The 25 Best Gin Cocktails

Our Top 25 Gin Cocktail Recipes

Over the last 3 years, you can’t have failed to notice gin muscling into the forefront of the spirits category. One of the leaders of the “craft revolution” in the drinks industry, gin is having its moment in the sun. Everywhere you look within the drinks industry, gin is present.

The History of Gin

The British love affair with gin began in the 1600s, when William of Orange (the King of England at the time) enforced some good old fashioned economic tariffs on our friendly neighbours over the English Channel. France’s prime alcoholic export, cognac, was the victim and Will reduced English tax on spirits production.

This led to a distilling craze across the nation….the time of gin had begun. It was said at this time a pint of gin was cheaper than a pint of beer! Sounds great, we know, but with the prices came a raft of issues.

Aside from the obvious health issues and general disorder that comes with the territory when your citizens are necking gin by the pint, there was also a problem with unscrupulous traders selling dodgy mooshine to make a quick buck. Every man and his dog thought he could knock up a decent gin and it led to to an epidemic of drunkenness and death.

The government eventually realised there was an issue, as the death toll mounted. To combat this, a distiller’s license was introduced at the eye watering cost of £50 (big bucks at the time). Low and behold, the industry plummeted. Inevitable really.

Things started to look a bit rosier with the introduction of a new-fangled invention in the 19th century called the continuous still… gin production entered a new league. Overnight, gin morphed from a thick, sweet, juniper laden tonic into the drier, more delicate spirit that we know today. Due to the quality the continuous still could offer, it meant that the need for sugar and other additives to mask the rank spirit were no longer needed.

Fast forward to 2019…

And gin is a mega deal. Since 2010, this surge in popularity has been spearheaded by the country’s love of cocktails and namely gin in cocktails. Due to gin’s myriad opportunity with botanical flavour profiles, the options for mixiologists are endless. In the last 5 years, the number of distilleries has doubled to 315, with every new purveyor creating a number of unique gins with unique flavours.

The trend for gin has twisted and turned and the vast number of gins and different flavours is testament to this. The flavoured gin category has exploded – pink gin, rhubarb gin, lemon gin, orange gin, gooseberry gin, pomegranate and rose gin, lemon drizzle cake gin, and even brussel sprout gin. You get the idea…

The exciting thing for mixologists, both professional and the “at home on a Saturday night kind”, is the huge amount of cocktails made with gin. Our team here have compiled some recipes for our favourite gin cocktails; both classics, house creations and signature serves.

Happy imbibing.

Bramble Cocktail Recipe

The Bramble was created in London by Dick Bradsell in the 1980s. Imagined at Fred’s Club, Soho, the Bramble has become a modern classic with its perfect sweet and sour balance.

Ingredients

40ml Gin
10ml Crème De Mure
30ml Lemon Juice
10ml Gomme

Garnish: Lemon Slice & Blackberry
Glass: Rocks

How To Make

Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice and add all liquid ingredients except the crème de mure. Churn all ingredients with a bar spoon. Top with crushed ice, lace with crème de mure and garnish.

French 75 Cocktail Recipe

A classic dating back to 1925 but popularised by Harry’s Bar New York. The French 75 is a refined sparkling cocktail which is dry and citrusy.

Ingredients

35ml Gin
15ml Lemon Juice
10ml Gomme
Top Champagne

Garnish: Lemon Twist
Glassware: Champagne Flute

How To Make

Build all ingredients into a champagne flute, stir and top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist on the edge of the glass.

Negroni Cocktail Recipe

Created in Café Cassoni in Florence, in 1919. Legend says that it was created inadvertently by Count Negron, who wanted his favourite Americano cocktail strengthened with gin. Short and strong.

Ingredients

25ml Gin
25ml Campari
25ml Red Vermouth

Garnish: Orange Slice
Glassware: Rocks

How To Make

Fill a rocks glass with cubed ice, add all ingredients and stir. Garnish with an orange slice.

