A Midsummer Night's Beam cocktail

If Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream were a drink, it would be a full-on sozzler: lashings of greenery with a dash of Greek mythology, resulting in a reality-warping hangover.

Thankfully, we don't have to imagine such a concoction any longer - just as well, as we've developed one heck of a thirst and our imaginary faculties aren't what they used to be. Tim Federle's ingeniously titled Tequalia Mockingbird: Cocktails With A Literary Twist infuses timeless tipples with classic novels, inspiring a range of alternative cocktail recipes.

'A Midsummer Night's Beam' looks to avoid an alcohol-fuelled blackout and angles toward a dreamy, drowsy Shakespearean slumber that packs a sweet punch. To create this literary cocktail you will require:

Eight sprigs of fresh mint, washed

Half an ounce of lime juice

Two teaspoons of granulated sugar

Two ounces of bourbon (such as Jim Beam)

One (12-ounce) can of club soda

Ice

Directions

Muddle the mint, lime juice, and sugar in a highball glass. Add ice and bourbon, and fill to the top with club soda. Sip to your imagination's content - stopping only if your shadow begins to speak.

Tim Federle's Tequila Mockingbird is available from Waterstones