Alice Lascelles

The Times drinks columnist Alice Lascelles looks at the history of the cocktail guided by the loves and hates of the famously bibulous and Blenheim-born Winston Churchill – and offers a little tasting.

Lascelles has dodged washing lines in the back streets of Havana in search of the perfect Daiquiri, scoured the cocktail bars of Tokyo for the best ice carvers and unearthed the secrets of a Savoy cocktail. She blends history, storytelling and recipes to provide the perfect guide to the cocktail and how to prepare it.

Lascelles writes on spirits and cocktails for The Times and founded the award-winning magazine for bartenders and sommeliers, Imbibe. She has also toured as a musician with American rock band the White Stripes. Lascelles will prepare a welcoming cocktail for guests at this year’s literary dinner on Friday.