M&S Food has struck a chord with music fans and gin lovers alike thanks to its new partnership with acclaimed classical singer Katherine Jenkins OBE, whose award-winning Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin has now launched in over 200 Foodhalls across the UK.

Katherine took to Instagram last week to post three easy summer cocktail recipes to her and M&S’ combined 2.5million followers, including a Cygnet & Tonic, Welsh Gold and a Welsh Rose Fizz. Each cocktail features Katherine’s Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin as the base spirit, which she mixes with easy, top-quality ingredients that can all be found in the M&S Foodhall, such as Collection Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice and wonderfully fragrant Pink Raspberry Lemonade with a hint of rose.

Distilled using the purest Welsh water and a blend of 12 of the finest botanicals, Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin (£36) has bold citrus notes of juniper and pink grapefruit with a smooth floral finish. It’s the perfect match for M&S Light Indian Tonic Water, and Katherine recommends garnishing your Cygnet & Tonic with a spring of rosemary and a wedge of red grapefruit.

Katherine Jenkins OBE said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to join the M&S family as their newest Food Ambassador. Growing up in Wales, M&S was always the go-to destination for the most sustainable top-quality food and drink and so it was already a perfect match for my beloved Cygnet Gin, which I’m delighted is now on shelves in more Foodhalls than ever before!

“Whatever the weather, I love having friends over for drinks and a catch-up, and being able to make a range of delicious Cygnet cocktails with just a handful of time-saving M&S ingredients really just makes life so much easier! Iechyd da!”

Caroline Thompson-Hill, Head of Beers, Wines & Spirits at M&S Food, said: “We know shoppers are loving our growing range of delicious, award-winning spirits as they want to make sure they’re getting the best possible quality for their drinks at home – and Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin is no exception. Brits still absolutely love a classic gin & tonic all year round, and Cygnet joins four fantastic new gins we have launched in recent weeks to give customers even more choice for their summer cocktails.”

Gin lovers can now create Katherine’s favourite summer cocktails at home using just a handful of easy ingredients that can all be found in M&S Foodhalls.

Cygnet & Tonic

50ml Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin
150ml M&S Light Indian Tonic Water
1x wedge of red grapefruit, to garnish
1x sprig of rosemary

Add ice to a gin glass
Smack a sprig of rosemary against your palm to release its aroma, and add it to the glass
Pour in the gin, then top up with tonic (you can adjust the amount of tonic to your liking)
Garnish with a wedge of red grapefruit

Welsh Gold

50ml Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin
20ml M&S Honey Vodka Liqueur
20ml M&S Collection Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
10ml lemon juice
1x strip of lemon peel

Add ice to shaker
Add Cygnet, honey vodka liqueur, orange juice and lemon juice to the shaker – shake well to combine
Strain into a coupe glass
Garnish with a strip of lemon peel

Welsh Rose Fizz

50ml Cygnet Welsh Dry Gin
20ml lemon juice
10ml sugar syrup*
M&S Pink Raspberry & Rose Lemonade, well chilled

Combine the Cygnet, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a chilled wine glass or champagne flute
Top up with the pink raspberry & rose lemonade
Optionally add a cube of ice if you’d like the cocktail colder

* To make sugar syrup, simply combine equal quantities of sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool before using.