While you may be thinking of fall already, it’s still summer — and that means hot, sunny, seemingly endless days. This means you’ll be reaching for refreshing, flavorful, seasonal cocktails. And when it comes to summery mixed drinks, no spirit is better than gin.
The piney juniper and various botanicals pair well with seasonal flavors in a variety of classic and contemporary cocktails. Sure, you can enjoy a refreshing whiskey, rum, or vodka-based cocktail, but there’s no disputing that gin is the hero of the warmer months.
I’ve been writing about alcohol for a shade under two decades, and I’ve learned many things about drinking cocktails on humid summer days. Nothing hits like a classic Gin & Tonic or Negroni when you’re soaking in all that vitamin D from June through September,
Gin-based cocktails to make this summer
Gin pairs well with herbal (mint, rosemary), citrus (lemon, lime, and grapefruit), floral (elderflower), fruity (strawberry, pineapple, raspberry), vegetables (cucumber, peppers), and spicy flavors (ginger, peppercorns). It’s a versatile spirit that shines the brightest when the temperature hits high (sometimes unbearable) levels.
And while the flavors you pair gin with are essential, so too is the gin itself. Your cocktail can be drastically different if you choose to start with a base of London dry gin, Old Tom Gin, Plymouth gin, New Western Gin, or another random gin style.
Below, you’ll find some of our favorite gin-based cocktails. You’ll learn a little about their history and receive step-by-step directions on how to make them.
The Gimlet
While the first reference to a “Gimlet” was in the 1920s, it’s believed that a version of this drink can be traced back to the 1880s. This is when, according to legend, Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette of the British Royal Navy created this drink when he combined his daily lime juice ration with gin to make both more drinkable. Harry MacElhone, of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris published the first official recipe in 1923. This simply, fresh drink is traditionally made with a combination of gin and sweetened lime juice, but many contemporary recipes call for fresh lime juice and simple syrup.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ oz of gin
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz simply syrup
Method:
Add ice to a shaker. Pour in the gin, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously to combine. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
Gin & Tonic
There are no gin-based drinks more iconic than the classic Gin & Tonic. British soldiers stationed in India in the 1800s were given quinine to fight malaria. To make it more palatable, they mixed it with their ration of gin. Over the years, citrus elements were added to broaden the flavor profile, and the Gin & Tonic was born. While you can jazz it up and make it a Spanish Gin Tonic by drinking it out of an oversized balloon glass and adding extra ingredients like berries, cucumber, and herbs, the classic drink is simply made with gin and tonic water.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz gin
- 4 oz tonic water
- Lime wedge
Method:
Add ice to a highball glass. Pour in the gin and tonic. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Tom Collins
The Tom Collins began with a hoax. In the late 1800s, bar patrons would send their friends in search of a man named Tom Collins who was supposedly talking trash about them. Supposedly, this led to bartenders creating a drink in reference to the prank. The first official recipe for a Tom Collins was published in Jerry Thomas’ “The Bartender’s Guide” in 1876. The drink is traditionally made with Old Tom gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and sparkling water.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Old Tom gin
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
- Sparkling water topper
Method:
Add ice to a Collins glass. Pour in the Old Tom gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and top with sparkling water. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Negroni
If you’re only going to make one drink from this list, make it the timeless Negroni. In 1919, a man named Count Camillo Negroni strolled into Caffè Casoni in Florence, Italy. He asked bartender Fosco Scarselli to make an Americano but replace the soda water with gin. The result was the iconic gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth-based cocktail was born. This bittersweet, herbal cocktail is the perfect refreshing cocktail on a hot summer day.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz gin
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz sweet red vermouth
Method:
Add ice to an Old Fashioned glass. Pour in the gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with an orange twist.
