Last night we had our neighbour over for a couple of cocktails. The spirit for the evening was Tequila. A bottle of Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado to be more specific.

My favourite for the evening was Amante Picante. It's a wonderfully refreshing drink made with cucumber, coriander, hot sauce and agave syrup. Most recipes uses green Tabasco but I much prefer using Cholula Original hot sauce, if you can get your hands on it. The recipe is:

• 2 slices of cucumber
• 2 sprigs of coriander or cilantro
• 1½ shots of Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado Tequila
• 1 shot of freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ shot of agave nectar
• 2 dashes of Cholula Original hot sauce

Peel and chop the the cucumber. Muddle it with the coriander in the base of the shaker. Add all other ingredients and shake with a ice]. Serve in a martini style glass decorated with a wheel of cucumber.

Both my wife and my neighbour became very found of a cocktail called Freddy Fudpucker. This is a lovely blend of tequila, orange and vanilla in the form of Galliano. It is served in a collins glass. To add to both the flavour and colour I added two raspberries. The recipe is:

• 2 shots of Jose Cuervo Especial Reposado Tequila
• ½ shot of Galliano L’Autentico liqueur
• 3½ shots of freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 fresh raspberries

Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into a ice filled collins glass. Decorate with a slice of orange and a fresh raspberry or two. Serve with straw.

Enjoy!