SUMMER is all about the great outdoors, and nothing quite delights like finding the perfect picnic-spot with a hamper full of goodies.

Make sure you have glassware that won't fall and break at the first roll of ice. The golden rule for serving wines and spirits is to pack the closest thing to crystal.

For ideas of what to put into these glasses, start with Austin’s Summer Punch (£5.99, 70cl, www.Aldi), which costs nearly a third of the price of the market leader but certainly doesn’t scrimp on taste.

If you are meeting friends with different tastes, Sainsbury’s have introduced 10 of its most popular own brand wines into single serve bottles (from £1.65 to £3, 18.7cl and 20cl).

If you want a tasty alternative to alcoholic choices, Five Valley Cordials have introduced Five Valleys Cordials Peach & Lychee (£3.19, 37.5cl, Waitrose) to their range of flavoursome soft drinks.

The closest thing to biting into a sweet, juicy peach, it tastes delightful mixed with sparkling water (recommended dilution 1:10) and goes perfectly well with light summer salads.

If, however, you are thirsty for a grown-up cocktail, try mixing Five Valleys Lemon and Mint (£3.19, 37.5cl, Waitrose) with a white rum such as Mahiki Coconut (£17.99, 70cl, Tesco).

Alternatively, celebrity nightclub, Mahiki, have launched their own tropical liqueur, with an eye-catching Polynesian inspired bottle sleeve, which will add more than a drop of sunshine to a mojito. Here’s an easy recipe, perfect for sipping al fresco.

LEMON AND MINT MAHITO

  • 100ml Mahiki Coconut, 1
  • 00ml Five Valleys Lemon & Mint Cordial,
  • sparkling water Half fill a jug with ice.

Add the Mahiki and Lemon & Mint, top with sparkling water and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.