5 gin cocktails you need to try ASAP!

Difficulty 1/5

I looooove gin! And living in London, it’s the perfect excuse because you can say you drink it because you’re trying to blend in with the locals. Howeeeever, there’s a gin craze all over the world and I had to chip in with something. So here go 5 gin cocktails to try at home and fall in love with them. Also, I have to mention that I used this amazing pack of spices that the people of Gin Up Lima sell, all of which go amazing paired with the aromatics that go into the gin itself traditionally.

Here you can see the product and how nice it is. I think this would be a great idea for a gift for someone who loves to drink gin (like moi).

Now down to business! A bit of basics first: to start any of your gin cocktails, add the ice to the glass first and twirl it until the outside becomes foggy, meaning it’s cold. Then get rid of any extra water (you don’t want to dilute your drink), fill up with more ice and start pouring 🙂

Portions: all recipes are for 1 drink

1. GIN TONIC WITH CUCUMBER AND ROSEMARY

– Lots of ice
– Cucumber slices to taste
– 1 part gin
– 1/2 part lime juice
– 6 parts tonic water
– 1 part ginger ale
– 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
– 1/4 tsp persian rose petals

For the cucumber, I cut it in 4 and then using a peeler I made thin slices which are YUMMY and help to release the flavour

Add the ice, doing the routine described above. Then put your cucumber and rosemary in place, pour in the gin and lime juice, then the tonic water and ginger ale. Finish with  your Persian rose petals.

2. CHAI AND ORANGE GIN TONIC

– Lots of ice
– 1 part chai syrup (30g white sugar, 60ml water, 4 cardamom pods, 2 whole allspice, 1/2 tsp black tea leaves or 1 tea bag, 2 cinnamon sticks. Let simmer until reduced by half and let cool completely. Once cool, discard the aromatics)
– 1 part gin
– 6 parts tonic water
– 1 orange peel
– extra aromatics from the chai syrup for garnish

Add the ice with the routine described above, then twist your orange peel slightly so it releases its oils and flavours, and put it in.

Then add the gin, tonic water and finish with the syrup and fresh aromatics from the chai syrup. Give it a stir!

3. GRAPEFRUIT AND JUNIPER BERRIES GIN COCKTAIL

– Lots of ice
– 1 part grapefruit juice (fresh is best!)
– 1 part gin
– 4 parts ginger ale
– 1/2 tsp dry juniper berries

Do the ice routing described above, then the gin, grapefruit juice and finish with the ginger ale and juniper berries to intensify the taste of the gin (it’s made mainly of these berries!).

4. LEMON GRASS, PINK PEPPER AND BLUEBERRY GIN COCKTAIL

– Lots of ice
– 1/2 part lemon grass and pink pepper syrup (30g lemongrass, crushed to release flavour, 1/2 tsp freshly crushed pink pepper, 30g white sugar, 60ml water. Boil until reduced by half and let cool completely before removing the lemongrass and pepper)
– 1/2 part lime juice
– 1 part gin
– 1 part blueberry juice (blended blueberries without any water and passed through a fine sieve)
– 3 parts ginger ale
– extra lemongrass stalks and pink pepper for garnish

Start by cooling the glass using the technique described above, then add the gin, syrup, blueberry juice and finish with the ginger ale. Give it a stir! Finish with the lemongrass stalks and pink pepper.

5. STAR FRUIT GIN COCKTAIL

– Lots of ice
– 1 part starfruit juice (chopped star fruit blended without water, then passed through a fine sieve. 1 starfruit makes 1 drink approx)
– 1 part gin
– 4 parts ginger ale
– a starfruit slice for garnish
– dry juniper berries

Cool your glass with the method from lines above, then add the gin, juice and finish with the ginger ale. Put a nice slice on the side of the glass and sprinkle some dry juniper berries for extra taste.

I hope you like this post, it was an absolute blast to make! Comment below if you have any other gin cocktail creations 🙂