Christmas at the Gin Shack. Catherine Miller

passed them all a sample of the drink to try. The cocktail was a gorgeous golden colour, like a rich champagne only without the sparkles.

      Her son had been right – Olive hadn’t tried this before. What a gorgeously simple recipe and how was it she had never thought to try something similar.

      Olive always tended to close her eyes on the first taste of a new drink, as if cutting off the sense of sight aided the tasting experience. The Bee’s Knees cocktail was sweet and sophisticated all at once. The sugar cut across the sour and the outcome was delectable.

      ‘What do you think?’ Richard asked.

      For a moment, Olive was so taken away with the flavours, she’d forgotten where she was. The murmurs from everyone else were in agreement with Olive’s own thoughts. ‘One of the nicest cocktails I’ve ever had. The only thing is… it’s not very Christmassy, is it?’

      ‘Ah. I knew you’d say that, so, in true Gin Shack tradition, that was just a sampler, trying it in its true form. I had to think about what would go with it and make it more festive. The Bee’s Knees Christmas-style coming up.’ Richard showed off his skills with the cocktail shaker again. Once he was done, he placed their drinks in front of them and, unlike the last one, this was ruby-red in colour.

      ‘What have you added in here?’ Randy asked, holding it up to the light.

      Along the rest of the bar everyone else was sniffing or peering at the drink, trying to work it out before having a taste.

      Olive was pretty sure she knew what it was and how pleasing it was that her son might have inherited a feel for good flavour combinations. She went in for a taste to confirm whether she was correct. Just as she thought, Richard had added a cranberry liquor. Not too much so the honey wasn’t apparent, but enough to give a taste and, although it didn’t sing Christmas in the way mulled wine might, it did say seasonal with a slight twist on a classic.

      ‘I thought cranberry counted as a Christmas flavour,’ Richard said, confirming the taste to anyone who’d not worked it out.

      ‘This is gorgeous,’ Veronica exclaimed, with everyone else agreeing.

      ‘You know what this means, don’t you?’ Randy said, glancing along the bar to catch everyone’s attention.

      And as if they’d all practised it, in a very Apprentice-style manner, they all said (including Tony, if it was possible to identify the tiny voice)…

      ‘You’re hired!’