Broker's Gin

A properly made Gin and Tonic is one of life's great pleasures. It should be ice cold and bitter clean with a sharp bite to it. With just a few basic rules you can have a drink that approaches perfection:

Always use Broker's Gin, kept in the freezer for extra coldness.

Never use tonic from a spray gun or a bottle that has been standing opened. Your tonic water should always be a freshly opened bottle. Open a large bottle only if you intend to use it all immediately. Do not be tempted by diet versions.

Take a tall glass with a heavy bottom (which makes the bubbles in the tonic last longer). If there's time, frost the glass in the freezer beforehand.

Ice is crucial. At home you should use large chunks of ice made from filtered or bottled water and pat them dry with a tea towel. Put 2 or 3 chunks in the glass and add a generous measure of gin.

Pour in enough tonic to fill the glass. What you're aiming for is just over double the amount of tonic to gin.

Add a freshly cut wedge of lemon, or if you wish for a slightly different flavour, lime.

Stir to release the juniper flavour. Bliss!

Into a cold metal shaker half-filled with ice, pour 1 part good-quality French vermouth at room temperature to 7 parts ice-cold Broker's London Dry Gin. Stir vigorously and pour into chilled, V-shaped martini glasses. Twist lemon peel over the top and add an olive, preferably one previously soaked in gin. Delicious!

2oz Broker's Gin
1oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
1/2oz Crème de Mure
2 Lime Wedges

Squeeze the lime wedges into a shaker and add the other ingredients. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously until the shaker is freezing. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

The Londoner cocktail was created by Joe Wood of CocktailStars.com

Two real Londoners, Larry and Doreen Golding, Pearly King and Pearly Queen, enjoying the Londoner cocktail at its launch at London's Excel Centre.

Simon Taylor prepares the Broker's Strawberry Martini and Andy Dawson, co-founder of Broker's Gin Limited, enjoys the end product.

2oz Broker's Gin 5 Strawberries 5 Large Mint Leaves 1/2oz Elderflower Cordial 3/4oz Gomme Syrup Put all the ingredients in a shaker and muddle thoroughly. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously until the shaker is freezing. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a strawberry. The Broker's Strawberry Martini was created by Simon Taylor of Raise The Bar.