It’s almost time to put on your glad-rags and ring in the New Year, bringing with it our usual yearly dose of indulgence, overeating, and the not-so-infrequent hangover.

And how better to celebrate this year’s festivities – and make up for the lack of any last year – than by raising a glass of your favourite cocktail?

We asked top mixologist and brand ambassador for Italian drinks company Gruppo Montenegro, Rudi Carraro, about how you can leave your friends shaken and stirred by your mixing mastery this New Year’s Eve.

And the best bit? You need just four key bottles – plus a few everyday household ingredients!

It is perfectly possible to make a delicious and wide variety of cocktails with just four key spirits.

‘It’s definitely a myth that you need a spirits cabinet to rival a bar to become a great mixologist at home,’ Rudi tells me.

‘We’re all guilty of having that one bottle gathering dust at the back of the shelf, and often having too many choices can lead to you feeling overwhelmed.’

Just as you can establish a clothes wardrobe with a few fundamentals, Rudi suggests downsizing to a ‘capsule’ cabinet with just a few select spirits.

‘The trend for smaller, more considered home bar collections isn’t just happening at home either,’ Rudi tells me. ‘We are also seeing more bars slimming down their supplies to just a few select spirits.’

So what are the brilliant bottles no maestro mixologist should be without?

It’s all about balance and variety, Rudi explains.

‘Make sure you have a good mix of dark and white spirits, and a balance of flavour profiles between bitter and sweet,’ he adds. ‘Achieving this will open up a whole world of recipes!’

So stock up on these four spirits and impress your friends and family with the fabulous results.

A classic London dry gin is an essential for any capsule collection, forming the base of many of our favourite tipples.

‘It is incredibly versatile and this botanically rich spirit brings with it a complexity that will take your cocktails to the next level,’ Rudi explains.

‘Brandy is a great cocktail ingredient due to its versatility and potential to complement a wide range of other spirits and flavours,’ Rudi says.

While many of us may be more used to drinking dark spirits such as rum or whisky in cocktails, substituting brandy can give classic favourites a sweeter, fruitier flavour.

Premium: Vecchia Romagna Riserva 18 Year Old Brandy, £130

Everyday: Vecchia Romagna Etichetta Nera, £23

If you spend your summers sipping on Aperol spritz, then you’re already familiar with the unique flavour profile of a bitters aperitif. But these brilliantly bitter mixers have so much more to offer, Rudi says. 

‘Not just great in spritz, bitters aperitifs are a great addition to cocktails and help to balance out the flavour,’ he explains. ‘The end result is a more complete and rounded cocktail.’

There is a reason why vermouth features in so many iconic cocktails such as the negroni and martini, says Rudi.

Vermouths can range from dry and lightly floral (good for the perfect martini) to sweeter, more full-bodied versions. Rudi suggests going for a sweeter vermouth for your capsule collection.

‘It is incredibly flavourful and is lower in alcohol content, so will balance out the higher ABV spirits and ensure your cocktail isn’t too punchy,’ he adds.

‘Not only will a good cocktail kit make your life easier when making cocktails, there is also a sense of ceremony to using them at home which can be really enjoyable – especially when entertaining guests,’ Rudi says.

If you’re going all out, your home kit should include a cocktail shaker, jigger, a bar spoon, a mixing glass, a julep strainer and a Hawthorne strainer. 

When it comes to the perfect serve, glassware is one area where a ‘make-do’ attitude just won’t cut it, Rudi says. 

‘In the same way that chefs put a lot of effort into researching the perfect plate or bowl to complement their food, the same also goes for bartenders,’ he explains. 

‘The glass matters a lot because each classic cocktail has been developed by taking into consideration the type of vessel it will go into.’

You don’t have to pay over the odds for the finest crystalware, but making sure you’ve got a coupe or martini glass, a tumbler and a highball in your drinks cabinet will go a long way to improving your cocktail game.

