IN the summer months, nothing can be nicer than sitting in the sun, enjoying a refreshing cocktail.

Instead of pouring a ready-made drink straight from the bottle, why not impress your friends and whip up your own concoctions?

Hotel du Vin, off Poole Quay, is running its very own cocktail masterclass, which can be tailored to your individual requirements, to enable people to learn first-hand how to make their own classic cocktails at home.

Bar manager Marcus Haines, who has been running the courses for the last six months, enjoys the opportunity to pass on his expertise, and his love of classic drinks, to others.

“I worked at and managed 1812 when it first opened, so I got into cocktails then,” he explained.

“It’s quite interesting for me to do these courses, because I’ve had to learn more about the different cocktails and the history of the drinks, so it keeps me on my toes as well.”

The classes, which are for a minimum of 6 people and a maximum of 12, are held for corporate groups or parties of friends, and can be created to suit a group’s preferences, whether that be for vodka-based cocktails, classic drinks or those more popular with men or with ladies.

“More people go for the basic drinks they’re familiar with,” said Marcus, whose favourite tipple is a white rum or gin-based drink.

“We offer any of the cocktails that we serve on the list here, they’re all classic. I like to impart that knowledge so people can enjoy it at home.”

As Marcus demonstrates his favourite cocktail to make, the Caipirinha, it’s surprising to see just how easy it is to create one of those classic cocktails.

The terms he uses, however, take a little more explaining.

‘Boston tin’ is the name given to the metal cocktail shaker – so called because it originated in Boston – he informs me, and a ‘dirty pour’ is one where all the contents of the Boston tin are tipped into the glass – ice, fruit and all.

Marcus also explains the importance of chilling both the glass – in this case either a ‘rocks glass’ (tumbler to you and me) or Martini glass – and the Boston tin to ensure the drink is served as cold as possible.

“We can make three cocktails each during the masterclass,” he added. “It normally takes about two hours. Everybody gets to make one, if they want to.

“I go through the history of the spirits, the history of each drink, why we put such and such together, talk about the glasses, I talk about the measures and the Boston tins, the terminology.”

In the summer months, Hotel du Vin’s newly refurbished terrace is the perfect place to enjoy a drink after completing the course.

As I take a turn at putting together a Cosmopolitan, under Marcus’s guidance, I also pick up tips such as rubbing orange peel around the rim of the glass to add a light citrus flavour to the drink, and the correct way to approach that impressive cocktail shake.

Once you’ve picked up the basics, Marcus explains there are many ways to customise a drink.

“There are many different variations of the Caipirinha, you can make. You can add strawberries, blueberries, lemon curd, any number of different jams, or there’s one with white rum, one with vodka,” he said.

Experimenting is all part of the fun, as Marcus knows only too well – he recently created a ‘bakewell tart-esque’ cocktail for a wedding party, who had requested a drink incorporating popping candy, which was used around the rim of the glass.

To book a cocktail masterclass at Hotel du Vin, call 01202 785578 or 084474 89265 or visit hotelduvin.com/poole

TRY these classic cocktail recipes at home:

Caipirinha – served in a rocks glass (tumbler)

50ml Cachaca

1 lime

2 and a half spoons of caster sugar

Hard ice

Cosmopolitan – served in a martini glass

40ml citrus vodka

60ml cranberry juice

1 lime wedge

20ml Cointreau

Dash of orange bitters

Visit bournemouthecho.co.uk for a video of Marcus putting together the classic Caipirinha.