Take a load off. At the end of a long day there's nothing like a cocktail to dull life's jagged edges and unwind. Although admittedly there are times when making the trek to your favourite bar seems like it will only add to the pile on. That's what home bars are for. So if you're ready to take your ability to pour beers to the next level, we've compiled a list of some eight gin cocktails recipes to add to your repertoire.
While we could pull from the varied world of spirits, this time around we're spotlighting the versatility and crowd-pleasing power of gin. For a list of our favourite gins to bring into the fold, we've got you covered.
So whether it's to entertain loved ones or yourself, we're sharing eight refreshing cocktail recipes, that centre gin, for you to try at home. From the Negroni to a Clover Club, find the specs below.
Gin Martini
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- 60ml Gin
- 10ml Dry Vermouth
- A lemon twist
Before we get started, let's clear something up. No one shakes a Martini. Forget James Bond (and when it comes to a Negroni Stanley Tucci) it is simply not a done thing. With this in mind let's move on.
Grab a mixing glass, add your spirits, then fill it right to the brim with ice. Stir. Taste. Stop stirring when it's at the point where it has enough kick for you to know it's a Martini but it's diluted enough to keep you coming back for more. Strain into a coupe. Cut a lemon twist, remove the pith. Spritz the lemon onto the glass and add to the drink. Voila!
Negroni
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- 30ml Sweet Vermouth
- 30ml Campari
- 30ml Gin
- A fat orange peel garnish
A simple pleasure. As I mentioned before, for the love of god do not repeat Stanley Tucci's mistakes and shake a Negroni. It's a stiff drink. You don't want it fizzy and over-diluted. You can build it in a mixing glass or just straight up in a rocks or old-fashioned glass. The choice is yours. Either way you're going to want to add in your spirits, then fill the glass a cm from the top with ice. Stir. Use the same rule to taste when it's ready as you did with a Martini. If you're using a mixing glass, strain into your glassware of choice and add a large ice cube. If you don't have a large cube that's fine, just know that your drink will dilute faster unless it's brimming with ice.
Bees Knees
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- 50ml Gin
- 25ml fresh lemon
- 20ml of honey water (2 parts water, 1 part honey; because honey freezes when it’s cold)
A favourite of Sasha Petraske, the founder of famed venue Milk & Honey in NYC. This is his spec slightly varied to suit Australia's higher quality of citrus. Add the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with a good amount of ice. Shake hard until the shaker becomes frosty enough that you can draw your name into it. You want the drink to be fizzy and vibrant. Strain into a coupe and drink immediately. Three sips is all it takes.
The London Calling
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- 40ml Gin
- 15ml Tio Pepe (or any fino sherry)
- 10ml fresh lemon
- 10ml sugar syrup
- 2 dashes of orange bitters
- A grapefruit twist
If you've found yourself with a well-stocked home bar and have gotten sick of drinking Negronis, why not try your hand at a London Calling? First created at Milk & Honey in London, this drink has a cult following of bartenders across the globe. Refreshing and deceptively simple, add all the ingredients into a Boston shaker with a good amount of ice. Shake hard until the tin is frosty and fizzing. Strain into a coupe or nick and nora glass. Cut a grapefruit twist, removing the pith, express the oils, twist and add to the drink. Delicious.
Clover Club
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- 50ml Gin
- 25ml fresh lemon
- 20ml raspberry syrup
- A dash of egg white (you can use aquafaba, soy lecithin, or any other vegan alternative here)
For a cocktail on the sweeter side, a Clover Club is the way to go when it comes to gin. Pink, frothy and fun, it's a real crowd pleaser. To make it, simply add all the ingredients into Boston tins, and you're going to do something called a double shake. Add one cube of ice to the tins if you like, or go right ahead and start shaking hard. This is done to emulsify the egg whites and achieve that frothy, silky texture. Once you can see that the contents are white and foamy, add a good amount of ice and shake hard once more. Double strain into a coupe and you now have a Clover Club.
White Lady
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- 40ml Gin
- 20ml Cointreau
- 20ml fresh lemon
- 10ml sugar syrup
- A dash of egg white
If you're ready to go further into the territory of sour-style cocktails, when it comes to gin a White Lady is your pal. As you did with the Clover Club, add all the ingredients into your cocktail tins, double shake then double strain into a coupe. No garnish necessary.
Tom Collins
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- 60ml Gin
- 30ml fresh lemon
- 20ml sugar syrup
- top with soda
- A lemon wedge
For those who prefer a no-frills gin cocktail, may I introduce you to a classic Tom Collins. It's a 'built' cocktail, which means you just need to add all the ingredients into a collins glass, top up with soda water leaving 1/3 room in the glass for ice. Add the ice then slide your lemon wedge garnish on top. Enjoy.
Hanky Panky
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- 45ml Gin
- 45ml Sweet Vermouth
- 5ml Fernet Branca
- An orange peel garnish
An invention of the revered Ada Colman, the first female head bartender at The Savoy Hotel, a beloved London institution. Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass, top up with ice and stir until icy. Strain into a coupe or nick and nora glass and garnish with a orange peel. Who doesn't love Fernet?
For more cocktail recipes why not get your mouth around the summer favourites of the RUSSH editors?
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