5 Gin Cocktails for Spring
Spring has fully sprung for us in Edinburgh! The sun has been shining, the days are finally longer, and there are whispers of warmth. Which only means one thing... cocktail time! We've put together a list of our top 5 gin cocktails for Spring.
Raspberry Bramble
- 25ml fresh lemon juice
- 25ml raspberry syrup
- 12.5ml Creme de Mure
- Lemon or blackberries for garnish
- Add crushed ice to a rocks glass and strain your cocktail into the glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist and some blackberries
Bee's Knees
The Bee's Knees cocktail was very popular in speakeasy bars during prohibition era and said to be created in France during the 1920s.
The National Prohibition Act formally known as the Volstead was passed in 1919 and instated the ban of alcohol production and distribution. It became common for these 'secret bars' or as we know Speakeasy's to experiment with cocktail creations.
The Bee's Knees soon became popular with the ingredients used and its easiness to make. French honey added a sweetness to the drink, whilst lemon juice counteracted with the bitterness and low quality of (bathtub) gin used.
- 25ml fresh lemon juice
- 15ml - 20ml honey
- Lemon for garnish
- Strain your cocktail into a coup glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Springtime Spritz
The Spritz is a wine-based cocktail mad with either Prosecco or sparkling white wine, a bitter liqueur, citrus and soda water. Refreshing, light and easy to drink the Spritz is known as an aperitif -the perfect drink to prepare your palate at the beginning of a meal.
The Spritz was first discovered in the 1800s in the Veneto region of Italy, where Prosecco comes from. At the time, the Veneto region was controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian soldiers (who liked their beer) would visit Italian wine taverns, and were said to have found Italian wines too strong. So, they would dilute the local wines with a "spritz" (Spritzen in German) of water, which soon become known as what we all know and love today as the Aperol Spritz.
- 25ml fresh lime juice
- 20ml raspberry syrup
- Topped up with Prosecco
- Orange wedge or raspberries for garnish
- Strain into a glass over ice and top up with fizz
- Garnish with an orange wedge or fresh raspberries
French 47
This venerable potation has been around in various forms since the mid 19th century, inspired by the Collins family of cocktails. The French 75 in its current form is ascribed to Harry McElhone, one of the most famous bartenders ever, who opened a bar in Paris during American Prohibition. The drink got its name because the fin was said to give a "kick like being shelled by a French 75 millimetre artillery gun."
We replaced Pickering's Gin for our Pickering's 1947 Gin to add a little kick and called our drink the French 47.
- 25ml simple syrup
- 1/2 orange squeezed
- 12.5ml fresh lemon juice
- Prosecco
- Orange for garnish
- Double strain over a flute glass
- Top up with fizz
- Garnish with orange slice or peel
Lavender Negroni
The Negroni was created in Italy in the early 20th century when Count Camillo Negroni told his bartender he wanted gin in his Americano (Campari, Vermouth, Soda), thus inventing a hugely popular cocktail.
But wait! Recent research has revealed that Camillo Negroni never actually existed. What this reminds us is that the people who made the cocktails were also drinking the cocktails, hence the stories that grew up around them tend to be a bit... colourful.
- 25ml Campari
- 25ml Lavender Vermouth
- Rim your rocks glass with the oils of a pink grapefruit
- Strain your cocktail into your rocks glass with one big ice cube
Recreate these Spring Cocktail recipes at home!
