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Easy Entertaining

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Three superb drinks in a few simple steps

Sure, food is paramount when entertaining, but there’s never been a good party without
drinks! Make homemade lemonade and other concoctions with fruits and sugar and turn
them into fancy cocktails with a dash of alcohol.

The limeonade or mojito

Start with a simple sugar syrup
A simple sugar syrup is essential to making many cocktails, including all-time favourites – the
mojito and daiquiri. Franck uses an easy-to-remember ratio of equal parts sugar and water
to make his simple syrup, but you can use more or less sugar, depending on your sweet

tooth. Some cocktail recipes suggest as much as 2:1 for a sweeter, stickier cocktail.

Once you’ve combined the ingredients, bring them to the boil and allow the sugar to
dissolve completely, then turn off the heat. Don’t worry about stirring the sugar to help it
dissolve. In fact, too much agitation could have the opposite effect and cause the sugar

crystals to clump up. When cold, your sugar syrup will keep in the fridge, in a jar, for up to
two weeks. A cup of sugar syrup will be enough to make 2–3 litres of limeonade, depending
of course on how sweet you want the drink to be.

It’s best to start with the sugar syrup and then add the other ingredients, tasting as you go.

Use a microplane to capture the essence of the lime
This will give your mojito or limeonade a beautifully fresh flavour. Take care not to grate too
deeply though, as the white pith beneath the skin is bitter and could taint the flavour of
your drink.

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