Champs-Élysées Cocktail

This sophisticated and herbaceous cocktail ought to be a standard prescription for lightening up a winter afternoon or evening. Its combination of cognac, yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice and bitters works wonders. It will revitalize your senses and set them on the task of catching all the aromatic notes that especially Chartreuse is full of. So allow yourself a mental stroll down Champs-Élysées.

3 cl cognac

1.5 cl yellow Chartreuse

1.5 cl lemon juice

0.5 cl simple syrup

1 dash bitters

Shake the ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail or coupe glass. Add a lemon twist.

A note of warning: If you are not acquainted with Chartreuse, be prepared for its unexpected and unusual taste produced by its numerous herbs. Give it a chance, the taste grows on you.

Champagne Pick-Me-Up

If you need a little help to restore your good spirits this far into the winter season, a pick-me-up with sparkling wine could be the answer to your prayers. Its combination of sparkling wine, cognac and dry vermouth is certainly not mainstream, but that doesn't make it less enjoyable.

2 cl cognac

2 cl dry vermouth

0.5 cl simple syrup

Dry champagne or sparkling wine

Shake cognac, vermouth and simple syrup with ice, and strain into a flute glass. Top with dry champagne or other sparkling wine.

There are quite a few recipes that bear the same name; this is the best.

Whisky Buck

Buck is a mixed drink that involves ginger ale or ginger beer and citrus fruit combined with a base spirit. In the whisky buck the smoky flavour of whisky blends well with lemon and ginger making a simple, tasty long drink that packs a punch if you use ginger beer. With ginger ale it reveals its more pleasing side.

4 cl whisky

2 cl lemon juice

Ginger ale

Pour the whisky and lemon juice into a tall glass filled with ice, top with ginger ale. Stir gently.

Any whisky type will do just fine. Ginger ale is generally sweeter and less spicy than ginger beer.

William and Tonic

Poire William, the French pear brandy, is a marvellous eau-de-vie in its pure form - an exceptionally strong aroma of pears is its distinguishing trait. Mix it with tonic and it is pure delight. If the tonic is an elderflower tonic, it gets even better.

3 cl Poire William

12 cl elderflower tonic water

To a glass of your choice add ice and the ingredients. Stir gently. Could it be more simple?