Recipe of the day: Seven sexy gin cocktails

It is National Gin and Tonic day on 19 October and the spirit has massively boomed in the last five years, becoming the preferred drink for many occasions.

There are plenty of favourite local gin companies South Africans love to support such as Inverroche, Musgrave, Cape Fynbos and internationally Bombay Sapphire, Tanquery and Beefeater Botanical.

The market has also expanded to include nonalcoholic gin, think Abstinence Collection, The Duchess and Ginologist, we got you covered on boozy cocktails to not so boozy.

Sexy gin cocktails for National Gin Day

Roku Sonic:

Ingredients

• 50ml Roku Japanese Gin
• Soda Water
• Tonic 
• Ginger sticks for garnish

Method

1. In a highball glass with ice, add Roku Japanese Gin and top with half soda water, and half tonic.
2. Stir gently and add ginger sticks as a garnish.

Eastside Grove:

Ingredients

• 50ml Roku Gin
• 15ml Triple Sec
• 2 Dashes Bitters
• 25ml Grapefruit Juice

Ingredients

1. Pour Roku Japanese Gin, triple sec, bitters and grapefruit juice into a whisky glass with ice.
2. Top up with tonic water and garnish with grapefruit slices. 

Blueberry gin sour 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of fresh or frozen and defrosted blueberries
• 2 tbsp simple syrup or 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice from one large lemon
• 2 tbsp egg white
• 100 ml | 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp gin
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters optional
• lemon peel to serve

Method

1. Put the blueberries, lemon juice, simple syrup (or sugar) in a glass or measuring jug and muddle with the back end of a rolling pin (or a muddler).
2. Add the muddled blueberries into your shaker.
3. Add the gin, bitters and egg white and shake vigorously to foam up the egg white. Be careful as the egg white will expand and your shaker might leak.
4. Add plenty of ice into your shaker and shake for 30 seconds.
5. Strain the cocktail into two rocks glasses filled with ice. Decorate with a slice of lemon peel.

This recipe can be found on supergoldenbakes.com

Pear and Elderflower gin & tonic

Ingredients

• 1 medium pear (Any variety, chopped, plus more for garnish, if desired)
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (plus more for garnish)
• 3 oz (90 ml) elderflower liqueur
• 4 oz (118 ml) gin
• 2 oz (59 ml) tonic

Method:

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the chopped pear and rosemary sprig with the elderflower liqueur and gin. 
2. Strain the liquid into a glass and wash out the cocktail shaker. 
3. Transfer the liquid back into the cocktail shaker and fill with ice. 
4. Cover and shake until cold. Pour evenly between two glasses with ice and top off with tonic. 
5. Garnish with a slice of pear and a rosemary sprig. Serve immediately and enjoy!

This recipe can be found on meatlesslovers.com

Non-alcoholic gin cocktails

Garden & Tonic

Ingredients 

• 50ml Seedlip Garden 108 
• Topped with Fever Tree Indian tonic,
• lemon peel and fresh berries

Method

Mix the gin and tonic, then garnish with lemon peel and fresh berries.

‘Cosmopolitan’

Ingredients

• 50ml Seedlip Grove 42 
• Cranberry juice
• Lime juice 
• Sugar syrup

Method

Mix all together and garnish with an orange disk.

Signature ‘Bees Knees’

Ingredients

• 50ml ABSTINENCE Cape Citrus 
• 25ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 
• 15ml honey syrup (3 parts honey to 1 part water) 
• Lemon twist as garnish 

Method:

1. Add ABSTINENCE Cape Citrus, lemon juice, honey syrup and ice into a shaker and shake until well-chilled. 
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twista 

These recipes were provided by Abstinence and Roku Gin