Recipe for the perfect New Year cocktail

The Leeds cocktail scene once created barely a stir, but that has all changed according to Chris Hill, proprietor of Latitude in The Calls. “It’s astonishing,” he says. “‘Just a couple of years ago we had 50 gins and we thought that was a lot. When I last counted, we were up to 140 gins and more keep arriving.”

It seems there is a new gin launch every week, many of them designed around local botanicals and local pure water sources.

Sara Birkinshaw launched Leeds Gin just nine months ago and already has listings in dozens of bars and retailers (£35 a bottle at Latitude). It is made from a combination of botanicals, including juniper, coriander, ginger, Yorkshire forced rhubarb and Yorkshire honey which are steeped in pure spirit, then distilled in a small copper alembic still. This is artisan gin-making in the heart of Leeds. The style is crisp, with notes of cinnamon and orange and an edge of sweetness that makes it perfect to drink as a Martini, although Sara likes to drink it as a gin and tonic with a twist of orange peel as garnish.

The Leeds Gin label sports a cheeky owl, reminiscent but definitely not a copy of the city’s civic emblem, and Sara is keen to make her gin as Yorkshire as possible. “The bottles will soon be made in Yorkshire and if anyone can find me a source of Yorkshire juniper I would really like to know.”

Over at Harewell House Farm in Nidderdale, the Whittaker family have transformed an old pig shed into a distillery and are making a range of gins using juniper, coriander and angelica root as well as bilberries and bog myrtle which adds a spicy aroma and savoury note. They have just produced the first batch of Harewood Estate gin (Harrogate Fine Wine, £41.99) using mulberries from a tree planted on the estate in 1912, and pineapple which used to grow in the greenhouses. The range of Whittaker’s Gins includes the Original, a navy strength (57%), a clear sloe gin and Pink Peculiar made with pink peppercorns and all are widely available in Yorkshire merchants. The Original costs £25.99 for 50cl from Harrogate Fine Wine.

Raisthorpe Manor in Malton has introduced two new gins to the market, made using water from the local chalk stream Gypsey Race as part of the process. It also uses fresh botanicals including watercress which used to be farmed around the Gypsey Race floodplains. The oak-aged gin has been stored in whisky barrels to add a touch of vanilla and spice. Find Raisthorpe Manor gins, including a terrific range of sloe and fruit gins, at Bon Coeur Fine Wines and online at www.raisthorpemanor.com

To get the best selection of gins you need to go to one of our many independent wine and spirit merchants. Then make sure you don’t drown your expensive gin in poor quality tonic. Fevertree is my particular favourite tonic (widely available, including at Waitrose), but Fentimans (Latitude and others) and Franklin & Sons (Latitude) are also highly recommended, especially Franklin & Sons Sicilian lemon tonic which is refreshing in its own right but goes wonderfully with a splash of gin on a hot summer day.

Under no circumstances use a sugar-free tonic in a decent gin. Artificial sweeteners always get in the way of the gin flavour and if you are watching your waistline you can offset the extra calories in the full-sugar version by avoiding the olives and crisps that will inevitably be served up with your drink.

The ingredients of a decent gin and tonic are so simple it is surprising that not all of them hit the spot. Despite the trend for big balloon glasses I still prefer a straight tall glass, several chunks of ice and a good measure of gin, topped up with quality tonic. As for garnish I have swung from a slice of lemon to a chunk of lime and back again.

If you decide to opt for cocktails at your New Year party, then don’t try to run a complete bar service – that is for the professionals only. Instead select a few favourites, practise them this afternoon and serve them in the right glasses with stylish garnishes. Here are a few recipes to try...