Whatever would we do without cocktails?

Whether one is dying of boredom on a Sunday evening or racked with tension after a perilous mission, these little wonders hit the spot every time. Rather like those cheeky Tracy boys and their glorious Thunderbird machines.

This priceless selection of drinks includes all my favourites, from the classic Cosmopolitan to Jeff Tracy's fabulous Tracy Island Iced Tea. Simply follow my tips for the final flourish in each case and you can be assured of impressing the highest of society with your savoir faire, even if you lack the services of a reliable man like Parker. It's so hard to find the staff nowadays.

The original 1965 series charted International Rescue's efforts to save the planet from the likes of Hood, and had a chic, utopian view of the future where super machines burst forth from luxury island dwellings. It was the most successful of the Andersons' 'supermarionation' productions that also include Fireball XL5, Stingray and Joe 90. The popularity of Thunderbirds is due to the stunning sets and vehicles and also to the characters that have transcended the confines of children's television to become iconic - Lady Penelope, Brains and Parker, although secondary characters to the Tracy Brothers' heroics, are very much the stars of the show.