The paddle around Padel is huge. You’ll be hard pressed to find an A-list celeb that’s not got a post or Instagram story of them holding a Padel racket while staring down another high profile face on either side of the net.

The interest in the racket sport has quickly grown over the last few years and according to the latest Global Padel Report, the sport is firmly on the rise in the UK for those that don’t star on the big screen or on big festival stages.

If you’re starting to warm to the idea of giving a Padel a go, but have no idea what it is, how to play it or what you need to play it, here’s our beginner’s guide to the racket sport that’s creating a bit of a buzz.

How do you play Padel?

Padel is essentially a mix of tennis and squash. The tennis part is to do with scoring. It’s exactly the same as tennis. You’ll play sets made up of six games and the scoring in those games is the same. Like tennis, you’ll need to win by two games to take a set. There’s also tie breaks if you hit 6-6 in games in a set.

Padel is played in doubles and players on court stand in similar positions to a doubles tennis match. When you’re serving, you need to serve from behind the baseline, while the player receiving the serve can stand anywhere as long as it's diagonally from the player serving.

Serving is done underarm and must be at waist height. The ball must land in the opposing player’s service area. Like tennis, you get two attempts at serving and the ball can be called out if for example if it doesn’t land on the court or hits a wall before bouncing on the court first. That ability to play shots off walls is the squash part.

What do you need to play Padel?

Padel court aside, the kit you need are the rackets and the balls to hit. Those rackets are different to the ones you use for tennis or squash, ditching the strings for a closed face that helps to make it a little easier to get a strong contact with the ball.

Padel racquet designs typically fall into two categories. You can find ones made from fibreglass, which are often cheaper, softer and the ideal option for beginner users. There’s also rackets made from carbon fibre, which are more durable and offer greater power when striking the ball. This is the one to grab when you’re more confident in your play and want to add more variety to your Padel play.

For the balls, while they might look like regular tennis ones they’re actually slightly different. If you compare a tennis ball with a Padel ball you’ll notice that a Padel one is actually smaller in comparison. They’re also less pressurised than a tennis ball and that’s to reduce the level of bounce, which again contributes to the ease to play as the ball doesn’t behave too lively.

Fortunately, many Padel clubs and courts will provide rackets and balls, especially if you’re new to the game, which means you can hold off investing in the kit yourself. Just be sure to check with your chosen playing spot first to make sure that’s the case.

Do you need to be a tennis or squash pro to play Padel?

Absolutely not. It’s a game made to be accessible for all ages and abilities and whether it’s the rackets that are noticeably easier to get contact with the ball or covering a smaller court than a tennis one, or simply having someone alongside you to cover the court, it’s a game designed to be easier than tennis and squash. If you’ve played tennis before, then you’ll certainly see some familiar traits like with some of the stroke play and of course already be familiar with the scoring. For squash players, it’s that ability to know how to use the walls and enclosure around you to make it more difficult for the opposing team to return the ball.

Where can you play?

You cannot just rock up to your local tennis club, jump on a tennis court and get swinging. At least not if you want to play Padel as it’s meant to be played. It’s actually played on a court that’s smaller than a tennis one, with service areas positioned closer to the net than they are on a tennis court. That court is also enclosed, usually with glass if it’s indoors and often metal mesh on outdoor courts. This is key because in Padel you can play shots off those surfaces. You can play a shot off a wall to get it back into the opposing team’s half of the court. Alternatively, you can let the ball strike that enclosure first before you return it to your opponent.

So, you’ll need to find a dedicated court to play. Thankfully, the number of Padel courts are growing and the likes of David Lloyd Clubs and Better offer access to courts that could be indoors or outdoors depending on location. The likes of Padel Social Club, Padium and Rocket Padel are now also popular Padel hotspots in London while the likes of Soul Padel are making it easier for interested players further north to find a game and offer a place to play.

How much does it cost to have a game of Padel? Well, it does depend on where you’re playing. In some places you can book courts for an hour for around £10-11. Some dedicated clubs offer monthly or annual memberships with Padel Social club charging £36 a month or £360 annually. It can be pricey and could depend on the time you want to book for, but you can also find you’ll pay similar to what you would to book out a tennis court.

What about if you don’t have enough people to play with?

Padel is a game played in doubles. You can still play it one on one, but technically it should then be played on a smaller court than a doubles one. It’s made to be a game played with four people.

If you’re struggling to convince others to join you for a game, there are some ways to get up to that full compliment. Platforms like RacketPal and Playtomic can help you find other players to play with as well as a court to play on. It’s a platform that works worldwide, so if you happen to be on your travels and you’re keen to squeeze in a match, these are the apps and platforms to turn to.