Clover Club Cocktail Recipe

Another classic dating from the early 1900s, the Clover Club came to prominence in Philadelphia’s eponymous venue, The Clover Club. Complex, fruity and smooth.

Ingredients

40ml Gin
15ml Lemon Juice
10ml Sweet Vermouth
6 Fresh Raspberries
5ml Raspberry Syrup
1 Egg White

Garnish: Raspberry
Glassware: Martini

How To Make

Put all ingredients into a shaker. Start with the egg white incase you make a mistake! Shake hard and double strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a raspberry. Et Voila!

 

Vesper Martini Cocktail Recipe

Known as “the Bond martini”, this cocktail was created by Bond author Ian Fleming. Don’t be put off by the alcohol content, this cocktail is incredibly smooth.

Ingredients

60ml Gin
20ml Vodka
10ml Kina Lillet Vermouth

Garnish: Lemon Twist
Glassware: Martini

How To Make

Put all ingredients into a shaker. Shake very hard and double strain. Garnish with a lemon twist. Epic.

English Country Garden Cocktail Recipe

A house blend at The Cocktail Service, this cocktail is a light, zesty and refreshing drink that uses the bounty of the country garden.

Ingredients

25ml Gin
25ml Elderflower Liqueur
15ml Lemon Juice
50ml Apple Juice
8 Mint Leaves
Top Soda

Garnish: Lemon Slice & Mint Sprig
Glassware: Hi Ball

How To Make

Put all ingredients, except the mint and soda, in a shaker. Shake hard. Strain into a hi ball glass. Slap the mint in the palms of your hand and add to the glass. Fill with ice and top with soda. Garnish with a lemon slice and the heftiest mint sprig you can get your hands on.

Raspberry Beret Cocktail Recipe

This is a cocktail from now closed cocktail chain Sahara Bars. It was a house cocktail that was very popular with the regulars. It’s fruity, zesty and supremely quaffable.

 Ingredients

25ml Gin
25ml Raspberry Liqueur
20ml Lemon Juice
6 Raspberries
15ml Gomme
Top Soda

Garnish: Lemon Slice and a Raspberry
Glassware: Hi Ball

How To Make

Put all ingredients except the soda, into a shake and shake hard. Strain into a hi ball filled with cubed ice. Top with soda, Crown with crushed ice if you have it and garnish.

Gimlet Cocktail Recipe

The gimlet is a super simple classic gin cocktail. Apparently the Gimlet originated as a naval drink, to help British sailors fight scurvy.

 Ingredients

50ml Gin
25ml Roses Lime Cordial

Garnish: Lime Twist
Glassware: Coupe

How To Make

Put all ingredients into a shaker and shake very hard (for 20 seconds or so) to achieve dilution. Double strain into a coupe and garnish.

Southside Cocktail Recipe

The Southside’s origins are the subject of speculation; the story we like the most is that this was Mr. Al Capone’s favourite drink, whose gang dominated Chicago’s south side. The gin drunk by Al Capone’s gang had a rough finish, and required some sweetness to make it palatable… giving us the Southside.

Ingredients

50ml Gin,
20ml Lime Juice
15ml Gomme
6-8 Mint Leaves.

Garnish: Mint Leaf
Glassware: Coupe

How To Make

Add all ingredients except the mint to a shaker and shake. Open up the tin and add the mint, before giving the mixture a brief shake to release the mint’s oils. Strain into a coupe. Cheers, Al.

Beauty and the Beast Cocktail Recipe

This is a cocktail that was created in 2018, for the Caorunn Cocktail Collection, by Kiettisak Saleephan at Club No.43, Phuket, Thailand.

Ingredients

45ml Caorunn Gin
30ml Pressed Apple Juice
30ml Fresh Lime Juice
15ml Sugar Syrup
30ml Egg White
15 Rosemary Leaves

Garnish: Lemon Zest & Rosemary Sprig
Glassware: Rocks

How To Make

Add all ingredients into a shaker and shake. Fine strain over cubed ice into a rocks glass. Garnish and sip.

