Thereโs really never a bad time to reacquaint yourself with everyoneโs favourite juniper spirit โ and how best to use it.
Neat, over ice, or poured into the ubiquitous G&T; itโs clear that gin is a foundational ingredient in every home mixologistโs toolbox. But what gin cocktails?
Below, we propose a trio that each strikes the right balance between flavour and convenience, giving you a handful of our favourite brand recommendations in the process.
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Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients
- 60 ml Triple Juniper Gin
- 20 ml Lemon Juice
- 15 ml Sugar Syrup
- 1 tsp Lemon curd
- 1 Dash Egg whites
Method
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin, and shake vigorously to combine
- Add ice and hard-shake again in order to chill/foam mixture
- Strain into a cold coup glass
- Garnish with lemon twist
Once youโre comfortable with the fundamentals of making a classic Martini, this โLemon Dropโ is an interesting variation to try your hand at. As a base, we recommend Aussie distiller Never Neverโs signature Triple Juniper Gin: renowned for its bright and intense citrus character.
The addition of lemon curd here plays a similar role to what youโll find in the โBreakfast Martiniโ (a recipe penned in 1996 by Salvatore Calabrese).
Moreish and appetising, this particular gin cocktail also calls for the addition of egg white. By activating that ingredientโs proteins โ which you do by hard-shaking โ the finished beverage has a smooth, velveted mouthfeel: essential when working with viscous flavours like lemon curd.
Tom Collins
Ingredients
- 45 ml Old Tom Gin
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
- 22.5 ml Simple Syrup
- 1 Splash Soda Water
Method
Method
- Combine all ingredients over ice, in a highball glass
- Top up with a dash of your preferred soda water/club soda
- Squeeze a wedge of lemon over glass, using as garnish
To all intents and purposes gin-spiked lemonade, the Tom Collins is an excellent (not to mention efficient) alternative to the typical G&T โ when you want to whip up something extremely refreshing, that just barely qualifies as a โgin cocktailโ.
Apparently (though thereโs little documented evidence for this) the Tom Collins evolved out of the trend for โgin punchโ cocktails, popularised in London during the early 1800s.
In any event, in line with the beverageโs Victorian origins, we find itโs best to build your Tom Collins over a foundation of Old Tom Gin: made to a recipe thatโs slightly sweeter than London Dry, but drier than Jenever.
South Australiaโs Kangaroo Island Spirits do an excellent, if somewhat modernised take; with the lemon myrtle-infused character playing well alongside fresh citrus and the Collinsโs lightly carbonated texture.
Spicy Gin Margy
Ingredients
- 45 ml Oyster shell gin
- 30 ml Lime juice
- 15 ml Agave nectar
- 1 Bar Spoon Jalapeno brine
Method
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice
- Strain into a glass pre-rimmed with salt
- Garnish with sliced jalapeno chilli (optional)
Rate it or hate it, the Margarita continues to be one of Australiaโs most popular year-round cocktails. This riff, with more than a little inspiration from the 90s-era โTommyโsโ recipe, hardly reinvents the wheel; but with such a well-calibrated range of spicy, citric, and saline flavours all in one sip, why fix what ainโt broke?
In contrast to the other gin cocktails weโve chosen to include, the foundational spirit here is Oyster Shell gin. We like local producer North of Edenโs take: in which the presence of briny, bivalve flavour is carefully incorporated โ so as to avoid overpowering this ginโs other notes of ginger, rose, and Hawthorn leaf.
In the mood to try your hand at something other than a gin-based cocktail? Then check out a handful of our most popular beverage recipes below:
