As we welcome warmer days and brighter evenings, a spring gin cocktail is ideal for sipping in your garden or serving at a picnic.
As green spaces all over the country burst into blossom, now’s the time to embrace the great outdoors. Whatever alfresco occasion you have planned, and whichever expertly crafted bottle of Sipsmith Gin you happen to have sitting on your home bar, there’s a spring gin cocktail that’s perfect for welcoming the change in season. From classic London Dry Gin and decadent Sloe Gin to zesty Lemon Drizzle Gin, here are the ginny creations we’re sipping as we head into the brighter months.
1. LONDON CALLING SPRITZ
Featuring a seasonal rhubarb garnish and guaranteed to put a spring in your step, this effervescent offering is built on our uncompromisingly good London Dry Gin. Combine 40ml with 10ml fino sherry, 20ml lemon juice and 10ml sugar syrup in an ice-filled wine glass. Then, top up with half Prosecco and half soda water. Garnish with fresh rhubarb and pomegranate.
You can discover how to make a simple sugar syrup recipe, and find recipes for more homemade ingredients, with our guide to making gin syrups.
2. LEMON DRIZZLE G&T
We all know the perfect picnic starts with a delicious G&T, and this citrusy twist on the classic cocktail promises to be a refreshingly sunny sip. Simply fill a highball glass with ice and pour over 50ml Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin. Top off with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic water and gently lift with a drinks stirrer or long bar spoon to combine, before garnishing your spring gin cocktails with a fresh lemon wedge or twist of fresh lemon.
3. ZESTY ORANGE WHITE LADY
For this curiously zesty take on the classic cocktail, we took our award-winning London Dry Gin and dialled up the citrus with fresh orange peel and zest for an orange gin that’s sure to brighten up your spring sipping. Pour 50ml Sipsmith Zesty Orange Gin, 20ml fresh lemon juice, 10ml sugar syrup and 1 egg white into a cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice). Then add some ice and wet shake to form a creamy liquid. Finally, double-strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with fresh orange zest and an orange twist.
4. PEACH & GRAPEFRUIT SOUR
We might be a little premature serving this gin cocktail in the spring, but the beauty with this recipe is it can be sipped a season early for days when the sun is shining bright. Or, to bring a little sunshine to your day when summer is dawdling a little…
To craft this creamy serve at home, combine 40ml Sipsmith London Dry Gin, 15ml grapefruit juice, 10ml peach liqueur, 20ml lemon juice, 10ml sugar syrup and 1 egg white (or vegan alternative) to a cocktail shaker. First shake without ice, then shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
To really elevate this serve at home, use freshly squeezed grapefruit and lemon juice for the freshest sip possible. Delicious!
5. SLOE ROYALE
We rest our award-winning London Dry Gin on handpicked wild sloe berries to make this fruity offering that’s bursting with flavour. That means all you need to do is add some Champagne (or Prosecco) to make it garden party-ready. Try it for yourself by pouring 15ml Sipsmith Sloe Gin into a chilled flute before topping up with 100ml Champagne or Prosecco.
6. SLOE DRIZZLE
Two gins combine to create this citrus-forward, slightly sweet, quenching twist on the classic Bramble. To make this spring gin cocktail, combine 40ml Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin, 20ml lemon juice and 10ml sugar syrup in a rock glass and top with crushed ice. Then drizzle over 10ml purple-hued Sipsmith Sloe Gin so that it trickles through the ice. Finally, garnish with a lemon twist, a mint spring and a plump blackberry.
7. LEMON DRIZZLE MOJITO
Fragrant and zesty, Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin makes for a supremely refreshing spring gin ingredient – use it as the base of a mood-boosting Mojito and you’re in for a real treat.
Combine 50ml Lemon Drizzle Gin, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml lime juice, 20ml sugar syrup and 8-10 mint leaves in a glass. Churn with crushed ice and then top up with more crushed ice and soda water, before garnishing with a sprig of mint, and a freshly peeled lemon twist. This lemon gin cocktail is not only zesty, there’s also a zingy edge that’s the welcome result of the addition of mint and lime juice.
Show us how you are planning to celebrate the arrival of spring with a perfectly crafted gin cocktail – remember to tag us on social media @sipsmith so we can see your creations.
