How do you beat the post-Jamaica blues? Cocktails of course, and make them 70s style

Post-holiday blues are probably the worst kind. Life seems so simple when you are lying on a white sand beach, gazing at the turquoise Caribbean listening to “Yellow bird up high in banana tree”  for the millionth time . All comes to a dismal reality when you are standing in Gatwick Airport at 6 in the morning shivering and waiting for your luggage to arrive. You wonder where that lovely optimism disappeared to? Looking at the fat, brown woman in the mirror, fighting jet-lag and the crowds in Waitrose over the last few days, I have come to a happy conclusion. Do more of the things you do on holiday at home!  It’s bound to cheer you up and I don’t mean mosquito spray and sand between your toes. Yes, I mean alcohol!

Spurred on by this, it seems a good time to revive my love of cocktails, they had me right back in the 80’s; I was there with my Harvey Wallbanger and my Screwdriver (this was before they added the long and slow bit against a wall) and my big hair. Happy days! We thought it chic  not just to drink them, but to display the bottles of Gallianos and Grenadine as if they were priceless ornaments. So let’s have a wander down memory lane….

Harvey Wallbanger:5 parts fresh orange juice, 3 parts vodka, 1 part Galliano. Method: Just pour the orange juice and vodka over crushed ice and float the galliano on top

Tequila Sunrise: 1 glass of fresh orange juice on ice, 2 shots of tequila, 1 shot of grenadine. Method: add the tequila to the orange juice and stir, then float the grenadine on top

And then finally, my drink of choice in Montego Bay, it was a no-brainer, really…..Pinacolada: (Makes 2)handful of ice cubes,8 Shots pineapple juice, 2 shots coconut cream (get the little  cartons from the supermarket), 1 shot coconut rum rum, 1 shot dark rum. Method: Place 2 empty cocktail glasses in the freezer 10 minutes before hand. . Pour all ingredients except the rum into the blender. Blend on full power till the ice has crushed. Put the 2 rums in to the glass, then add the lovely pineapple/coconut slush which should float in the lovely rum.  This is how they did them in Jamaica and trust me, it was delicious.