Bees Knees Cocktail Recipe

Another classic cocktail from the prohibition era, which was the birthplace of many cocktails we enjoy today. The Bees Knees’ origin story is rather less illustrious than the Southside above. Like many cocktails from this era, the Bees Knees was created to mask the flavour of the rough, overpowering gins of the time.

Ingredients

50ml Gin
20ml Orange Juice
20ml Lemon Juice
2 Bar Spoons of Honey

Garnish: Lemon Twist
Glassware: Martini

How To Make

Simply add all ingredients to a tin and shake thoroughly. Fine strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a twist of lemon.

Tom Collins Cocktail recipe

Created by the ‘Godfather of Mixology’, Jerry Thomas in 1876. The Tom Collins is a seminal classic, a fresh, ginny take on a lemonade. Simple but really tasty.

Ingredients

50ml Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Gomme
Top Soda

Garnish: Lemon Slice
Glassware: Hi ball

How To Make

Build all ingredients into a hi ball (except the soda) and stir. Top with ice, soda and garnish.

The Last Word Cocktail Recipe

It might be with all of the spirits in this classic concoction. From the famed Detroit Athletic Club Bar in the 1920’s, the flavour and citrus edge of this cocktail is delightful.

Ingredients

30ml Gin
20ml Green Chartreuse
20ml Maraschino Liqueur
20ml Lime Juice

Garnish: Cherry
Glassware: Coupe

How To Make

Shake all ingredients in a shaker. Strain into a coupe and garnish. The Last Word…

Breakfast Martini Recipe

Created in 1996 by the raconteur Salvator Calabrese, for The Library Bar in the Lanesborough Hotel, London. Delicate, flavoursome and extremely palatable… this is a great cocktail.

Ingredients
1 Bar Spoon Marmalade
50ml Gin
15ml Triple Sec
15ml Lemon Juice

Garnish: Orange Twist
Glassware: Martini

How To Make

Stir marmalade and gin in base of shaker to dissolve. Add other ingredients, shake and strain into a coupe or martini glass.

 

Hedgerow Collins Recipe

Created by Brian Duell at Detroit Bar in London. This is a great, autumnal cocktail that combines the flavours of blackberries, lemons and sloes.

Ingredients

15ml Gin
25ml Sloe Gin
15ml Crème De Mure
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Gomme

Glassware: Collins
Garnish: Lemon Slice and a Blackberry.

How To Make

Shake up gin, sloe gin, gomme and lemon juice. Strain into a Collins, top with soda and lace with crème de mure.

 

Gin Basil Smash Recipe

Created in Le Lion, Paris, this is a fantastic drink, easy to make and very fresh. The sweetness of the basil works very well against the botanical gin and acidic lemon juice.

Ingredients

10 Basil Leaves
50ml Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Gomme

Garnish: Bail Leaf
Glassware: Rocks

How To Make

Shake all ingredients and strain over ice. Garnish. Smashing.

Dirty Martini Recipe

A wicked sibling of the gin martini, the Dirty Martini adds a pleasing brine flavour to the classic beverage.

Ingredients

50ml Gin
15ml Dry Vermouth
2 Bar Spoons Olive Brine

Glassware: Martini Glass
Garnish: 3 Olives

How To Make

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass over ice. Stir for 20 seconds and double strain into a martini glass. Drop the olives into the glass on a cocktail stick.

The Gibson Cocktail Recipe

Little know but classic and very unique. We love a Gibson here. Another variation on the gin martini but this time with the added allure of a dash of pickled onion brine.

Ingredients

50ml Gin
15ml Dry Vermouth

Glassware: Martini
Garnish: 2 Silverskin Pickled Onions

How To Make

Put all ingredients into a mixing glass and stir for 20 seconds. Fine strain and garnish with pickled onion.

