What is a savoury cocktail

A.� Mixologists at some of London's most exclusive celebrity watering holes have come up with a flamboyant blend of cocktail for the party season - Cup A Soup. Clubs like Groucho, Attica, Atlantic Bar and Robbie Williams' club Century have devised a range of cocktails designed to get clubgoers in the mood - with names such as 'Not A Bloody Likely, Mary', a 'Pepper Colado' and a 'Slow Comfortable Slurp'.

Martini, the perennial favourite of cocktail drinkers, has been mixed with soup by most top clubs.

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Q.� How do you make a Winter Martini

A.� Managers at The Purple Bar at London's The Sanderson have come up with a winter Martini recipe which is cinnamon and clove-infused vodka, honey vodka, pineapple juice, apple schnapps and fresh honey. Bar staff all over the country have been adding traditional festive ingredients such as nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and apples to drinks.

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Q.� What constitues a Soup Cocktail

A.� It's a blend of traditional alcoholic and fruit ingredients - with a savoury soup. Try A Slow Comfortable Slurp:

1oz Havana rum

3/4 oz Baileys

1 dash Kahlua

1 dash Frangelico (hazlenut liqueur)

1 oz double cream

2 oz Mushroom Cup A Soup

1/4 of a flat mushroom

To make: crush the mushroom and pour other ingredients into a shaker. Strain using a sieve. Use a Martini glass and garnish the top of the drink with a mushroom.

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Thai Me Down

1 1/2 oz Stolichnaya chili (vodka)

1/2 stick fresh lemongrass

1/4 fresh chilli

1 squeeze lime

2-3 oz Cup A Soup Tomato

To make: crush chilli and lemongrass together, add the other ingredients and shake and strain using a fine strainer.

Serve in a Martini glass, garnished with a twist of lemongrass.

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Not Bloody Likely, Mary

Vodka

Lemon juice

Tomato juice

Tabasco

Salt

Splash of red wine

Cup of Soup Minestrone

To make: mix lemon juice, tomato juice, tabasco. salt with the vodka. Add a splash of red wine and pour over the minestrone soup. Shake, strain and serve in a Martini glass.

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Pepper Colado

Carrot-infused vodka

Splash of pepper vodka

Lemon juice

�Tomato juice

Vegetable Cup a Soup

To make: add lemon juice and tomato juice to vegetable soup. Pour over the vodkas and shake and strain. To serve, try making a glass out of a hollowed red pepper and garnish with the pepper top and a straw.

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For more food and drink questions and answers, click here

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By Katharine MacColl

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