Cocktails: Cupboard love

At the back of every drinks tray or cabinet there are always some stray bottles. Some deserve to be lonely, others just end up that way. But it is occasionally worth sifting the wheat — or at least grain — from the chaff. Here is a guide for doing so.

Vermouth Only keep your bottle if you make your own martinis. If you drink them as they should be drunk you will need so little that only a martini alcoholic could ever reach the bottom of the bottle. You won’t need to buy two in a lifetime. So keep it, but on no account ever drink it on its own.

Curacao and other brightly coloured things Abandon all hope. You will never find a use for them. They cannot be used in the home. Try to dispose down the sink, otherwise at a local authority waste site.

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Sugar solution Even if you are not drinking sours much these days you should keep this bottle.