WHITE WINE AND FRUIT PUNCH Directions for use: Add your sachet to 25cl (1/3 pint) of water and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Bring to the boil stirring occasionally. Leave to cool. Hot White Wine & Fruit Punch : Add one bottle of medium dry white wine and 25cl (1/3 pint) of brandy to the mixture and reheat gently. Do not boil. Add some sliced fruit and serve. Chilled White & Fruit Punch: Pour 25cl (1/3 pint) of brandy over some sliced fruit and chill, (strawberries and peaches are ideal). Strain the cooled mixture over the fruit, add one bottle of medium dry still or sparkling wine and serve with lots of ice. CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL To make a great Champagne Cocktail Place a sugar lump in each champagne glass plus one or two drops of Angostura bitters. Add a dash of brandy then pour over the chilled champagne or sparkling wine. Champagne cocktail is a deliciously potent drink, so beware, its effects may quickly be felt. For an even more exotic drink try using a sachet of Old Hamlet Champagne Cocktail spices: Before you make the cocktail, simply add one muslin sachet to ¼ pint (15cl) of brandy and heat gently in a saucepan. Do not boil. Allow the brandy to cool and absorb the spicy flavours for at least 15 minutes then remove the sachet. When the spiced brandy has cooled use this instead of the ordinary brandy as above. MULLED WINE I suggest you use cheap but drinkable red wine for this recipe. Some people use really rough wine when they make mulled wine but, in our opinion, this is false economy. Pour one bottle of your preferred red wine into a saucepan, add one sachet of Old Hamlet mulled wine spices (Your free sample should do nicely) and heat gently for a delicious and potent mulled wine. Do not boil the wine as it will evaporate the alcohol. For special occasions add a dash of brandy and sliced fruit; oranges and lemons are great RUM PUNCH (An exotic and potent drink that can be served hot or chilled using sparkling apple juice and rum as a base) Stir the contents of one Old Hamlet Rum Punch sachet into 20cl of dark rum and 10cl of brandy. Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. For hot rum punch: add 70cl of dry sparkling apple juice to the above mixture. Re-heat but do not allow to boil. Strain and serve piping hot. For chilled rum punch: leave the mixture to cool. Strain, add 70cl of dry sparkling apple juice, then chill for a refreshing summer drink. Slices of orange or lemon may be added. Mel's MINT JULEP This is how a great family friend of ours makes two of his many memorable Cocktails. These really are worth the effort! Crush a few mint leaves in a glass or, Mel says, preferably a pewter tankard and then discard. Put a teaspoon of sugar and a little water, a few drops should do, into the glass and mix to a paste. Fill the glass with cracked (not crushed) ice and push down and then fill up the glass with Bourbon. Float some dark rum gently over the back of a spoon on to the top. Add a sprig of mint and a maraschino cherry. Mel says this is a serious drink and would probably last you for the evening. Mel's WHISKY SOUR Another master creation by our chum! You need a cocktail shaker or similar for this. Take 2 fl.oz. Bourbon, the juice of half a lemon and a teaspoon of sugar. Shake with cracked ice and pour or strain into a Gin and Tonic type glass. Add a dash of soda and decorate with slices of orange and/or pineapple.