Cynar and Wine
Cynar is an artichoke amaro – unfashionably brown but incredibly delicious. It can be made into an ugly spritz, or you can embrace its hue and make this little number. Mina Holland calls it her aperitivo of 2026.
To make one serving, you need a twist of lemon, 30ml Cynar, dry white wine (preferably Italian, such as pecorino or garganega) chilled, and a skewered olive to garnish. Sweep the rim of a chilled nick and nora glass with the lemon, then drop it into the glass. Add the Cynar, top with the wine, add an ice cube and stir. Add the skewered olive and serve.
Sunshine Spritz
Nothing says summer like a spritz made with Suze, a luminous yellow bitter made with gentian root. Italians would make this with prosecco, but given the French roots of this drink, Holland likes to make it with crémant.
For one serving, combine 60ml Suze and 90ml dry sparkling wine, chilled. Half fill a large stemmed wine glass with ice, then add the Suze, followed by the sparkling wine. Stir briefly, so as not to lose too much of that eponymous spritz, and serve with a wedge each of orange and lemon.
Black Velvet
Luxurious, soft and bracing, this cocktail shouldn’t work but really does. If you’re like Holland and can’t quite bring yourself to use champagne for a mashup, crémant works brilliantly.
For one serving, you need 90ml stout (eg Guinness), chilled, and 90ml dry sparkling wine (Holland used a crémant), chilled. Tilt a champagne flute and slowly add the stout. Place the flute on a level surface to allow the stout to settle before topping up with sparkling wine. Serve.
Tinto de Verano
So much easier to make – and less boozy or sweet – than sangria, this refreshing “summer red wine” is ideal for hot afternoons in the sun. You can even assemble it at a picnic.
For one serving, combine 150ml fruity red wine (Holland used a tempranillo), 100ml lemonade (7UP or Sprite, but Fever Tree blood orange soda is also very good), chilled, and garnish with orange slice, lemon slice, and mint leaves. Half fill a tumbler with ice, and add the red wine followed by the lemonade or flavoured soda. Give it a quick, perfunctory stir before garnishing with the citrus slices and mint leaves. Serve.
Adonis
True to its name, this is a dreamboy of a drink. He’s everywhere on cocktail menus right now; here’s how to bring him home.
For one serving, you need 45ml dry white sherry (fino or manzanilla), chilled, 45ml sweet vermouth (Holland used Cocchi vermouth di Torino), chilled, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and a twist of orange. In a cocktail shaker, put the sherry, vermouth, bitters and a couple of cubes of ice. Stir for 30 seconds, to combine and get the whole lot really cold, then strain into a chilled nick and nora glass, fresh from the freezer. Garnish with the orange twist, and serve.
Cheat’s Frosé
If you buy bags of frozen strawberries, this is particularly easy – prepare a batch of the slush ahead so you can make individual frosés as and when you like. Holland recommends pre-chilling the rosé with a frozen wine sleeve in the fridge.
For one serving, you need dry rosé, very chilled, and fresh strawberries to garnish. For the strawberry slush (makes enough for 6-8), combine 300g frozen strawberries, juice of ½ lemon, and ½ tsp maple syrup or caster sugar. Put the frozen strawberries, lemon juice and syrup in a blender or Nutribullet and blitz until you have a puree. Return it to the freezer until you are ready to make the drink. To a coupe glass, add one tablespoon of the strawberry slush, breaking it up a little once in the glass. Top with the very cold wine and garnish with a small or halved strawberry, cutting into its flesh halfway to sit it over the rim of your glass. Serve.
