Shake up your drinks repertoire by giving gin the cocktail treatment. Our quick and easy cocktail recipes can be created in moments, giving you more time to party.
Gin is more popular than ever, so it’s a good time to learn some simple serving options to take it to another dimension altogether. You don’t need any fancy equipment for our speedy cocktails – even a jam jar will do as a shaker. It’s all about the love you put into the preparation…And the drinking obviously.
To get you started, here are a few tips to boost your cocktail-making confidence:
- The key to making drinks is the balance between sweet and sour/bitter. Try not to let one element overpower the other.
- Taste your drinks before you serve to make sure they’re wonderful.
- If serving over ice, fill your glass to the top with the stuff.
- Ensure your garnish is fresh and stacked close to the straws.
- Remember that we drink in three steps, with our eyes first, then with our nose and finally with our mouth.
As a general rule I recommend using 50ml of gin for each cocktail unless otherwise stated. If using a liqueur too, I tend to drop to 35ml gin and use 15ml of the liqueur. Use fresh citrus juice and balance 25ml of that to 15ml of sugar syrup that’s been made from equal parts sugar and water (you’ll find a recipe at the bottom of the page).
10 quick and easy gin cocktails…
Bramble
Short and fragrant. Big love to legendary bartender Dick Bradsell, the creator.
You’ll need:
40ml gin
25ml sugar syrup
25ml lemon juice
10ml crème de mure
Berries or lemon zest for garnish
Take a large measure of dry gin and shake together with the lemon and sugar syrup, pour over crushed ice and drizzle the crème de mure through the drink. Garnish with a lemon zest or some fresh seasonal berries. A true party pleaser.
French 75
Party time! This one uses smaller amounts of spirits to allow the fizz flavour to flourish.
You’ll need:
20ml gin,
15ml lemon
15ml sugar
Fizz of your choice
Mix the gin, sugar and lemon juice in a flute and top with chilled bubbly. Continue to party like it’s 2099.
Elderflower collins
Fresh and fruity. Elderflower cordial, you can buy it from most big supermarkets now.
You’ll need:
50ml gin
25ml lemon
10ml sugar syrup
15ml elderflower cordial
Soda to finish
Shake up the gin with the lemon, sugar and a dash of elderflower cordial. Pour over rock ice and lengthen with sparkling water. Decorate with a sprig of your favourite herb. If you’re feeling like a true vagabond then top with sparkling wine to make an Elderflower Royale.
Rhubarb & Raspberry gin fizz
Give this wonderfully fruity gin a mean cocktail kick.
You’ll need:
50ml Tarquins rhubarb & raspberry gin
20ml lemon
15ml syrup
20ml egg whites
Shake together the Tarquins gin, lemon, sugar syrup and the fresh egg white with ice. Then, shake without the ice to ensure maximum frothage. Serve straight up in a wine glass with a slice of ginger and raspberry aloft.
Negroni
Italians believe you need to drink three of these before you begin to enjoy them (not in one night though): Perfect with the aromas of Pictish!
You’ll need:
25ml Theodore pictish gin
25ml vermouth
25ml Campari
1 orange
Pour the gin, sweet vermouth and Campari into your favourite rocks glass over ice. Stir it down to your preferred taste. Then, zest the orange with true Italian flair over the glass and add the citrus to the potion. Forget minutes – you can make this in seconds… Keep batched in the fridge even.
Martini
Stirred NOT shaken.
You’ll need:
60ml gin
Vermouth to taste
Your chosen garnish
A Martini all about personal preference. The key elements to success are ensuring your vermouth is fresh, gin is quality and the garnish is appetising. Stir your required amount of gin (here We’ve used 60ml) with however much dry vermouth you like: the more you use the more herbal it will be. Stir to taste – it’s about finding the perfect dilution. Don’t be afraid to garnish your masterpiece with something that might seem peculiar either – personally we take two basil leaves but usually use a savoury style gin. Ensure your glass is frozen and the liquid smooth. James Bond, who?
Gimlet
What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Note that your cordial can be shop-bought or homemade and it’s fun to mix it up with the seasons.
You’ll need:
50ml gin,
25ml cordial (we used lime)
This ratio of two parts gin to one part cordial dances in the glass. Stir down, pour into a glamorous coupe and garnish how you please. We enjoy a slapped sage leaf. Why not try pomegranate cordial?
Fogcutter
Tiki-style. This one has a quadruple booze hit. You can buy almond syrup online – the most common brand is Monin, which is used to flavour coffee as well as cocktails.
You’ll need:
20ml gin
20ml brandy
20ml rum
40ml orange juice
20ml lemon juice
15ml almond syrup
5ml sherry
Combine the gin, brandy, rum, freshly-squeezed orange and lemon juice then add the almond syrup to really funk things up. Shake well and add the touch of sherry to top. Garnish with anything fun you can lay your hands on and serve tall over ice.
G&T
The headline act. A gin and tonic evolves into something far more complex wih the right twists.
You’ll need:
Gin
Lots of ice
A big copa glass (a large, balloon-shaped glass)
Natural tonic water
Your favourite garnishes
Celebrate this piece of heritage with a glorious serve, always using one part gin to two parts tonic. Check out our favourite methods by reading my guide to How to make the perfect G&T.
Southside
Also known as a mojito, gin-style.
You’ll need:
50ml gin,
25ml lime
25ml sugar syrup,
6-8 mint leaves.
Drop the gin, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup and the mint leaves into a glass then get your arms moving with a barspoon. Make sure to use lots of crushed ice and a highball that’s been chilled. Garnish with one slapped mint leaf.
Quick sugar syrup recipe
Bring one part sugar and one part water together and heat in a pan. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. If you want to go the extra mile, you can flavour this with fresh herbs, citrus zest and spices.
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