Five gin cocktails to try this weekend in honour of World Gin Day

The Cocktail Bar

To properly mark World Gin Day on Saturday 8th June, we've pulled together five of the very best gin cocktail recipes for you to try, from a classic G&T with a very special gin to the rambunctious Rock, Rattle and Rose.

A soliloquy to gin would not be out of place on a day like this, but as it would be decidedly unpatriotic to express that level of sentiment towards a non-relative in public, we will refrain.

We will say it’s no surprise that this gorgeous drink is the nation’s favourite – gin sales almost doubled over the last two years, with more than 66 million bottles of the fine stuff sold in the UK over 2018 alone.

Although we for the most part support Churchill’s sentiment that ‘I would like to observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini’, we do think that, on occasion, a little extra liqueur and a garnish or two do not go amiss. So, without further ado: Cheers and bottoms up.

To begin: The classic

You hardly need an ingredients list with this one but just in case – a glass of ice, a slice of lime, pour until you feel slightly nervous then fill your glass with a tonic of your choice.

We will say that, on this auspicious occasion, we recommend you swap out your favourite tipple for one designed to be drunk tomorrow (or at least have get it in stock for next year).

The World Gin Day Gin from That Boutique-y Gin Company promises to be a gin like no other, with seven botanicals sourced from our planet’s seven continents. Its juniper comes from Europe, liquorice root from Africa, cinnamon from Asia, coriander from Australia, angelica root from North America, lime from South America, and lastly, salt from Antarctica.

It’s velvety smooth and the definitely one to add to the drinks cabinet.

The World Gin Day Gin from That Boutique-y Gin Company, £31.95 from www.masterofmalt.com

Bombay Sapphire’s ‘Laverstoke’

Celebrating the opening of their Laverstoke mill in 2014, Bombay Sapphire contrived this delicious summer cocktail as a change of pace from the classic gin and tonic (although what’s wrong with a Bombay and lime we couldn’t possibly tell you).

Ingredients

50ml Bombay Sapphire gin
15ml Martini Bianco vermout
10ml Bottlegreen elderflower cordial or 15ml St-Germain elderflower liqueur
75–100ml chilled Fever-Tree ginger ale (freshly opened is best)

Method

Squeeze 2 freshly cut lime wedges into a clean glass and then drop them in. Pour the gin, vermouth and elderflower over the lime and swirl well to mix. Fill the glass with good- quality, cubed ice and stir with a bar spoon. Chill briefly. Finally, pour the ginger ale down a twisted bar spoon (into the spoon end) over the ice and gently stir the cocktail at the same time, ‘folding’ to combine the liquids.

Elderflower Gin Liqueur and Tonic

There are some people, few though they may be (and certainly not in our offices), who feel guilty having a full-strength G&T before five o’clock in the afternoon. For those people the drink of their summer will undoubtedly be Hedgepig’s Zesty Elderflower Gin Liqueur, a charmingly flavourful gin liqueur.

Method

Best served simply with a plain indian tonic, over ice. It does well with a slice of apple to garnish.

You can buy 50cl of Hedgepig’s Zesty Elderflower Gin Liqueur for £32 from www.fruityhedgepig.com

The Rock, Rattle and Rose

Something a little bit different to encourage you to finally purchase the gin coupe glass you’ve had your eye on for so very long. Crafted in Caithness, Rock & Rose’s gin family has swollen since 2014 to include a navy strength gin as well as one for every season. For this recipe, we recommend the classic.

Ingredients

50ml Rock Rose
25ml lime juice
5ml mint syrup

Method

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until cold (remember to point the shaker away from you to avoid any accidents). Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and garnish with fresh mint.

A Pinkers variation

A huge part of gin’s two-year production spike is down to the sale of flavoured and ‘pink’ gins. In 1824, Dr J.G.B Siegert created Angostura aromatic bitters as a healing elixir for soldiers fighting in Venezuela and 24 years later, one enterprising Royal Navy ship surgeon added a few dashes of these bitters to ‘a jigger of gin’ to alleviate complaints of seasickness. Thus, the original ‘pinkers’ (as it was affectionately known by naval officers) was born.

Ingredients

60 ml gin (a classic like a Bombay or even, dare we say it, a Gordons, will do just fine)
2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
100ml Prosecco Rosado

Method

In a mixing glass, stir gin and Angostura aromatic bitters with ice to chill. Strain into a gin coupe, top up with prosecco rosado and garnish with summer berries or a twist of lemon for a zesty bite.

Angostura®aromatic bitters are available in Morrisons stores nationwide at £10 for a 200 ml bottle.

And finally… proof that the gin market really has gone to the dogs

If you’re looking for a doggy-getaway at the end of this summer, we have just the ticket. The Craft Gin Club and dog-friendly travel experts Pets Pyjamas have put together the perfect pairing for your and your furry friend.

The experience includes a two night stay at charming The Bell in East Sussex (dog friendly, of course), some lovely dinners and the imparting of knowledge of the spirit one does absolutely not need but must, as a Brit, ardently desire. For puppy, miles of footpaths and forests including Bewl Water Reserve will be right on your doorstep.

The Dog Friendly Gin Tasting Experience is priced from £350 from 8^th to 10^th September or 22^nd to 24^th September. Visit www.petspyjamas.com for more information and to book.