Once upon a time you could easily predict what you would get when you asked for a gin or vodka and tonic in a bar: a warm glass, a splash of spirit, a dinky bottle of tonic, an ice cube or two and if you were somewhere especially spiffy, an anaemic looking slice of lemon. Now, however, there is an overwhelming wealth of choice - hundreds of gins and vodkas are on offer, and that's before you even start thinking about flavoured spirits. The question now is knowing what to ask for - will the bar staff think you're a mug if you ask for something that costs £9 for 35ml? Or will you be paying for quality?

In order to find out whether it's worth paying for the name we asked Kevin Armstrong (group head bartender, Match Bar Group, www.matchbar.com) and Michael Butt (director of Soulshakers bar consultancy, www.soulshakers.net) to blind-taste 12 gins and vodkas.

But if you can't be bothered to go to a bar, get one to come to you. Belvedere vodka's new Private Room service includes booze, bar staff, masseurs, even a manicurist. www.belvederevodka.com.

Movers and shakers: great cocktails

The Belvedere envy martini

60ml Belvedere vodka

15ml kiwi liqueur

splash of lemon juice

2 fresh mint leaves

chunks of kiwi fruit

Shake everything with ice, strain into cold glass, garnish with mint.

Classic vodka martini

For a wet martini - 60ml vodka

15ml dry vermouth

Or for a dry martini - 70ml vodka

5ml dry vermouth

If you have time to spare and are interested in getting the coldest martini you can, stir the ingredients in a mixing glass over ice so that they begin to dilute, then place the full glass in the freezer and leave it for 10 minutes - well worth the wait. Or try mixing your martini in a Thermos flask. This reduces the temperature as the drink is not exposed to air temperature which works to heat your martini as quickly as you try to chill it. Ideally you want to add 2030ml of water (from the ice) before it's ready to drink. Do all of this and you will have a pretty faultless martini. Try to keep everything as cold as possible: chill your glassware in the freezer before straining in the martini and chill the garnish as even this can raise the temperature by a degree or two. Sad, yes, but all in the quest for the perfect cocktail. Serve with an olive or a lemon peel twist - or even try both together.

Classic Bee's Knees

45ml gin

20ml honey syrup

(made with two parts honey dissolved in one part water)

20ml fresh lemon juice

Shake everything with ice and serve strained in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fresh lemon twist.

Wanton Abandon

25ml vodka

25ml fresh lemon juice

15ml strawberry puree or 4 crushed

fresh strawberries

10ml strawberry liqueur

10ml sugar syrup (made with caster sugar dissolved in an equal quantity of cold water)

top with Champagne

Shake the first five ingredients with ice, strain over more ice in a tall glass, top with fizz and garnish with a strawberry dipped in chocolate.

Space Gin Smash

50ml gin

10ml fresh lemon juice

40ml fresh apple juice

10ml sugar syrup

15ml elderflower cordial

3 red grapes

4-5 mint leaves

Crush the grapes and mint, add all other ingredients, shake with ice and strain over cubed ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a lemon slice, red grape and a mint sprig.

Jade Garden

50ml gin

25ml fresh lemon juice

10ml elderflower cordial

20ml jasmine tea syrup (brew a pot of jasmine tea and dissolve in an equal quantity of caster sugar)

top with soda water

Shake the first 4 ingredients with ice and strain over more cubed ice in a tall glass and top with soda. Garnish with a lemon zest spiral.

Twisted Rangoon

30ml gin

30ml fruit cup (Plymouth or Pimms)

top with ginger beer

2 strawberries

2 blackberries

2 slices orange

2 slices lemon

2 slices cucumber

2 sprigs of mint

Fill a tall glass with cubed ice and all the fruit. Add the other ingredients and mix with a bar or long spoon. Garnish with mint leaves and a cucumber slice.

Sosho Cooler

30ml Finlandia mango vodka

15 ml fresh lemon juice

20ml sugar syrup

40 ml fresh apple juice

70ml Sauvignon Blanc

dash of passion fruit syrup

3 red grapes

Crush grapes with the lemon and sugar, add other ingredients and ice and shake briskly. Strain into a tall glass over ice and garnish with 2 apple slices and a red grape.

Grapefruit Julep

(Dale DeGroff original recipe)

50ml Vodka

60ml fresh pink grapefruit juice

10ml fresh lime juice

20ml honey syrup

dash of grenadine

4-5 mint leaves

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain over crushed ice in a highball glass. Garnish with mint.

· Recipes by Kevin Armstrong, Match Bar Group, www.matchbar.com