New countries like Uruguay and Greece are top of the coolest wine lists

Anybody can drink. But drinking with style requires a little more research.

Just like food, drinks trends change with the seasons and this summer sees the introduction of some adventurous new flavours to our booze as we investigate weird wines, new beers and old-fashioned cocktails.

And it's not just taste adventures at the bar: celebrating at home is more popular than ever and a trip to the supermarket today isn't complete without splashing out on an exciting new tipple.

What'll it be? Experts reveal the biggest drinks trends for 2015

M&S is one of the supermarkets tickling grown-up taste buds with an impressive collection of global beers, wine and spirits. And two women with their finger on the pulse – and the cocktail glass stem – when it comes to knowing what's cool to drink now are M&S drinks developers Emma Dawson and Jenny Rea.

These ladies have the envious task of buying, creating and tasting (lots of tasting) new drinks from all over the world to decide which products are good enough to stock on the M&S shelves and eventually end up in our glass.

So who better to spend some time at the bar with as they share their expert trend predictions for this year…

1. DRINKING YOUR GREENS

Superfoods and organic ingredients are at the top of every mixologists' shopping list right now and green is the new black as spinach, beetroot and even kale creep into our cocktails.

Gin makers have used botanicals to add delicate flavour to spirits for years and now the M&S team have created a vegetable-infused vodka that is perfect for summer drinks parties.

Taste explosion: Pea and Mint Vodka is now officially a thing according to the experts at M&S

It might not really count as one of your five a day, but Pea and Mint Vodka is now officially a thing. Jenny Rea, a product developer on soft drinks, juice, beer and spirits at M&S says: 'My job is about finding things that are new and inspiring, looking at what will make us stand out.

'The Pea and Mint Vodka just worked as a brilliant flavour combination. We were looking at summer trends for inspiration and in the juice world everything green has done really well, from kale to asparagus. We launched an apple, pea, lime and mint juice in January and that did really well so decided to apply it to a vodka.

'Pea and mint work really well together to give a nice fresh flavour. It's fantastic as a long drink with a spot of tonic, it's a bit different and it shouts ''SUMMER'!

Experimental: The Tu-Whit-Tu-Whoo-Woo at the Cocktail Trading Co. features sage, rosemary and anise

Bar guru Elliott Ball of Soho drinking den Cocktail Trading Co. is a fan, he says: 'People on both sides of the bar are getting more experimental with flavours and are happy to serve, and drink, concoctions with the added complexity of something savoury. So it's not so much about drinks based on vegetable flavours, but with just a light touch of them; that's why the M&S pea-flavoured vodka is a great idea: peas are naturally both sweet and savoury, thus wouldn't massively change drinks, but deepen them a little.

'Our Tu-Whit-Tu-Whoo-Woo follows a similar principle; on the one hand, it's an obvious twist on the Woo Woo but with the additional savoury characteristics of sage, rosemary and anise bringing enough complexity to satisfy other palates.'

2. 'IT'S FROM WHERE?' WINES

Grapes from one-time greats are making a comeback and modern technology is introducing the experts to some exciting new destinations.

Emma Dawson, one of three wine and spirits buyers on the M&S team looks after Bordeaux and Burgundy as well as new markets like India, Japan, Uruguay, Greece and Israel.

Young grapes: Countries like India and Brazil are harnessing modern technology to create great wine

She says: 'It's always about trying to stay ahead of the curve trying to find the new wine countries before anyone else whilst also making sure they make good enough wine.

'At the moment we're seeing new countries emerging. and countries that have a tradition of good wine making are coming back, like Georgia and Greece.

'For a couple of decades they hadn't been making wine as well as they could, but in the last couple of years have really upped their game as the new generation comes forward.

'And then we have countries you wouldn't associate with wine, like India and Brazil, who are harnessing modern technology to create great flavours and commercially viable products.'

3. READY-MIXED COCKTAILS

Less time queuing at the bar is good news for drinkers, and more drinks served in less time is great news for bar owners, so this is what we call a win-win situation.

New boy: M&S is adding a Mint & Cucumber G&T flavour to the Ready To Drink range this summer

M&S can take credit for being a very early adopter of the pre-made cocktail trend: their cocktails in cans having kicked off many a fabulous Friday night in offices/homes/parks across the country.

Emma says: 'M&S was seriously ahead of the curve on this trend. It was quite a risk a few years ago to say that we were going to sell high end, luxury cocktails of the same quality you'll get in a bar but in a tin. We wanted to create a premium product that was as good as the stuff we drink when we go out in bars, and it has been a huge success.'

M&S is adding a Mint & Cucumber G&T flavour to the cocktail in cans range this summer, and their classic bottled flavours including Margaritas, Espresso Martinis and Mojitos are some of their best drinks sellers.

The World Of Zing is another brand worth checking out for wannabe mixologists short on time.

Pre-batched flavours including Bordeaux Barrel Aged Negroni with Tanqueray Gin & Bespoke Serenity Bitters, and Steel Aged Manhattan with Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Anaesthetic Brandy and Zing Bespoke Euphoric Bitters are hand-crafted in small batches in East London then bottled, labelled and dated, giving each customer a lovely 'limited edition' experience.

