Article & Photography by Frances Channer

The saying goes you either leave St. Andrews married or an alcoholic. Well, when my short third year came to an end the former was definitely not on the cards for me, so that just left me with the latter, emphasised by the terrifying notion that I may have to spend over three months with my family. I am fortunate to be with my family at such an uncertain time, and it gives me a great excuse to raid the family drinks cabinet - no more £5 wines from Tesco! So let me take you through a cocktail diary of the drinks I have made while in lockdown…

Mayfair

40ml Dry Gin
40ml Fresh Orange Juice
10ml Apricot Brandy

“if you have apricot brandy lying around, you have too much time on your hands, or you have your life together far better than I do.”

Described as ‘an elegant lost classic’, the Mayfair draws some parallels with me, sophisticated if a little bit clueless. The drink was dangerous, five could be consumed, and suddenly you think you have the same singing capabilities as Cher. In true lockdown fashion, we didn’t have the right spirits. Still, to be honest, if you have apricot brandy lying around, you have too much time on your hands, or you have your life together far better than I do. So I substituted in cherry brandy leftover from a Christmas cake we made once, about seven years ago and it seemed to work just as well, I mean alcohol is alcohol at the end of the day. I did consider using peach schnapps and then remembered back in my teenage drinking days I took half the bottle to school and filled the rest with water, so it now tastes more like Volvic’s flavoured water. Overall this drink is great if a) you have the right ingredients and b) if you are going to Karaoke.

White Wine or FaceWine

No recipe needed for this one, this is your classic whatever wine is in the fridge. Although there was a slight panic from my dad that lockdown might affect his very important wine society subscription… (a classic middle-class crisis). An essential for the new trend of FaceWine - a global pandemic will not get in the way of a classic girls night. Alternatively, this drink can be enjoyed outside in the spring sunshine, dreaming that you are in the French countryside living a very sophisticated life, ignoring all your university work. You just cannot go wrong with white wine.

Lychee Gin and Tonic

A dash of lychee tonic
However much gin is needed
Tonic water & ice

I am probably the world’s number one fan of a G&T, and with A LOT of time on my hands this is the perfect time to put my self-proclaimed expertise to test. This drink is the ideal drink for creating strong G&T without the overwhelming test of gin, that reminds you of that one time you went a bit overboard at pres and just started drinking it straight. Lychee was another random alcohol found in the back to the drink cupboard, but surprisingly this liqueur had a classier tone than the watered-down peach schnapps. The lychee covers a multitude of sins and makes a G&T more drinkable with a sweet fruity taste and most importantly it turns pink!

Kir Royale

Champagne
Crème de Cassis

So I am ending my boozy journey with an Easter Sunday celebration. The classic French cocktail, (can you guess that I am slightly obsessed with the French way of life), was the perfect way to gather together in an attempt to forget about the current crisis. Luckily the sunshine was been a source of joy for many of us and the sparkling champagne made all the worries go away, that was probably the bubbles… In this time any small celebration should be made personal, this time teaches us the importance of family, friends, and good alcohol!

Quarantine cocktails