 100ml of bourbon, stir well
Strain into a fresh glass with fresh ice
Add a couple of Luxardo maraschino cherries on a cocktail stick
You can drink as is, or add 200-300ml of club soda to taste.

Drake's Take on the Rum Sour

Begin with a mixing glass
Add four ice cubes
Add 100ml of light rum
Add three teaspoons of agave nectar (you can easily find this in supermarkets, but if not, sugar syrup will do)
Add 40ml of lemon juice
Add three or four good shakes of dark rum
Add three good shakes of Angostura bitters
Stir well, and strain into a fresh glass with fresh ice
Add an orange wedge
Taste, and you can add more sugar syrup as necessary. I prefer a slightly sharper taste. It's best to start with less, as you can always add a little more.

Michael's Manhattan

Begin with a mixing glass
Add four ice cubes
Add 100ml bourbon
Add 25ml each of red vermouth and extra dry vermouth (Noilly Prat, ideally)
Add three good dashes of Angostura bitters
Stir well, strain into a fresh glass with fresh ice, or into a cocktail glass fresh from the freezer
Add two maraschino cherries on a cocktail stick.

Green Isaac’s: Created by Hemingway, Drunk by Drake

Begin with a mixing glass
Add 50ml of London dry gin
Add 100ml of green coconut water
Add the juice of one lime
Add four shakes of Angostura bitters
Stir well, then strain into a fresh glass with ice
Garnish with lime peel.