The mixology world is wild about gin — and for good reason. With its many iterations, from London Dry to New World, the spirit mixes well in a variety of cocktails and can give a drink a bit more panache. Below is the second installment of our gin recipes; click here for the first take, featured in the January/February issue of Nightclub & Bar.
Peppermelon
Created by H. Joseph Ehrmann.
1 ½ ounces Bluecoat Gin
¾ ounce black pepper honey syrup
1 ounce watermelon juice
½ ounce lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a Boston shaker full of ice and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish on the rim with a small watermelon cube that has a coating of black pepper on one side.
Bee’s Knees
Courtesy of Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur.
2 parts gin
½ part Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur
¼ part simple syrup
½ part fresh grapefruit juice
Combine gin, Bärenjäger, simple syrup and grapefruit juice in a bar glass over ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled Coupe glass and serve.
Electric Relaxation
On the menu at Rickhouse, San Francisco.
1 ½ ounces Bols Genever
½ ounce Bénédictine
¾ ounce Lemon Juice
½ ounce Raw Simple Syrup
3 raspberries
Add lemon juice and raspberries into mixing glass and lightly muddle the berries. Add the remaining ingredients into mixing glass along with ice and shake vigorously. Strain over the rocks into a double Old Fashioned glass and garnish with lemon twist and raspberry.
The Pilgrim
Created by Aidan Demarest, Director of Beverages and Spirits at The Edison, Los Angeles; courtesy of Oxley Gin.
1 ½ parts Oxley Gin
1 part Leopold Brothers Cranberry Liqueur
½ part fresh lemon juice
½ part simple syrup
Pour contents into a mixing glass. Shake and strain into a Martini glass.
Pear Dauphiné
Created by Kelley Swenson, Ten 01, Portland, Ore.
¾ ounce pear liqueur, such as Clear Creek Pear Brandy or Aqua Perfecta Pear Eau de Vie
¾ ounce elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain or Belvoir
¾ ounce gin
½ ounce puree of fresh Bartlett or Anjou pear
½ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Ice
Pour ingredients in shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass of your choosing. Garnish with a pear blossom or other edible flower, if desired.
Pomegranate Collins
Courtesy of Bombay Sapphire.
1 part Bombay Sapphire gin
¾ part fresh lemon juice
½ part agave nectar
20 Pomegranate seeds
Top with diet club soda
Lightly muddle fruit and nectar. Shake all ingredients, except club soda, and pour into ice-filled Highball glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with three seeds and lemon wedge.
Lady Macbeth
Courtesy of Josh Harris and Scott Baird, Bon Vivants Cocktail Consulting; on the menu at AGAINN, Washington, D.C.
1 ½ ounces Hendrick’s Gin or Square One Botanical
½ ounce St-Germain
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce egg white
6 drops of rosewater
Dried baby rosebud (for garnish)
In a small mixing tin, combine all ingredients. Using a blender ball, dry shake the mixture. Crack the tins, add ice, shake vigorously and double strain through a tea strainer into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a dried baby rose bud and a few drops of rosewater.
First Growth
Courtesy of Bobby Heugel, Anvil Bar & Refuge, Houston, Texas.
1 ½ ounces Hendrick’s Gin
1 ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce St-Germain
3 sage leaves (reserve 1 for garnish)
Add ice and all ingredients to cocktail shaker. Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Float a sage leaf on top.