MY LIFE IN DRINKS: Singer and actress Alexandra Burke

My favourite drink as a child was Five Alive fruit juice. I vividly remember walking down Caledonian Road in North London with my mum the day before I turned six. I told her I didn't want to stop being five because Five Alive was made for me. She tried to reassure me: 'You can be six and still have Five Alive, you know.' But I was totally distraught.

I never used to be into coffee, but since having children [she has two, aged one and two] I drink around three a day. If I make one at home, I'll use my French press with M&S Colombian Ground Coffee. On Sunday mornings, me and my fiancé [footballer Darren Randolph] will share a big pot and make M&S frozen pastries as a treat. When I'm out, I like the Blank Street chain of coffee shops. The matcha latte is my favourite, but I'm partial to a pumpkin spice latte in autumn.

My go-to cocktail is a pornstar martini. I absolutely love them. The best one I ever had was at The Rooftop by STK on The Strand, eight or nine years ago. I used to take my mum Melissa, because she adored the view from up there. That was our special thing, and I have so many precious memories of those evenings together [Melissa passed away in 2017].

On my first date with Darren, we drank little bottles of Jamaican Magnum Tonic wine. We met at Kenwood House in Hampstead for a dog walk, because I thought I'd be able to escape easily if it wasn't going so well. I took these Magnums, but I didn't know if he'd drink anything because he's an athlete. After a few minutes, I whipped them out and said, 'Babes, do you wanna have a drink?' So we did and it definitely loosened him up, and I knew he was a keeper from then on. It's always a good sign when someone is happy to go with the flow.

The most famous person I've ever shared a drink with is Beyoncé. We met on The X Factor in 2008, when she performed 'Listen' with me in the final. When I was recording my first album with her husband Jay-Z a few years later in New York, she rocked up to the building with a bottle of white wine. I thought, 'What the hell is going on with my life?' She still invites me to her concerts and for a catch up when she comes over here. I know they say don't meet your heroes, but in this case that couldn't be less true. I love her to pieces.

I once had dinner with J-Lo, who introduced me to white russians. I've been in love with the drink ever since. Her ex-boyfriend was one of my dancers, and when J-Lo was in the UK, we went to Hakkasan in Mayfair together. The whole time all I could think was, 'How am I having dinner with Jennifer Lopez?' I'm proud of myself for not fangirling too hard, because the first time I met Beyoncé I cried.

When I'm tipsy, the song I'm most likely to sing is 'I Like to Move It', but always the Madagascar version. Whenever my dad David comes over, he tells me, 'Alex, put on the animal film.' So it's become a huge anthem in my family – even my youngest starts wiggling along when we play it. You know I've had too many glasses of fizz when I crack that one out.

If I could share a drink with anyone alive or dead, I'd pick my mum. She'd have prosecco as she loved it and insisted it was much nicer than champagne. If I tried to give her a fancy glass, she'd say, 'I can't stand that bitter stuff. Give me prosecco and save your money!' The only exception was her birthday, when she wanted Dom Pérignon, not to drink but just to look posh. I'd buy her a bottle and it used to sit there gathering dust because she'd never open it. If I could share a glass of bubbly with her one last time, I'd pick that over anything.