Padel vs Pickleball

There’s actually two big Ps in racket sports right now and the other one is called Pickleball. Both are growing and while there are some similarities between how the two are played, there’s also some clear differences. Pickleball is played on a smaller court than Padel and doesn’t include walls to play off. It uses a plastic ball that’s less bouncy and even less like a tennis ball.

You do have a net to play over and do need to serve underhand, but scoring is very different in pickleball. The design of the court is different too, with a Pickleball court featuring a zone in front of the net known as the kitchen, where players are not allowed to volley from.

Padel in comparison feels a lot closer to tennis, while Pickleball may favour those that don’t necessarily want to do a lot of running around and focus a little more on your reflexes to return the ball.

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‘The godfather of all cocktails’, the art of how to make an Old Fashioned may be easy to learn, but it’s difficult to master.

In some respects, they’re as simple as they come — you’ve got your spirit (preferably a good bourbon), sugars (preferably a carefully home-made syrup), bitters (for a little spicy kick) and water (preferably in frozen form, in a block of ice as large as your glass can fit). Stir, pour, drink. Job done.

Or so you’d think.

While anyone with even the simplest home bar should be able to cook up the cocktail, it’s all too easy to cock it up, too. Too much booze. Not enough ice. Too sugary, too syrupy — or too-overcooked altogether, when artisan makers get the smokers and the maple branches out.

So to get the exact lowdown on how to make the perfect Old Fashioned, we’ve gone in search of expert help. Benji Purslow is the European Brand Educator for Kentucky’s Heaven Hill distillery — home of not only Heaven Hill bourbon and whiskey, but also Elijah Craig and Old Fitzgerald, too.

If ever a man knew his way around an Old Fashioned, it’s Benji, with years of experience making (and drinking) the classic. We quizzed him for the key to Old Fashioned perfection — and he let us in on 15 top tips. Cheers!

1. First things first — what are the absolute basics I need to make a straight-forward Old Fashioned?

Nothing fancy, just the essentials! Old Fashioned is actually more of a style of drink rather than a specific cocktail. It was said that a cocktail was spirit, bitters, sugar and water (plus ice, at least today), and therein lies the essentials. This was in a time when we had punches, slings, cobblers and so on, so what we call an Old Fashioned today, just started life as a “cocktail”. As drinks developed during prohibition with syrups and fruit juices to mask the questionable quality of the spirits available, people started to refer to the drink as an “Old Fashioned” cocktail, meaning the classic way of making a cocktail. For example, the Elijah Craig signature Old Fashioned is made with 50ml Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, 10ml Simple Syrup, 3 Dashes of Bitters and garnish with an orange twist.

2. For those of us who tend to free-pour with "enthusiasm," what’s the optimum booze-to-everything-else ratio for an Old Fashioned?

I don’t like my Old Fashioned’s too sweet, so I tend to use around 10% sugar to the amount of booze (50ml Whiskey, 5ml Sugar). This depends on the spirit you’re using though, and if you were using rye, I would increase this to around 15% on the sugar side. Bitters only ever need to be 3 dashes (around 9 drops), these can overpower if used too heavily.

3. Beyond the usual suspects, what's the weirdest (but surprisingly good) Old Fashioned ingredient you've ever secretly experimented with? Any underrated bitters? Any wild card sweeteners? Don't worry, your secrets are safe with us...

We’ve held cocktail competitions based around the Old Fashioned drink, and I’ve worked in American Whiskey for 9 years, so there isn’t much I haven’t tried in an Old Fashioned. My personal favourite is with coffee and banana liqueurs and chocolate bitters. I enjoy some of the “washed” variants, where fats from food have been used to wash the spirit — bacon is a classic in this area, but I also once had one with fois gras…that was a bit too rich for me.

4. Is there a specific, almost mystical stirring implement that truly unlocks the Old Fashioned's hidden potential, or will a regular spoon do?

Quick answer…no! It’s really about controlling the dilution of the drink — this is why it is stirred, not shaken, to make sure you hit the desired dilution/temperature. At home, I tend to start with one shot of whiskey, plus bitters and sugar, and stir with three ice cubes. Then I add the second shot of whiskey and add another three ice cubes and stir. Then top off the drink with more so it is sitting “proud” above the wash-line. This will help it not continue to dilute as much when you have finished making it. The ideal amount of liquid should be one finger from the top of the glass.

6. Let's settle this: Is stirring an Old Fashioned with a twig from a Kentucky oak tree considered "artisanal" or "just trying too hard"? Are there any techniques during the making of the cocktail that actually make a difference to the end result?

