It may be unfashionable to admit it in these days of political correctness and government nannying, but I do love booze. I adore it and my flat is full of the stuff; bottles of good beer in the fridge waiting to be served with a slice of pork pie, bottles of crisp white wines chilling ready for summer and bottles of powerful reds for the days when only roast beef and a glass of claret will do.

Above all, there is my collection of spirits. Dozens of bottles, from the standard, well-known brands of gin, whisky and vodka to the sort of mystery spirits that taste so good on holiday that we are persuaded to mule some home, but then leave them unloved and untouched gathering dust for years until we finally throw them away.

None of this is to suggest I have a problem or a tendency to get rolling drunk. I don’t. I actually drink very moderately, but the taste of a beautifully balanced wine or a perfectly mixed cocktail is a thing of extraordinary beauty to me and as impressive as any multi-course tasting menu prepared by a chef with any number of stars to their name.

Cocktail making is, to me, one of the great underappreciated art forms and on many nights I can be seen propping up the bar of one of London’s finest establishments sampling one of the five drinks I use to test the expertise of any self-proclaimed cocktail mixer; the Martini, the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, the Daiquiri and the signature drink of New Orleans, the Sazerac.

There is nowhere to hide with these drinks, they are all about balancing the spirits. Just as you can tell a workaday chef from one with true talent by how deftly they prepare a simple omelette or a steak, so too you can tell the quality of a cocktail maker by how they perform when separated from the safety net of fruit juices and garnishes.

Brian Silva is one of the best. A transplanted Bostonian who learned his trade in that city’s Colonnade Hotel before a relationship brought him across the ocean to London in 1989 where his skills found a home at a number of bars and clubs. He then spent a number of years at The Connaught Hotel, which allowed him the opportunity to help create and helm the new bar in one of London’s oldest restaurants, Rules.

Brian sees London as the very centre of the cocktail world and professes to “love what is happening in the cocktail scene right now”, expressing admiration for a new generation of young mixologists who, inspired by chefs such as Heston Blumethal and Ferran Adria, are bringing the skills of molecular gastronomy to bear on their drinks.

But for Brian, at heart, happiness is in the classics and you can tell from his vast back-bar, filled only with the very best spirits.

“Respect for alcohol is everything,” he murmured as he poured the contents of a shaker carefully into a chilled martini glass before twisting a lemon peel to create that slick of citrus oil that makes this drink the king of all cocktails.

The first sip brings a pleasing shudder from the iced gin, the second the slight aftertaste of the vermouth used to wash the glass. If you ever wanted proof that God exists it's here. For me, it has to be with a lemon twist, but you can also have it with an olive.

Watching Brian at work is an extraordinary experience. On the one hand he coaxes a nervous customer away from the obvious choices, “almost always the mojito” he says rolling his eyes, to try something a little more adventurous from his repertoire. On the other, he deals with irritating people like me who specify their drink to the last shake or stir, but need reminding that someone of Brian’s provenance probably knows best.

His technique is flawless, unhurried and considered, showing respect for the spirit that is his watchword. The final results are worth the wait, invariably with a perfect balance to the key components.

Brian was lucky enough to share one of his favouritie recipes with me. It is well worth trying at home, but even better when prepared by one of London’s finest cocktail makers.

THE NEGRONI No4

50ml Tanqueray Gin

25ml Campari

15ml Martini Rosato

10ml Dubonnet

Add all the ingredients to an iced shaker. Stir to mix and strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Simon Majumdar is author of the famous food blog Dos Hermanos and author of Eat my Globe

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