Fill cocktail mixer with ice, then pour all the ingredients into mixer and stir until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Fill cocktail mixer with ice, then pour all the ingredients into mixer and stir until cold. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a wedge of orange.

• 45ml Vecchia Romagna Tre Botti

• Grated nutmeg (if you like it)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and gently warm up. When hot, strain to remove the spices and peels and serve in a mug (or a hot toddy glass if you have one!)

Fill glass with ice, then pour in vermouth and bitters. Top up with prosecco.

Fill shaker with ice, pour in the ingredients and shake until thoroughly mixed. Strain into a glass.

Pour the Select and prosecco into the glass over ice, then top up with soda water. Garnish with a big green olive.

Fill cocktail shaker with ice and pour in ingredients. Stir – don’t shake! – and strain into a chilled glass.

Once you’re comfortable with the recipes above, it may be time to expand your capsule collection with an extra bottle.

Rudi suggests introducing cocktail bitters – such as Angostura – to your repertoire.

‘In the same way that you would use salt and pepper to season food, bitters enhance the flavour of the cocktails and add a new complexity to the flavour profile,’ Rudi says.

Four to get you started (but just one will do!)

Angostura Bitters – just a dash will introduce a wonderful herbal complexity to your drinks. Stir with gin over ice for a Royal Navy classic: pink gin.

Peychaud’s Bitters – tart, cherry-like flavours bring a burst of fruity intensity, perfect for a complex old fashioned.

Regan’s Orange Bitters – an intense burst of orange, try these bitters in an old fashioned, or introduce into your next martini for a decidedly different experience.

Armago Chuncho Bitters – spicy and bitter, this mix draws on 30 herbs and spices found in the Peruvian rainforests. Great with anything using rum or tequila – try it in your next margherita!

Once you’ve got your fundamental ingredients sorted and a DIY cocktail kit to make the slickest mixologists weep with envy, a few basic tips and tricks can transform you from a bartending beginner to a master mixer.

‘Learning how to pour the correct measurements is essential,’ Rudy says. ‘Over or under pouring can dramatically affect the flavour of the cocktail – practice makes perfect and it’s a great excuse to drink more!’

For the recipes above, use a measuring jug or jigger to start off with but be sure to make a note of how each serving looks in your glass, or cocktail shaker. Just as you’re likely able to measure out a teaspoon or tablespoon of spices without checking, soon you’ll get the hang of pouring without needing to rely on the jug!

If you’re using unfamiliar glasses, or you don’t have any measuring kit to hand, keep the 2-1-1 rule in mind. Most basic cocktails – like the ones you can make with these four bottles – tend to be two parts spirit, one part bitters and one part sweet. So long as you’re measuring out using the same vessel, like a shot glass or espresso cup in a pinch, your creations will always taste marvellous without worrying about millimetres!

Letting your creative juices flow with a simple homemade infusion or syrup can lend your sipping a smidgen of stardust. Try a basic rhubarb syrup, which will go perfectly with any fruity cocktail. Simply blend 250g rhubarb with 250ml water and 250g sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes before straining to remove the fibre.

Try swapping this into any cocktail that calls for sugar syrup, like the brandy crusta above!

If you’re really keen to lend a professional edge to your home setup, Rudi suggests creating perfectly crystal-clear ice cubes. It may be a bit of a project, but it’s a fun way to spend a quiet afternoon – and will leave your guests melting with envy at your next party!

First, you’ll need to get hold of distilled water, which is free of impurities and can be bought online. Boil it twice to remove all the air bubbles – then it’s time to practice ‘directional freezing’.

‘There are many ways you can do this but the best home hack is to use a flexible, silicon ice cube tray and place it in a freezer-safe casserole dish,’ Rudi explains.

Using a pin, poke a tiny hole in each compartment of the tray, allowing impurities to be forced out of your ice cubes during the freezing process. Then prop the mould in the centre of the dish, before filling the dish with water and placing it in your freezer.