If you’re stirring it with something like a twig, then yes, it probably would make a difference…not a good one though! I wouldn’t recommend it. There are other techniques that make a difference — if you muddle cherry and orange in the bottom, like in a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, this will make a big difference. Also, if you shake, it will change the texture of the drink, but again, not recommended.

7. What's the official Elijah Craig stance on garnishes? Are we talking a single, dignified orange peel, or enough fruit to open a small greengrocer?

Whatever adds to the drink, really. I use lemon, orange and cherry, as I like the freshness of two citrus oils, and then as I have it a little drier than most, the cherry helps give a punch of sweetness when I want it. When it comes to garnishes, I’m very much in the camp of what my old head chef used to say: “if you can’t consume it, it shouldn’t be in it”. That’s Tim “Tonto” Yates sometime around 2008 (and he drank A LOT of my Old Fashioneds!)

8. Old Fashioned glassware comes in many shapes and sizes. Is there a key style to go for, or will any old tumbler work?

As long as it can fit in the glass, you’re all good. There is a famous video on YouTube of a lady making an Old Fashioned in a pint glass, and that probably is too much. Keep it in a rocks glass, ideally.

9. We've all had a less-than-stellar Old Fashioned. What's the biggest "oops" moment you've witnessed (or committed) in the pursuit of perfection?

Over-sweetening is really the worst. At home, this can easily be corrected by simply adding more booze, but in a bar, they are not keen on that, and the drink can become way too syrup-y. The other one for me is burning herbs for the smoke. I know it sounds good, and looks dramatic when a bartender uses fire, but smoking the glass is rarely well executed. If you are going to add smoke, this needs to be added to a decanter and the liquid washed around the smoke before pouring in a glass. Burnt twigs in a glass is not enjoyable…

10. When it comes to ice in an Old Fashioned, are we aiming for an iceberg, a glacier, or just a little cube to make a happy little clinking sound?

The biggest faux pas I see with at home cocktails is not enough ice. Ice really is your friend. The more ice added, the less the drink will dilute and become watery. It’s always way more than what consumers realise. When you’re shaking a cocktail, it should be 2/3rds ice in the shaker. Guests regularly complain there is too much ice in their drinks, but we are doing it for good reason, and that is most definitely not to rip you off — it’s to make the best version of the drink that can be.

11. If giant blocks of ice aren’t readily available, or it’s already chilly outside, is there a warming winter spin on the Old Fashioned worth adding to your cocktail-making arsenal?

For me, hot buttered bourbon is the one. It’s not really an Old Fashioned per se, but you can use your whiskey in a similar way. Heat up 10g of butter, along with some baking spices (cinnamon, star anise, cloves) and add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, 50ml apple or pineapple juice and 2 shots of whiskey and stir until warm (do not boil). Serve in a tea cup.

12. We know bourbon reigns supreme in an Old Fashioned, but if a curious friend dared you to make an Old Fashioned with Scotch, would you secretly judge them, or would you give them the greenlight?

I’m a bartender first and foremost, so I believe you can make a cocktail with any spirit, as long as you are improving, not worsening the drink. Bourbon typically works better because of the sweeter toffee, vanilla notes, and the robustness of the spirit. Scotch can be more delicate, and therefore loses some of its character in a cocktail.

13. If you had to pick one Elijah Craig expression to be the lifelong companion of your Old Fashioned, which would it be and what qualities make it the perfect pour?

Easy — the regular small batch. Before I worked at Heaven Hill, I was already singing the praises of this Bourbon for an Old Fashioned. It’s 8-12 years old, which brings out Lignin, which is high in vanillin, and lactone, which gives it a creamy mouthfeel, as well as the backbone of oak from the extra aging. It’s higher in proof compared to a lot of other Bourbons at 47% abv (94 proof in old money) too, which means it can stand up to the dilution and chilling that happens in an Old Fashioned.

14. When making an Old Fashioned, what's one "absolute no-go" that would make you dramatically gasp, and one "must-do" that you swear by?

Absolute no-go, would be shaking it. And the must-do for me is making demerara sugar syrup in advance. Demerara sugar is made with molasses and therefore the caramel notes of the sugar pairs perfectly with the Bourbon. I don’t like white sugar in my Old Fashioneds…the same as my coffee.

15. If you found yourself on a wild goose chase for the perfect Old Fashioned in London, where would be your first stop?

To be honest, it’s rare you find a bad one these days, as long as you’re going to a proper cocktail bar. I drink mostly in Soho, so Swift, Dram, No.3 Greek street would be my go to’s, as they all have a great range of whiskies.