 

 Red Snapper

The Bloody Mary for gin lovers… easy to make and it adds a lovely robustness to your typical Bloody Mary.

Ingredients

50ml Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
6- 10 dashes of Worcester Sauce
Tabasco Sauce to taste
Pinch of Celery Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
½ Spoon Horseradish Sauce
Top with Clamato Juice

Glassware: Collins
Garnish: Celery Stick & Lemon Slice

How To Make

Add all ingredients into the collins glass and stir, making sure the horseradish is nicely mixed in. Add ice and garnish.

Sloe Gin Fizz

Sloe Gin and Champagne are a match made in heaven, born to be together. A great mix of flavours.

Ingredients

40ml Sloe Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Gomme
Egg White
Top Champagne

Glassware: Champagne Flute
Garnish: N/A

How To Make

Combine the sloe gin, lemon juice, egg white and gomme into a shaker. Shake well without ice (a dry shake). Add ice and shake again (a wet shake). Strain into a champagne flute and top with Champagne.

Sloeberry Lemonade Recipe

This is another Cocktail Service house creation from our autumn menu in 2016 and was extremely popular. The flavour is amazing, a really fruity, tasty cocktail.

Ingredients

25ml Sloe Gin
25ml Limoncello
10ml Lemon Juice
75ml Pomegranate Juice
Top Soda

Glassware: Collins
Garnish: Lemon Slice

How To Make

Add all ingredients except the soda into a shaker and shake with ice. Tip contents of shaker into a collins glass (this is called a shake & dump in the biz). Top with soda and garnish.

 

Many Clouds Cocktail Recipe

Created by our very own David Indrak for Greenall’s Gin in 2016. Many Clouds is named after the 2015 Grand National winner.

Ingredients

35ml Gin
15ml Raspberry Liqueur
25ml Lime Juice
10ml Gomme

Garnish: Two Raspberries & Lime
Glassware: Rocks

How To Make

Add all ingredients into a rocks glass and top with crushed ice. Give a vigorous stir and top with a crushed ice crown, lemon twist and raspberries.

 

Blackberry Gin Fizz

Blackberries go fantastically well with gin, their intense sweetness has enough robustness to cope with the strong flavours of gin. This is another drink for those of you who enjoy fruity flavours in your cocktails.

Ingredients

25ml Gin
15ml Crème De Mure
25ml Lime Juice
5 Blackberries
Top Soda

Garnish: Blackberry
Glassware: Rocks

How To Make

Add blackberries to a shaker and muddle (crush). Add rest of ingredients, except the soda, and shake. Strain into a rocks glass and top soda.

Bloom G & Tea Cocktail Recipe

A signature serve from Bloom Gin, this is a floral cocktail that works perfectly with the floral botanicals of the gin brand.

Ingredients

45ml Bloom Gin
20ml Rose Liqueur
15ml Lemon Juice
15ml Hibiscus Syrup
35ml English Breakfast Tea

Garnish: Strawberry
Glassware: Rocks

How To Make

Brew the tea and let stand until cooled. Combine all other ingredients and shake before straining into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a strawberry. Delicate and delicious.

Wild Berry & Flora Dora Cocktail Recipe

Pink Gin is having a moment and UK sales are going through the roof. This cocktail has some fantastic flavours and a tasty bite of ginger to settle the fruit.

Ingredients

40ml Greenalls Wild Berry Gin
20ml Fresh Lime Juice
10ml Raspberry Syrup
Top Ginger Beer

Glassware: Hi Ball
Garnish: Raspberry and Lime Wedge

How To Make

Simply add all ingredients to a hi ball with ice. Stir and garnish.

 

There we have it, our top 25 gin cocktails for 2019.

For more amazing recipes, check out our cocktail recipes page or look at our bartender services if you want to get some experts in to mix up any of the recipes in this post.