Retro sweet inspired cocktails: a pick ’n’ mix pour
These aren’t just cocktails, they’re a love letter to your past. A glimmer back to days riding your bike down empty streets, spending summer days outdoors with your friends, and indulging in paper bags packed full of your favourite sweets.
Nostalgia. It’s everywhere. From the fashion people are wearing to the constant rediscovery/revival of a music icon’s back catalogue, we’re living in an age where the past is a welcome gift to enjoy in the present.
Since it’s been proven - by science, no less - that one of our strongest connections to our memories is through taste and smell, we thought we’d jump on the trend and offer a trip down memory lane to remember the best parts of being a child - other than not paying bills - with these retro sweet inspired cocktails.
Rhubarb and Custard martini recipe
With the tangy rhubarb and creamy flavours, rhubarb and custard sweets were a perennial pick’n’mix classic. Now, with a cleverly constructed cocktail that layers the flavours and layers the colours, you’ll have the sophisticated, grown up version.
You’ll need:
35ml Ketel One vodka
20ml rhubarb syrup
35ml Advocaat (you can swap this out for Baileys, but the consistency will be thinner)
20ml lemonade
To make:
In a cocktail shaker, add your vodka and rhubarb syrup and shake hard over ice
Strain slowly into a coupe or martini glass
Next, in a separate mixing glass or jug, gently stir lemonade and Advocaat
Slowly pour this mixture on top of your martini glass.
Top tip: pulling out all the stops? Why not crush up a few Rhubarb and Custard candies beforehand and use them to rim your martini glass. Dip your glass in lemon juice before you start making your drink and gently press in some crushed up sweets. We won't tell your dentists if you don't.
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Sherbert Collins
Tart. Tangy. And too good to resist. Sour lemon sherbert sweets offered a snap or sour in a sea of fruity sweets and chocolatey options, and while you might be far too sophisticated to be caught with sherbert all over your lips and clothes now, this elevated cocktail is packed full of the same evocative flavours.
You’ll need:
50ml gin - a dry gin, like Tanqueray London Dry Gin, will really complement the tart citrus
15ml limoncello
25ml fresh lemon juice
20ml sugar syrup
Soda water (to top)
To make:
Prepare a tall glass first by dipping the rim in lemon juice and rolling in sugar or crushed lemon sherbert
In a cocktail shaker with ice, shake your gin, limoncello, lemon juice, and sugar syrup - shake hard until the surface of the shaker is cold to the touch
Add fresh ice to your prepared glass and strain the cocktail in
Top with soda water and garnish with a lemon wedge or peel.
Top tip: Because of the citrussy, tangy flavours of this cocktail, you can easily swap out gin for tequila if you prefer.
Fruit Salad cocktail recipe
Fruity chews that were a staple in pick’n’mix bags - and a sticking point in many people’s teeth - the Fruit Salad’s raspberry and pineapple flavours are just asking to be turned into a colourful, flavourful cocktail.
You’ll need:
40ml Ketel One vodka (or Ciroc Pineapple vodka, for extra fruitiness)
20ml raspberry liqueur
20ml pineapple juice
15ml Triple Sec
10ml fresh lemon juice
10ml sugar syrup
To make:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Add vodka, raspberry liqueur, pineapple juice, passion fruit liqueur (or triple sec), lemon juice, and sugar syrup.
Shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds until well chilled.
Fine strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a fresh raspberry, or both for visual appeal.
Parma Violet Gin Spritz
Sharing DNA with a classic gin fizz cocktail - like the elite Ramos Gin Fizz - the Parma Violet Spritz is floral and sweet, with just the right amount of citrus.
Inspired by the little purple candies that you could never quite get enough of, this cocktail is a feast for all the senses. With its light purple hue and foam top, it looks impressive - it’s a drink you’ll want to serve at special occasions or share on social media. With floral scents and a balanced flavour to boot, you’ll be ready for the purple reign of this new favourite.
You’ll need:
50ml gin - Aviation is a great choice for this tall treat
10ml Crème de Violette
25ml fresh lemon juice
10ml simple syrup
One egg white or vegan alternative (like aquafaba) for the foam
Soda water to top (if you want to make it even more springy and zesty, topping with lemonade will complement the flavours)
To make:
You’ll first need to dry shake your gin, creme de violette, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white (or egg white alternative). Combine your ingredients in a shaker without ice and shake for about 30 seconds to get a good foam
Next, add ice to the shaker and shake again
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with soda or lemonade
Optional: garnish with either a purple coloured flower and/or a lemon peel
Top tip: if you’re not getting a good enough foam with just the dry shake alone, try adding a metal spring or coil to the shaker. As odd as it sounds, it’s mixologist expert approved and can help get a really heady foam.
