For the best part of my 20s I have been subjecting my friends to eye-watering exotic concoctions, which I have passed off as cocktails. Having developed a penchant for sickly-sweet spirits like Peach Schnapps and Blue Curacao, I faithfully stocked my cocktail cupboard at home and invited friends over to try my bizarre blends, as an indulgent aperitif to a big night out.

As I’ve got older my tastes (or maybe taste buds) have refined, so the sweet Blue Lagoons and Woo Woos have been replaced by cool minty Mojitos and classy Cosmopolitans. But I’ve never had the chance to get behind a bar and shake my stuff, so to speak. So, when I was offered the chance to attend a cocktail class at one of The Snug bars in town, I accepted before you could say ‘crushed ice’.

Arriving at the intimate Lensfield Road bar, myself and three friends were greeted by bartender Estuardo Figueroa, who had set up three bar stools and cocktail lists ready for the session. Estuardo, who has been making cocktails for more than seven years, was passionate as he chatted to us about his vocation. “It’s a great job,” he enthused, “and I love making people happy, and really appreciate when they come back to try more cocktails,” he beamed.

First things first, we took it in turns to get behind the bar and have a go at ‘free pouring’, to the various cheers and jeers of our group. Free pouring is the way bartenders pour liquor without the need for measuring, and Estuardo explained that he and his colleagues did this at the start of every shift to make sure they were pouring the correct single and double measures.

Copying the bartender, I took the practice bottle of water, lifted it up to pour into the shot glass while I counted to three, finishing with a little flourish, as if I was pouring mint tea – Moroccan style. To my amazement – and that of my sceptical friends, may I add – I had poured the perfect measurement (maybe those years of experimenting in my kitchen had paid off after all!). I also had a go at pouring a double, to a count of six in my head, which was a little more difficult, so took a few attempts.
Free pouring done, we moved on to the good stuff – making four different cocktails. Estuardo explained that he had picked out four fabulous cocktails to demonstrate the four different ways of mixing the liquids and ingredients – to build, blend, shake and muddle.

Full story in Cambridge Style - December 2009.

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