Away from home the fashionable Hamyard Hotel in Covent Garden creates a different secret batched cocktail each month available only at special request, whilst the very hip White Lyan in Hoxton only sells ready-made drinks, claiming that they want to spend their time talking to customers about the art of cocktails rather than being too busy making complex drinks on the go.

A world of ready-made flavour: The World Of Zing creates pre-batched cocktails in its East London brewery

''I think it's a cool idea for bars - you don't have to make it right then and there,' says Emma. 'If you're making it well, and storing it well then why not?

'They can create all these amazing, complicated flavour combinations that they wouldn't be able to in a packed bar, and it's less time spent queuing for the customer.'

4. VERMOUTH: SHAKEN OR STIRRED

Classic cocktails like the Martini are back, and as a result Vermouth sales are soaring.

A tasty mix of herbs, spices and strong booze this fortified wine is a winning summer drink and there are literally hundreds of producers to choose from.

It's a brilliant aperitif with a few snacks and a lot of friends on a warm evening – Mele e Pere in Soho is a great place to learn the history of the drink as you tipple, especially on two-for-one Mondays - or if you're if you're drinking at home why not channel the stylish Italians and serve up on the rocks.

Versatile: Classic cocktails are back, and as a result Vermouth sales are soaring

Jenny says: 'We launched our own brand Vermouth last summer after seeing an increase in bars using it the year before.

'This is a great ingredient for cocktails or with ice as a long drink. I even use it for cooking.

5. 'WHAT THE HECK IS THAT CALLED AGAIN?' WINE

The return of the dinner party – and the subsequent rise of the dinner party show off - has led to a huge increase in demand for unusual wines, especially those with hard-to-pronounce names as we rush to namedrop our latest new world finds to friends.

Since the launch of its Eastern Mediterranean range two years ago, almost a quarter of a million bottles of exotically named wines, including the Lefkes Moschofilero, Sevilen Öküzgözü and Thymiopoulos Malagouzia, have been snapped up by M&S customers.

Comeback kids: For a couple of decades countries like Georgia and Greece haven't been making wine as well as they could, but they've started to up their game as the new generation comes forward

Wines from Uruguay are part of the expanded range of M&S wine, catering to every taste

And it is selling 25 times more unusually named wines, including the Japanese Sol Lucet Koshu, than more renowned classic wines like the Alsace Pinot Blanc.

The weird and wonderful Öküzgözü, Koshu, Malagozia, Malvasia, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Assyrtiko and Teroldego grapes have all been added to the wine list over the last year

Emma says: 'People are expecting more of their wines now. They are more interested and more engaged.

'Our customers are actually very adventurous, they love new trends and quirky products and so we have seen these more exotic categories grow year on year.

'When we first started stocking orange wine two years ago, for instance, we sold out in just three weeks.'

6. OLD-FASHIONED BITTERS

Wannabe mixologists can add a dash of sophistication to their serves with old-school bitters. Small and powerful, these must-have drinks cabinet accessories will mark you out as a drinks connoisseur.

Bitters used to be considered medicinal, and the ingredient that distinguished cocktails from other categories of drinks such as Toddies, Slings, Fizzes, Sours or Punches.

Sophisticated: Bartenders love bitters for adding serious zing to speciality cocktails

The bartender's secret weapon: Bitters are the 'spice rack' of your drinks cabinet

They disappeared once prohibition started and consumers' drinking habits changed, with many brands sinking into oblivion.

M&S booze: The numbers Last week alone M&S sold: - 170 bottles of booze per minute - 14 bottles of beer a minute - A bottle of Champagne every 10 SECONDS

But they're back - so say our M&S experts and bartenders around the world who have been crafting their own as a way of adding some serious zing to their drinks.

Emma says: 'People love to be competitive about what's in their drinks cabinets and this is one way to show off your know-how.'

The team behind The Bitter Truth drinks company call them the 'spice rack for your bar', saying: 'You can use a dash of celery bitters in a Bloody Mary or a drop of orange bitters in a Manhattan.

'Like adding seasoning to a meal to enhance food, the equivalent in the drinks world is a dash of cocktail bitters, which are made from aromatic oils, herbs and spices.

These tinctures add depth of flavour, balance and aroma to drinks – known as the bartender's secret weapon - and are a sure fire way to total cocktail mastery.'

7. GLUTEN-FREE BEER

Gluten-free beer was originally developed so that people with coeliac disease could enjoy the product. But with the rise of gluten-free as a lifestyle health choice, breweries have begun to experiment to try and achieve the same taste as a classic lager but without the gluten, and now it's on the shelves at M&S at elsewhere.

Cheers to no wheat: Gluten-free beer is gaining popularity in bars and supermarkets

Normal beers are generally made using barley or wheat, both of which contain gluten, whilst gluten-free beers tend to use alternative grains and grasses such as millet, rice, corn, buckwheat or sorghum. This gives the brews a slightly different flavour, often described as crisp and cider-like with fruity accents.

M&S already sells two gluten-free beer options, Jenny says: 'Over the past couple of years we've noticed a significant increase in demand for gluten-free options across our food and drinks ranges.

'We sell two gluten free beers, a Belgian Golden Ale and Belgium Premium Pilsner, and we chose these as they are great tasting beers which also happen to be gluten-free, they don't compromise at all on taste and are just as good a quality as the other beers in our range. Sales are up 28% this year, which shows how popular they are.'