And despite physical bars and pubs reopening, the home bar experience is likely to stay, as many people continue to be cautious about going out and about, while enjoying their new cocktail-making skills in the comfort (and relative safety) of their own home.

Luckily, making cocktails that are worthy of the finest bar while at home is now as easy as anything.

“You need five base spirits to create the beginnings of a home bar – a cognac, a whisky, an orange liqueur, a gin and a rum,” explains Caitlin Hill, Brand Ambassador for the Remy Cointreau portfolio in South Africa. “With these you can whip up a variety of impressive cocktails, enjoy with a choice of your favourite mixer, or simply poured on the rocks.”

She recommends looking for quality brands wherever possible. “The quality of the spirit is important – it forms the base of the drink and you want this enhanced throughout the drink, rather than having to mask it. If you can sip on the spirit neat and enjoy it, then you know you have a good one on hand.”

Hill shares her tips on how to taste and enjoy these five spirits, along with some tasty cocktail and mixer recipes that can easily be replicated at home to create a wow factor for visiting guests and family.

All of these spirits can be purchased, along with cocktail kits and other equipment, on exceptionalspirits.co.  Delivery is free nationwide. Not for sale to people under the age of 18.

Rémy Martin Cognac

Rémy Martin is available in three variants in South Africa: VSOP, which is a well-balanced and structured cognac; 1738 Accord Royal, which is exceptionally smooth with a concentration of nutty aromas; and XO, which is rich and opulent, smooth-bodied and a perfect harmony between fruity and spicy.

“All of the Rémy Martin variants can be enjoyed on their own, or simply poured over ice. But they also make a wonderful base to some easy-drinking long drinks or classic cocktails. VSOP goes particularly well mixed with ginger ale over ice; whereas XO makes a delicious Old Fashioned cocktail – just stir with brown sugar and Angostura Bitters over ice,” says Hill.

Rémy Martin French Mojito

Shortly after legendary explorer Sir Francis Drake arrived in Havana, this equally legendary libation was born – a fresh, French twist on a Cuban classic.

45ml Rémy Martin VSOP
30ml fresh lime juice
20ml sugar syrup
30ml sparkling water
10 mint leaves

In a shaker, add ice, then all the other ingredients and shake for 10 seconds. Pour, unstrained, into a Collins glass. When adding the mint to the shaker, make sure to press or clap the leaves by hand to release the aromas and essential oils within. Garnish with a mint heart.

Click here to purchase the Rémy Martin French Mojito cocktail kit which includes all the ingredients and equipment you need to make this classic cocktail.

Cointreau

Cointreau is a triple sec (orange flavoured liqueur), distilled from the world’s highest-quality orange peels. It’s a crystal clear white spirit and forms the base of some of the world’s oldest and most iconic cocktails, including the Margarita.

“Many people think that Cointreau can only be used as a cocktail ingredient, but it stands well as a base spirit for a long drink, mixed simply with tonic. Again, this is also delicious sipped gently on its own,” says Hill.

Royal Sidecar

This is the first iconic Cointreau cocktail and traces its popularity back to Paris, and then London, in the 1920s. A perfect balance between Cointreau, cognac, and lemon, it is a classic that has endured generation after generation. It was first created at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, said to be named after a motorcycle sidecar owned by a gentleman that frequented the bar.

30ml Cointreau
40ml Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal
15ml fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Click here to purchase the Royal Sidecar cocktail kit which includes all the ingredients and equipment you need to make this classic cocktail.

The Botanist Gin

The Botanist is a dry gin, distilled with 22 hand-foraged local botanicals from the remote Scottish island of Islay. It offers an explosion of flavour complexity and is one of the most layered and versatile gins in the world.

“The Botanist is delicious enjoyed simply with a craft tonic, of course, but there’s lots more that the home bar aficionado can explore with. Try gathering a selection of locally grown herbs or indigenous edible plants to add as garnishes, to create once-off drinks that are unique to that moment and place in time. Make sure that the plants you use are edible – just because they smell nice, doesn’t mean they can be eaten, so always check before you do mix them into a drink or taste them,” says Hill.

The Botanist Citrus Breeze

50ml The Botanist Gin
25ml freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
15ml elderflower cordial
85ml tonic water
Spring of thyme and a grapefruit wheel to garnish.

Mix the gin, grapefruit juice and cordial in a mixing glass. Pour into an ice-filled highball glass and top up with tonic water and add the garnish.

Bruichladdich

The Bruichladdich distillery is located on the south western tip of the remote Hebridean island of Islay, where it makes its flagship whiskies (amongst a variety of other limited editions and the Botanist Gin) – Classic Laddie, Port Charlotte and Octomore single malt whiskies.

“The Bruichladdich Distillery whiskies tell the story of the terroir of where they come from – the wild and windy remote island of Islay. Classic Laddie is an entirely unpeated whisky (the first and only of its kind from Islay) which is elegant and clean, with bright, floral notes; while Port Charlotte and Octomore are some of the most complex, peated whiskies in the world. Again, all can be enjoyed neat, over rocks, as a cocktail or simply with a mixer in longer drinks,” says Hill.

Laddie Sour

50 ml Classic Laddie
20ml lemon juice
15ml simple sugar syrup
1 egg white – or 30ml chickpea brine as a vegan alternative
Angostura Bitters

Shake all the ingredients together, then add ice and shake again. Strain over ice into a glass and garnish with a lemon zest.

Mount Gay Rum

Mount Gay is the oldest and most nuanced rum in the world, having been made on the same spot in Barbados since 1703.

“Mount Gay XO is a beautifully round and complex liquid. It’s a small batch blend of carefully selected mature rums, matured for up to 17 years in American whisky, bourbon and cognac casks and is delicious to sip on or even simply mixed with ginger beer over ice,” says Hill.

Coco Hill

60ml Mount Gay XO
1 large coconut water ice cube or a few smaller ones
3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Orange zest

To make coconut ice, pour unsweetened coconut water into ice trays and freeze overnight. Place the coconut ice cube into an old fashioned glass, add Mount Gay XO and the bitters and stir. Garnish with the orange zest. DM

Not for sale to people under the age of 18. Drink responsibly. www.aware.org.za