Friday cocktail: hedgerow shandy

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Hedgerow shandy: a taste of the countryside

A drink in memory of Laurie Lee

This month (26 June) is the centenary of the birth of Laurie Lee: poet, memoirist, wanderer in pre-Civil War Spain and author of the classic book Cider with Rosie.

Cider might not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you’re thinking about making a cocktail, but many shandy cocktails (this summer’s must-have drink) are cider-based.

The sophisticated creation below is the second cocktail recipe I’ve sneaked from Ollie Dabbous’ Barnyard restaurant in London. It’s not so much cider with Rosie, more cider with Camilla.

It’ll still have you wanting to roll around in the hay, though…

Hedgerow shandy

25ml sloe gin

10ml fresh lemon juice

15ml fresh grapefruit juice

15ml sugar syrup*

35ml tonic water

Wyld Wood cider (widely available)

Put all the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, shake well, then strain into a half-pint pot. Top up with the cider.

*To make sugar syrup, simply dissolve caster sugar in an equal weight of freshly boiled water. The syrup will keep in a sterilised jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks.