Bars may have reopened but the lockdown habit of making cocktails at home doesn’t look to be waning any time soon. Now we have the skills (and the equipment) to mix up our own delicious concoctions at home, the mixologist in all of us is here to stay.

Britain’s finest cocktail makers, The Alchemist, who have bars across London and the UK, have just released a new mixology book to keep us all in the habit of shaking up something special.

The Alchemist Cocktail Book, Master the Dark Arts of Mixology includes 100 incredible cocktail recipes, plus background on making your own tinctures and ingredients. The Alchemist is all about theatre, chemistry and a touch of magic and this is reflected in the beautifully designed book, which runs from twists on cocktail classics to the wild and unfamiliar.

To whet your appetite, below is one of the signature recipes from the book to try at home.

The Alchemist Cocktail Book is available now from The Alchemist website and book shops everywhere for £16.99. 

The Alchemist Chocolate Orange Smasherac

Here is a serious and boozy tipple that will delight any cocktail connoisseur. We’ve had a little bit of fun with the absolute classic New Orleans Sazerac, which has been knocking around since the end of the 19th century. Once mixed, our slightly sweeter version is poured into a glass, then topped with an orange glass disc. Tap with a spoon to crack it and reach the elixir underneath.

Makes: 1

Ingredients:

• 30ml bourbon
• 30ml cognac
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) Cointreau
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) chocolate cookie syrup
• 1 dash of chocolate bitters
• 1 dash of orange bitters
• ice cubes
• 1 orange glass disc to garnish (available here)

Method: 

1. Pour the bourbon, cognac, Cointreau, syrup and both types of bitters into a Boston shaker along with some ice cubes.
2. Stir for 30 seconds to mix and dilute, then strain into a jam jar and lay the piece of orange glass on top.
3. Serve with a teaspoon and smash the orange glass and drink.