When Life Hands You Lemons, Make a Gin and Tonic: 7 Fresh Gin Cocktail Recipes For You
Gin-drinking is a great vice in England, but wretchedness and dirt are a greater; and until you improve the homes of the poor, or persuade a half-famished wretch not to seek relief in the temporary oblivion of his own misery, with the pittance, which divided among his family would furnish a morsel of bread for each, gin-shops will increase in number and splendor.
Sketches By Boz, Charles Dickens
Perhaps, the most astonishing fact about gin is that most people believe that it originated in the UK. However, the truth is far from that, and it is none other than Holland who manufactured this liquor first.
The most popular recipes for gin cocktails are meant to cool the wrath of the summer God.
1. Summer Sipper
This particular recipe was originally conceived by one Sam Ross (New York bar Attaboy). It does require a thorough and careful rinsing of the glass with absinthe prior to the preparation of the cocktail, but one can also go for softer and simpler floral and citrus notes.
Ingredients
- Salcombe or any other good quality Gin, 20 Ml
- Saint-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, 20 Ml
- Orange liqueur, 20 Ml
- Freshly extracted lime juice, 20 Ml
- Lemon zest or lime for garnish
Preparation
Put some ice first in the cocktail shaker and mix all the four ingredients mentioned above in the shaker. Shake hard and strain into the martini glass. Place strips of lemon zest or a large piece of citrus for garnish.
2. Bramble
It is said that this drink should be consumed at the onset of season’s first ever batch of blackberries blooming in the hedgerows. Gin and blackberry liqueur happened to have considerably more affinity when compared to than that of gin and cassis.
Ingredients
- Gin, 40 Ml
- (Blackberry liqueur) Crème de Mûre, 40 Ml
- Fresh lemon juice, 15 Ml
- Sugar syrup, 10 Ml
- Blackberries for garnish
Preparation
Half-fill a large tumbler with ice and pour all liquids into it. Stir gently and put one or two blackberries for garnish.
3. Lemongrass Fusion
Characterized by warm notes of ginger and tangy flavors of lemongrass and lime, this drink comes with exotic and aromatic ingredients and leaves a typically sweet finish.
Ingredients
- Gin, 50 Ml
- A lemongrass measuring 4 Cm and outer layer peeled
- Lemongrass and lime cordial concentrate like Belvoir or similar, 30 Ml
- Ginger ale, 150 Ml
- Peeled ginger root measuring 2 Cm2
- One lime slice for garnish
Preparation
Chop the ginger and the lemongrass into small pieces and use the back of a tablespoon for bruising them. Put their juices along with the parts into the cocktail shaker and add ice, cordial, and the gin. Shake vigorously and strain into the tumbler pre-filled with ice. Pour ginger ale on top and place one thin lemon slice for garnish.
4. Apricot Passion
This concoction is primarily tangy, fruity, and succulent; though not sharp as a spirit. One can use an apricot glaze (widely available in the supermarkets) or may choose to pour apricot jam through the sieve instead.
Ingredients
- Gin, 30 Ml
- Passionfruit juice, 30 Ml
- Lemon juice, 10 Ml
- Sieved apricot jam or apricot glaze, one tablespoonful
Preparation
Put the apricot glaze in a glass and top it with the gin. Add some crushed ice and stir well to dissolve the apricot entirely. Then mix the lemon juice and passionfruit juice and stir again. Put some more crushed ice and place a straw before serving.
5. Gin Fizz
The creamy finish of this drink can be attributed to the egg white used. The raw egg is responsible for making the cocktail richer and silkier.
Ingredients
- Gin, 50 Ml
- Sugar syrup, 10 Ml
- Sugar, one teaspoonful
- Fresh lime juice, 30 Ml
- Soda water, chilled, quantity as per taste
- (Optional) Egg white, lightly whipped, 20 Ml
Preparation
Add the gin, sugar syrup, lime juice, egg white (optional), sugar and a little amount of ice in the cocktail shaker and shake hard. Strain into the highball glass pre-filled halfway with ice cubes and top it up with the soda water.
6. Birds & Bees
This one is necessarily a cocktail dashed with honey and infused with the Camomile tea.
Ingredients
- Chamomile tea-bag, one
- Good quality gin like Greenall’s Bloom, for serving
- Honey, two tablespoonfuls
- Fresh lime juice as per taste
Preparation
Allow the tea-bag to soak in 125 Ml of boiling water for not more than three minutes and prepare the Chamomile syrup. Then mix honey and stir until dissolved. Use a tablespoon for squashing the bag before discarding. Allow the syrup to cool down and put it in the refrigerator. Use one portion of lime juice and one portion of Chamomile juice with two portions of gin for serving. Blend them into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and strain the mixture into the martini glass. The remaining syrup can be preserved for many days in the refrigerator.
7. Rose Water Baby
It is unmistakably a chic cocktail that is aromatic, exotic, and tastes somewhat like the Turkish delight. One should be very careful with the rose water, and if it happens to be a concentrate, then only one or maybe two drops should be used.
Ingredients
- Premium quality gin like the Caorunn, 40 Ml
- Tonic water, Chilled, 60 Ml
- Good quality rose water like the Nielsen-Massey, one drop or two
- Rose petal, small, ruby red or vibrant pink
Preparation
Pour the rose water and the gin into the cocktail shaker along with a couple of ice cubes. Stir shortly and strain into one white wine glass. Then mix the tonic and place one rose petal on the surface of the drink before serving.