As the end of the term approaches you may be starting to plan Christmas parties with your flat mates, or “last night’s out” before all your friends head home. So if like me, you enjoy a good cocktail, you’re in luck! I have made a list of 10 cocktail recipes with Gin, which are easy to make and are delicious too!
The Gin Gimlet
This sophisticated cocktail is the perfect drink to serve at dinner parties. Lime and Gin go together as if they were made for each other! This cold refreshing cocktail is both easy to make and delicious.
Ingredients
2-ounces – Gin
¾ ounce – Lime cordial
Ice
Directions
Mix together the lime cordial and gin in a separate container and pour over ice. (I prefer to use crushed ice but that is a personal choice). The trick is to really get this drink cold, then you can sit back and sip on your Gin gimlet!
Gin Ricky
The lesser-known and lesser-appreciated brother of the classic Gin and tonic. Easy to make, easy to drink, all you need is gin, soda and a lime.
Ingredients
2 ounces- Gin
A clean lime
Chilled soda water
Directions
Put some ice in a glass and squeeze your lime. Try to get as much juice as possible. You can use lime cordial if you have it on hand, however I have always preferred the taste of fresh lime more. Once you have as much lime juice as you can in the glass as the gin, top it up with the soda water. Get a straw and stir it gently to mix the lime and gin with the soda, And voila you have a delicious Gin Ricky.
Honey bee
The honey bee is a classic gin cocktail easy to make and with a lovely mixture of flavour, as it moves away from the citrus flavour usually associated with Gin.
Ingredients
2 ounces- Gin
½ ounce- Lemon Juice
½ ounce- boiling water
½ ounce- honey
Directions
Mix the boiling water and honey in a separate container. Stir until the honey has dissolved (this creates a honey syrup). Get a chilled glass and mix the gin and lemon juice, then add the honey syrup. Once this is done, stir it gently and enjoy!
Tom Collins
It has been nearly 4 years since I was introduced to this incredible drink on a warm summers evening. I haven’t looked back – this remains one of my favourite drinks. It is so easy to make so I feel I am rather well acquainted with Mr. Tom Collins
Ingredients
2 ounces- Gin
½ teaspoon- caster sugar
Soda water
1 lemon
Directions
Slice the lemon in half keep one half for garnish and the other for fresh lemon juice. In a tall glass mix the lemon juice from the halved lemon, Gin and sugar over some ice (hint: Make sure to put the sugar in first) stir until the sugar is dissolved. Top up the glass with Soda water and gently stir. Finally: add lemon as garnish and sit back and enjoy the delicious taste.
Gin and Mint
This is a refreshing, easy going cocktail that you will love the taste and look of. Elegantly presented with a lovely floral taste.
Ingredients
2 ounces- Gin
2 stems of fresh mint
4 ounces elderflower Pressé
Directions
The first thing to do is to get the most flavour out of your mint. The trick to this is to either gently hit it against a chopping board or to lightly hit the mint with a hard object, once the leaves have been damaged the smell will be more prominent as will the flavour. Place the mint and ice into a glass, add the gin and the elderflower Presse and make sure your presse is not a concentrate as it will ruin the flavour. If you want to, you can place a slice of cucumber on the side of the glass as garnish.
Lavender Gin Cup
This floral cocktail takes a bit of preparation, so if you know you have an event coming up in the next month it would probably be best to start then so that the lavender infuses properly. This Cocktail is one of the easiest to make with only two ingredients and is always a hit at dinner parties and picnics.
Ingredients (For lavender gin)
25 dried Lavender heads
70cl bottle of gin.
(For lavender gin cup)
2 ounces- Lavender Gin
4 ounces- Lemonade
1 stalk of lavender for garnish
Directions (For Lavender Gin)
Place lavender heads into the gin and leave to rest for 14 days. Remove lavender heads when using the gin.
(for the Lavender Gin Cup)
Place the gin into a chilled glass, or over crushed ice, top up the glass with lemonade and place the lavender stalk in the drink as garnish, using it to stir occasionally. This drink may seem like a lot of faffing around, but I assure you it isn’t at all, it creates a taste that your guest will certainly enjoy!
The Martini
If you have ever seen someone sipping on a martini you will know that this is the most sophisticated looking drink out there. This sophisticated cocktail is so easy to make and will impress any guest.
Ingredients
2 ounces- Gin
1 ounce- vermouth
Ice
Lemon rind or olive for garnish
Directions
Pour the gin and vermouth over ice into a separate container (preferably a shaker if you have one lying around). Stir for about 30-50 seconds to let the cocktail chill and dilute. The trick for a good martini (just like the Gimlet) is to get the drink as cold as possible). Strain into a chilled glass and add an olive or bit of lemon rind as garnish – then sip away!
Pink Gin
This cocktail is a bit of a girly drink! Watch out though, it is not a drink to down. This is a slow sipping drink as it is very strong. (But a lovely refreshing drink non the less).
Ingredients
3 ounces-Gin
4 dashes of bitters
Directions
Pour the bitters and gin into a separate container that is half filled with ice. Stir gently to let it dilute and chill. I personally like to leave this for a minute or so, then strain into a chilled glass and serve.
Gin Buck
This classic gin cocktail is a different flavour than traditionally associated with Gin and was a favourite during the 20s. It’s very refreshing, light and fizzy. Always a popular choice.
Ingredients
2 ounces- Gin
Half a lemon
Ginger Ale
Directions
Pour the Gin into a glass that is a third filled with ice, squeeze the lemon half into the glass and add the Ginger Ale. Stir gently to mix the ginger ale with the gin. Add a wedge of lemon to the rim of the glass and enjoy.
The Gin and Tonic
We are finally on our 10th Gin cocktail, and I contemplated even putting this in, as it is so well know, I didn’t feel I would be teaching anyone anything. But this is a classic and possibly the most commonly associated cocktail when we discus Gin. So hear it goes…
Ingredients
2 ounces Gin
tonic water.
Directions
Simply mix the Tonic and the Gin in a glass with ice. Many people will have a gin and tonic with the classic block ice in a long glass with a wedge of lime or lemon. However, this is not the only way to have this classic cocktail. Crushed ice is always a favourite of mine and to add a refreshing taste try cucumber diced inside the drink and a slice as garnish. Or even Blueberries sliced in half and added to your drink. Mint is always a good way to spice up a drink, but watch out as the flavour can be a little over whelming and you lose the delicacy of the gin.
I hope you have as much fun as I did making these wonderful cocktails and that your party, events or just your cocktails at home turn out wonderfully!
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