Method:
Step 1. Cut a nice, long slice of cucumber with a fruit slicer.

Step 2. In a mixing glass, pour 10 cubeb berries.

Step 3. Pour 6 pieces of fresh cucumber and muddle them together to help reveal all the flavours.

Step 4. Add Monin basil syrup and Gin to the mixture. Then add ice cubes and top up with Perrier.

Step 5. Stirring well with a bar spoon, place the fresh cucumber slice into the tall glass, to make it look like the picture above. Finally, Double strain the contents of the mixing glass into the tall glass, serve and enjoy.

Images © Loran Dhérines

Method
In a champagne flute, crush the raspberries to free all their flavour before mixing them with the sweetness of the Monin Purée. Muddle well and using a bar spoon, delicately cover the purée with the chilled Perrier to finish it off. Be careful to pour the Perrier inside the spoon and delicately lift the spoon as the flute fills up. Top it off with some juicy red raspberries and serve.

Shared with Société Perrier by Najeeb Zawaideh at Monte Carlo Beach Club Saadiyat. If you fancy making this lovely cocktail at home, see our 'how to' video here.

Method
In a wine glass, fill half with ice and add 6cl of Prosecco. Then add 4cl of Aperol to the mixture, and a dash of Perrier to lengthen, garnish with a slice of orange.

Shared with Société Perrier by Estevan Botes Cafe Del Mar, Dubai. If you fancy making this lovely cocktail at home, see our 'how to' video here.

Method:
Muddle the lychees than add all ingredients other than water. Shake with fresh ice then our directly into glass. Top up with water and serve with a grapefruit twist.

Shared with Société Perrier by mixologist, Angus McGregor for Hakkasan Dubai. See how to make his Asian Paloma at home.

Method:
Muddle the fresh ginger then add all ingredients other than the water. Shake hard with fresh ice. Fill Glass with ice and add approximately 1 inch of Perrier into the glass. Double strain the shaken mid into the glass so it mixes with the water. Garnish with a fig and serve.

Coriander + chilli syrup recipe:
Syrup made with 200g of coriander and fresh chillis without seeds
– leave for about 3 days to help further the flavour

Shared with Société Perrier by mixologist, Angus McGregor for Hakkasan Dubai. See how to make his Tai Yang Sling at home.

What does it take to be a mixologist?
A certain dedication to alcohol. I think the difference between mixology and bartending is a desire to push the understanding of drinking. We start in bars because we enjoy the social aspect, but you start to understand the science behind it, there’s more to it than just pouring drinks, there is a whole industry supporting it.

With Mixology you can take it further, choose to explore more and find more avenues to be creative with in terms of seeing for yourself how far you can go. You start with your own taste buds and then you eventually progress and develop to using other peoples, whether you do that through ingredients or techniques, all of these facets come into play.

Let’s talk about the drinks themselves, are there any do’s or don’ts in particular with mixology?
A lot of people stick with the easy stuff such as vodka as it is highly adaptable, but my ultimate hate would be a Bullfrog. I refuse to make them in my bar as it goes against all my standards. There are certain principles that you follow when making a drink; strong, weak, sweet and sour elements, and the principle of balancing a drink, there is no balance in a Bullfrog.

Same in theory with the Long Island Ice Tea – people are sold on the belief that the drink is strong, and with 5 different spirits in each, they are getting a better deal, but the truth is that with only 10ml’s of each spirit, they are no better off in the long run. One of the principles that I like to stick with is that if you are buying alcohol, you should taste that alcohol. When you combine all the spirits in a Long Island Ice Tea, you can’t define a singular taste.

Is there a particular trend for drinks at the moment?
The classics are definitely coming back; only a few privateer bars are actually pushing these trends at the moment though in Dubai. Polynesian for example is niche enough that it isn’t competing against too many other establishments; Trader’s has been standing the test of time since the 50’s. A lot of bars are really pushing self-creations and experimentation, with their own bitters and base compounds. As the years progress, our taste buds are getting sweeter.

As long as the drink taste and customer satisfaction outweighs the bartender’s flare and ego, then this is a good trend to have here in Dubai. Weird and wonderful ingredients are great in theory but its whether they are suitable to the customer’s palate at the end of the day that matters. With such a transient city, we do find that the palates here are often far more accomplished than in many other cities.

What is the most requested drink in the bar?
Smoky Negroni is definitely a favorite with the crowds right now.  In terms of off-the-menu drinks, the ‘Smoked Rum Old Fashioned’ cocktail is one I created last year and by word of mouth, the requests keep coming. 

See how to make his Asian Paloma and Tai Yang Sling on our cocktail culture videos.

Enjoy your Bikini Martini at the beach, by the pool or simply in the comfort of your lounge, whenever the clock strikes cocktail hour!

Glass
High Ball

Garnish
Raspberries and Mint Sprig

Ingredients
40 ml Ron Zacapa 23
10 ml Almond Syrup
5 ml Vanilla Liqeur
25 ml Fresh Espresso

Method
Hard shake the above ingredients and double strain into a chilled martini glass and enjoy your ZaCapuccino.

Garnish
Don’t forget to use some fresh coffee beans for the garnish…this adds that extra touch for presentation purposes and also gives out that gentle, familiar aroma that comes from fresh coffee beans.