“When I was in Miami a few years ago, they served frosé by the pool and it was divine,” says Andy Clarke, author of House of Gin. That’s essentially a rosé slush puppie, but Clarke has since cranked it up a gear with the addition of sloe gin. He combines five parts rosé, three parts sloe gin and one part cranberry juice, then freezes the lot overnight in a clip-lock container. “Because of the amount of alcohol, it will only freeze to the point of being slushy,” Clarke says, so to serve you simply loosen it with a fork until you get “shards of beautiful, deep pink slush”. Divide between wine glasses and decorate with frozen mixed berries and a sprig of mint for “that sangria-esque holiday feeling, even if you’re at home”. A word to the wise, though: this sloe frosé is quite potent, so Clarke advises maybe topping it up with a bit more cranberry juice: “That will also look beautiful as it filters through.”
Another cocktail you can bung together in advance is Clarke’s blood orange bomb. “I know they aren’t in season,” he says, “but you can buy blood orange juice just about all year round at the supermarket.” Get a pitcher and a handful of ice, then add four parts blood orange juice, two parts gin and one part lime juice. “Have that in the fridge, then, when your friends arrive, add three parts sparkling water and stir slowly.” Strain into glasses filled with ice and decorate with dehydrated orange slices.
