'All you need to do is give it a shake and pour it' - Edinburgh pals set up cocktail delivery service

Have you been missing your good Old Fashioned? Or a cheeky Porn Star Martini? These Edinburgh-born drink experts might have the answer for you.

Lockdown has certainly put a dampener on day-to-day life, especially for those who love a trip to the pub for a pint or a jazzy cocktail.

But two Edinburgh pals have come up with a solution that can certainly help keep spirits high while restrictions on drinking out are still in place.

Flatmates Harvey Ferguson and Johnny Lyall, both former bartenders living in Leith, have started a cocktail delivery service for the Capital.

Johnny (left) and Harvey (right) and one of their cocktails, the Porn Star Martini

The two drink experts whizz up a refreshing alcoholic beverage of your choice from their menu of seven classics to deliver straight to your door.

“We offer a simple product - classic cocktails - done well at a good price,” Johnny, 26, said.

“All you need to do is give it a shake and pour it.”

The freshly made drinks come in a 75cl bottle, the size of a standard bottle of wine, which produces about six cocktail servings.

Old Fashioned cocktail made by Catalogue Spirits

Customers can order from a range of classics including a Porn Star Martini, Mojito, Old Fashioned, Margarita and a Strawberry Daiquiri, among others.

The two pals came up with the idea about two weeks ago after being inspired by their friends at Sips Events, a company based in Kirkliston, which set up a drinks delivery service to the Lothians since the country went into lockdown.

Johnny, a former brewing and distilling masters student at Heriot Watt and sales representative for Pickering’s Gin, said feedback has been positive since their company, called Catalogue Spirits, launched last week.

“We probably made about 180 cocktails over the weekend and they seem to be going down well so far,” he said.

“A lot of people we are selling to say how great it is having them already made-up because going out and buying fresh ingredients can be an effort, and expensive.

“It’s been great for bringing back a bit of a social scene as well.

“Of course we keep at a distance when delivering the drinks, but it’s nice to be chatting and interacting with people like we used to do when working as bartenders.”

The pair have been able to run their business from a venue run by the owners of Hemma Bar, in Holyrood Road, where Harvey worked as general manager before being furloughed in March.

“We thought about doing it from home because we both live together, but you need an alcohol licence, so we are very lucky my boss let us use the premises to get this up and running,” Harvey, 27, said.

“All the cocktails are made from fresh ingredients and each bottle comes with a garnish.

“We are going to be getting some video tutorials up on our social media pages on how to prepare the garnish for each cocktail.”

Harvey, who is an Old Fashioned kind of guy, said other bars in town are running drinks delivery services too, but the cocktails seem to be a higher price.

“What we are serving still offers just as good quality, but at a lower price, and you get plenty of servings in a bottle!” he added.

Just in time for the summer months, the two drink enthusiasts said their products would make a perfect treat to enjoy in the park for people meeting up with friends at a social distance.

As restrictions ease overtime, their aim is to supply small gatherings such as weddings and corporate events.

Catalogue Spirits delivers on Fridays and Saturdays to EH1 through to EH12 and EH15.

Each 75cl bottle costs £20.

Harvey and Johnny said delivering to addresses further afield is something they could aim towards depending on demand.

To order a cocktail you can visit Catalogue Spirits online here.

For any updates visit their pages on Facebook and Instagram.