THE creator of a unique pop up restaurant is sharing his delicious homemade summer drinks recipes.

Sam Lawson-King is the co-founder of the Scenic Supper, which offers a fine dining experience with panoramic views from a Cotswold hilltop.

Based at Todenham Manor Farm near Moreton-in-Marsh, diners sit down to eat in one of seven bespoke, handcrafted and sustainably built glasshouses accommodating either two or four guests.

Drinks are served from an al fresco bar, packed with with local gins, wine, beer and cocktails, where Sam makes creates his own shrubs, cordials and mixers for his gin-based cocktails.

Now Sam is sharing some of his own summer recipes - his elderflower cordial, which he uses as a mixer for his Elderflower Collins, and also his strawberry shrub recipe for his Strawberry Gin Cocktail.

"At this time of year I get fanatical about elderflower," said Sam.

"As I drive through the winding Cotswolds lanes, my eyes scan the hedgerows looking for the next giant flowering elder to turn into all things elderflowery.

"Mainly, I make litres upon litres of elderflower cordial, which goes on to make up an important proportion of our famous Elderflower Collins.

"I’m putting it out there for the world to make, so I encourage you to get out into the wild, breath the fresh air and make some of your own."

Sam set up The Scenic Supper in July 2020 after losing his job in hospitality along with Scenic Supper partners and school friends, Toby Baggott and Scott Sullivan, due to lockdown restrictions.

Elderflower Cordial

This recipe makes 1.5 litres

Ingredients

20 Elderflower Heads

1.5 kg Golden Caster Sugar

1.5 Litres water

Large Pan

2 oranges sliced

2 lemons sliced

2 limes sliced

30 grams Citric Acid

5 litre container with lid (Clingfilm works just as well)

Directions

Boil the water in a large pan and add the sugar (do not let the liquid boil too vigorously as it will burn and turn bitter and may also boil over and create a sticky mess to clean up). When the sugar has dissolved, add your Elderflower heads and keep on the heat for 3 minutes.

Place all the sliced fruit in the 5L container – pour over the sugar water and elderflower mixture and then ,add the Citric Acid. Leave for 48 hours – stirring every 12 hours.

After 48 hours pass through a muslin cloth (you can use an old t-towel, t-shirt or jay cloth). You should have a clear, deliciously floral cordial to sip on.

Elderflower Collins Recipe

50ml King Stone Gin

25ml Elderflower Cordial

12.5ml Lemon Juice

Top with Soda

Take a tall Collins glass and fill with ice. Add the Gin, Cordial, Lemon juice and soda. Stir and garnish with garden mint and lemon slice.

Strawberry Shrub Recipe

A shrub in its most basic form is a mix of fruit syrup and vinegar. It fits into the probiotic, kombucha, good bacteria category of drinks and is widely consumed on the US West Coas. Shrubs balance sweetness and acidity perfectly making them the ideal thirst-quenching drink for the summer.

Shrubs are s great way to have some fun in the kitchen and bring a new direction to your cocktail “go to” at home.

Strawberry Shrub is a great base to make a cocktail or mocktail and makes this, our most loved summer fruit, really sing.

Ingredients – (which can be scaled up accordingly to the volume you wish to make)

The ratio for this recipe is-

1 – sugar

1 – water

2 – Strawberry

100g Sugar

100ml Water

200g Chopped strawberries (fresh preferred but can use frozen)

1 lemon zested for added ZING!

Directions - Part 1

Makes 150ml Syrup

Add the sugar, water and strawberries to a largish pan on medium heat. Slowly bring to boil so the strawberries break down and become a mush. Add lemon zest. Do not let the syrup boil as it will firstly boil over and be a mess to clean up and will burn producing a bitter taste.

Once sugar has dissolved and the liquid is a nice and red take off the heat and leave to cool for an hour or so.

You’ll now need to pass the liquid to remove the pulp and produce your clear syrup. I use muslin but a tea towel, napkin or jay cloth will work fine.

You need to secure your chosen filter onto a mixing bowl – I use a large elastic band (you can use cling film or string) but just make sure it’s tight.

Pour your contents into your filter and leave until you have a dried pulp.

Tip – make sure your filter is suspended far enough above your filtered syrup, so it doesn’t touch the nice, clear syrup.

Part 2: Adding vinegar

Whatever the volume of your deliciously sweet strawberry syrup you have in millilitres find a ¼ and add the same of Apple Cider Vinegar – confused?? See below for the workings.

150ml Syrup / 4 = 37.5ml

Add 37.5ml of Vinegar to your syrup.

Refrigerate for 24 hours before consumption to let the flavours marry, but you can drink straight away if you’re impatient.

Strawberry Gin Shrub Cocktail

Load your glass with ice

Add:

50 ml King Stone Gin

50 ml Shrub

25 ml Lime Juice

Top with Soda

Stir

Garnish with fresh mint and lime wedge.

Strawberry Shrub Mocktail

Load your glass with ice.

Add:

50ml Shrub

25ml Lime Juice

Top with Soda

Stir

Garnish fresh mint sprig and lime wedge

For more information visit: thescenicsupper.co.uk