Sometimes cocktails seem like a bit of an indulgence don’t they? A necessary one, but an indulgence nonetheless. Think about it: in any bar you care to frequent, for half the price you could have a large glass of plonk. Or a fresh juice or bottle of beer for even less cash.

The solution? DIY drinks. With a little investment in decent spirits and a bit of practice, you can shake up a storm and make your own sophisticated sips. Start with something simple - how about a cucumber-rosemary G & T or some rose-scented strawberry cocktails? Once you know what flavours and spirits work well together (and which ones you like, obviously!), you can move on to more complex drinks - a blood orange-basil gimlet, for example. Or perhaps a hibiscus-accented whisky sour? Saving money has never, ever been this fun.

whisky sour Hibiscus-whisky sours from Dishoom - courtesy of Editer.com