Turkish Delight cocktail (the Persian Daiquiri)
Originally created as the Persian Daiquiri by London bartender Sergio Leanza, the flavours in this sophisticated sip are reminiscent of Turkish Delight.
You’ll need:
40ml white rum
10ml saffron liqueur
10ml rose syrup*
20ml fresh lime juice
*You can buy premade rose syrup, or you can try a homemade recipe by simmering rose petals, water and caster sugar until it thickens. Strain the mixture to remove the petals and leave to cool before using.
To make:
Shake all ingredients over ice
Fine strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
Strawberries and Cream cocktail
Sucking away on strawberries and cream candy was like having an ice cream float that lasted a long time - and didn’t give you brain freeze.
You’ll need:
60ml Baileys Strawberries and Cream
30ml Smirnoff Vodka
30ml heavy cream
15ml simple syrup
Fresh strawberries
Whipped cream (optional garnish)
To make:
Start by muddling a handful of fresh strawberries in the bottom of a shaker. Add the rest of your ingredients and shake hard over ice. Strain into a coupe or martini glass and top with whipped cream.
Sour Candy Margarita
Not every sweet has to be, well, sweet. For those who were brave enough to face the sour flavours, this retro margarita might have your eye twitching.
You’ll need:
60ml Tequila
30ml Triple sec
30ml Lime juice
Your choice of sour sweets
Salt (to rim)
To make:
First, prepare your glass by adding lemon juice to the rim and rolling in salt. Then, in a blender, add your tequila, triple sec, lime juice, a handful of sour sweets, and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into the prepared glass.
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Watermelon Sour Fizz
Fruity flavours meet crisp botanicals and just the right amount of tart tanginess in this creative twist on a retro classic.
You’ll need:
50ml gin
25ml lime juice
15ml simple syrup
A handful of watermelon cubes (these need to be frozen ahead of time)
Soda water to top
To make:
A day or two before, freeze around 5-10 watermelon cubes. When it comes time to make your drink, use them in place of ice and add them to a cocktail shaker. Add the rest of your ingredients and shake hard. Strain into a coupe or a short glass and top with a splash of soda water.
White Chocolate Martini - or the Jazzies Martini
Rich, indulgent chocolate served in a refined, adult way? Get ready to feel jazzed about this Jazzies inspired drink.
You’ll need:
50ml vodka - any vodka will do, but Smirnoff Vanilla will be an inspired choice
25ml white crème de cacao
25ml double cream
Rainbow sprinkles
To make:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, minus the sprinkles. Shake hard and strain into a chilled martini glass. For added flair, you can rim the glass beforehand by dipping the glass in lemon juice and rolling it in rainbow sprinkles.
Black Jack Rum Punch
If you loved the bold, aniseed flavoured sweets, this dark rum twist will become a new favourite tipple in your wheelhouse.
You’ll need:
40ml Captain Morgan Dark Rum
20ml aniseed liqueur (such as a sambuca)
40ml pineapple juice
20ml orange juice
15ml lime juice
10ml grenadine
To make:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add dark rum, aniseed liqueur, pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice, and grenadine, and shake hard for around 30 seconds. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
The Pink Squirrel recipe
If you want to embrace the fruity, creamy taste of some of your favourite sweets, but you still want to give the air of a sophisticated adult, this oft-overlooked cocktail is just what you need. Dating back to the 1940s, it was often served as a dessert drink, so we're honouring history with the recipe.
Think of it almost like a creamy bon bon in a glass, but if you call it the Pink Squirrel, it sounds oh-so suave.
You’ll need:
30ml Crème de noyau liqueur (this is an almond flavoured spirit and will be easy to find online or in specialist liqueur shops)
30ml white Crème de cacao liqueur
45ml whipping cream
To make:
Simply shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
Can’t choose? Make it a mini mix
Fancy combining two different trends in cocktails and mixology? This is the perfect opportunity to mix the nostalgia of the past with the trend of today - microflights.
Microflights - or micro cocktails - have grown in popularity at restaurants and bars across the world, allowing people to experience different flavours while still drinking responsibly. Akin to a tasting menu or mini desserts, you simply get a smaller serving of different cocktails, usually designed to complement and contrast on the palate.
If you wanted to try a couple yourself, simply divide the measurements of your chosen drinks in half. Try mixing different flavours - such as a fruity, sweet one alongside a creamier, chocolate one.
And finally, to customise your experience even more, consider some evergreen mixology tips.
Too sweet? Add a small serving of a fresh citric acid
Too sour? Add 5-10ml of a sweetening syrup that won’t overwhelm the overall flavour, but add a touch of sweetness. Consider using something like a simple syrup, or even an almond syrup.
The Bar Team
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