Messrs Max and Noel Venning share their quick and easy, prepare-ahead summer drinks.

When it comes to drinking at home, reality doesn’t always reflect the vision. On a sticky commute home, we may imagine ourselves relaxing in the garden with something long, cool and refreshing, but more often than not it’s a hastily cracked-open can while we get the dinner on. When friends come over, we may harbour grand ideas of a creative and varied cocktail offer that’ll have them chattering about our hospitality for weeks, but the effort involved means they’re usually greeted with an almost-chilled bottle of white and a pour-it-yourself G&T.

Let’s face it, who wants to be slaving over a cold shaker when you could be relaxing and having fun? Help is at hand in the shape of Batched & Bottled: Cocktails To Make Ahead by Messrs Noel and Max Venning. In this home-cocktail guide, the brothers behind Three Sheets and Bar Three in east London explain how to make your domestic drinks as memorable as the ones you drink on a night out. They’ve created a useful, practical and really rather beautiful book based on one simple principle – the most important ingredient in home drinks-making is preparation.

Split into seasons, Batched & Bottled has a thoughtful recipe for every occasion, be it an aged hip-flask mix to make the longest wedding whizz by, a dinner-party negroni using local figs or a simple martini to keep in the freezer in case of emergencies. Some of the drinks, such as the fermented rhubarb cordial or the spice-infused tequila in the Cumin Paloma, call for a bit of cheffy endeavor. Others require just a few choice spirits. All, though, are made in bottles or jugs, which means the work is done well before you want to drink them. The Hidden Martini is a case in point: three ingredients, bottled and secreted in the freezer for those times a cold martini is practically essential. We’ve all been there.

Here, the brothers share their recipe for the Americano Vergano, a low-alcohol, sunny-day twist on the classic Americano that will have everyone at your next barbecue singing your praises. It makes enough to serve several thirsty friends.

Slices of pink grapefruit or orange wedges Mint leaves Soda water

Add the ingredients to a 2-litre jug, cover and put in the fridge. It will keep for 48 hours.

When you’re ready to go, add ice to the jug with a few slices of grapefruit or orange and some mint leaves.

Fill glasses with ice, add some of the mix and top with soda water.

Batched & Bottled: Cocktails To Make Ahead (Quadrille) by Messrs Max and Noel Venning is published on 3 May