BIRTHDAY COCKTAIL: strawberry + mint cointreau fizz

It's my birthday! What better way to celebrate than with a cocktail? A month or so ago my friend invited me to a private view of her photo exhibition at The Hoxton Hotel in Holborn. It was hosted by Cointreau and they served delicious cocktails from their Cointreau Fizz collection. Luckily, there was a little swatch of recipes included in the goodie bag so I could test out some of them at home and this is my favourite.

I'd never tried Cointreau before - it seemed like one of those grown-up spirits that twenty-somethings don't really drink - but it's delicious and this fresh cocktail is perfect for summer. It doesn't require any fancy ingredients and I made it at home easily without any cocktail making equipment.

To make two cocktails:
2 shots of Cointreau (about 10ml, depending on how strong you like it)
200ml sparkling water
Juice of a lime (I've made it with and without and I like it both ways)
8 strawberries
A small handful of mint leaves

In a shaker glass (I used a pint glass), muddle the strawberries with mint leaves. I used the end of a small rolling pin to get a fine pulp, but you could puree the strawberries in a blender as well.

Add Cointreau and lime juice, fill with ice and shake. Strain into a glass over ice and top with sparkling water.

The straining is a little bit fiddly, but it does make a nice, bright cocktail. I've also been leaving out the Cointreau and drinking this by the gallon for a refreshing dose of my 5-a-day that feels super fancy for just a regular afternoon.

p.s. the winnner of my blog giveaway is Polly Rowan!