Two must-make Old Fashioned recipes

Here’s Benji’s favourite takes on the Old Fashioned — one a classic, the other a ‘twisted’ spin on the traditional recipe…:

The Classic:

• 50ml Elijah Craig Small Batch
• 5ml Demerara Sugar Syrup
• 2 Dash Orange Bitters
• 1 Dash Angostura Bitters

Garnished with orange and lemon peel and a Fabbri Amarena Cherry (these cost a fair bit, but are the dons of cocktail cherries, they also come in a lovely jar that you can reuse.)

The Twisted: Old Fashioned Pistol

• 50ml Elijah Craig Small Batch
• 10ml Crème de Banane
• 5ml Coffee liqueur
• 2 dash Chocolate bitters
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

• The best whisky taste tested: 32 bottles our experts recommend

It’s Nintendo Switch 2 launch day — and like basically every other release of a brand new gadget known to man, there’s at least one kink in the system that you might encounter on day one.

If you’re setting up your Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time, and are looking to use the ‘System Transfer’ feature to move your save data, screenshots and user profiles from the original Nintendo Switch to the new console, some new owners are encountering an issue that prevents it from working.

We ran into the problem too, but we’ve got the fix. Read on for how to make sure all your old Switch data moves as seamlessly as possible onto the new machine.

‘Connect the AC Adaptor before starting the system transfer process’

When first setting up your Nintendo Switch 2, the initial set-up process invites users to transfer old data from an existing Switch to the new console.

To do this, you’ll be asked to sign into your Nintendo account on a smartphone or tablet, and agree to the fact that some data elements will move irreversibly from the old console to the new one. You’ll be given a numbered code to put into the Switch 2 interface. So far, so simple.

You’ll then be asked to move your old console close to the new Switch 2, go into the old console’s settings menu and, under the System menu, select the data transfer option. This should then trigger a wireless data transfer between both systems. But if, like us, you’re unlucky, you’ll be met with a message on the old console that reads:

‘Connect the AC Adaptor before starting the system transfer process.’

And we couldn’t get it to go away. It had us stumped, as our old Nintendo Switch OLED model not only had 100% battery charge, but was also plugged into the wall, too.

We tried different chargers, different cables, even plugging the old Switch into the USB-A ports on the side of the Switch 2 dock.

The solution?

Temporarily plug your old Switch into the Nintendo Switch 2’s power supply — even if that means disconnecting its USB-C cable from the dock.

Once you’ve plugged it into the official power supply that comes with the new Switch, the problem instantly resolves, and the data transfer continues.

Hopefully Nintendo notices this issue and tweaks it with a console update for future users. But hey, welcome to the world of Day One ownership! Happy gaming!

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If the latest shortages are anything to go by, the world is turning into a sea of Guinness drinkers.

And the last thing that good old Arthur Guinness would want is for us to be drinking his precious product in the incorrect way, so we consulted with Fergal Murray, the Guinness Master Brewer, to find out exactly the right way to pour the black stuff — whether in a pub, or out of a can in the comfort of your own home

Here are your instructions: use them wisely. And if the barman's doing it wrong, tell him (nicely).

How to pour Guinness from draught

1. Vessel: Take a clean, cool, dry pint glass

2. Tilt: Hold the glass firmly at 45 degrees under the tap

3. Initial pour: Pull the handle fully towards you, slowly straightening the glass as it fills - stop when the glass is three-quarters full

4. Wait: Leave the surge to settle, allowing the creamy head to foam - the head should be between 10-15mm high

5. Secondary pour: Top up the glass by pushing the tap handle away from you - stop when the head is proud of the rim

6. Note: there should be no overspill!

7. Enjoy!

How to pour Guinness from a can

1. Chill: Chill your Guinness in the fridge for at least four hours, until the liquid reaches between 5 and 7 degrees

2. Open: Open the can on a flat surface; you’ll then hear the widget jet nitrogen through the beer in the can

2. Tilt: Tilt a clean, cool, dry glass to a 45 degree angle

3. Pour: Pour, slowly and steadily

4. Settle: Let the liquid settle for around 60 seconds and watch as the surge forms the infamous white head

5. Enjoy!

...Or use a Guinness Nitrosurge

If you are looking to pour Guinness at home and fancy using a gadget, then Guinness has nailed it with the Nitrosurge. We have been using it for a number of months now and it has changed our Guinness drinking at home.

The idea is you place this on top of a Nitrosurge-compatible can and through ultrasonic technology it makes the Guinness pour even smoother. It's no gimmick, either, created by Guinness themselves. The device is fully rechargeable and and an essential part of any drinks cabinet.

• Head to Amazon now to get yourself a Nitrosurge

This article has been adapted from a previous article on Shortlist