15 Amazing Gin Cocktails for Summer
I’ll be brief and get down to it – these are 15 amazing gin cocktails for summer! No chatter, just recipes. Happy summer!
#1 The South Side
The South Side
Equipment
- Mixing glass or shaker, muddling spoon, strainer. Enjoy your drink from a coupe glass.
Ingredients
- 2 Oz. Gin
- 1 Oz. Simple syrup
- Half a lemon, sliced up
- Some mint – start with about 6 or 7 leaves.
- Garnish with some more fresh mint.
Instructions
- In your mixing glass, combine your lemon slices and mint.
- Muddle lemon and mint, then add ice, gin, and simple syrup.
- Shake well, and double strain into your glass.
- Top off with some fresh mint.
More on the South Side here, or check out the Cherry South Side variation.
#2 Aperol and Gin Sour
Aperol and Gin Sour
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker!
- Coupe glass.
Ingredients
- 1.5 Oz. Aperol
- 1.5 Oz. London dry gin
- .75 Oz. Lemon juice
- tsp Simple syrup
- Egg white optional for foam
Instructions
- In your cocktail shaker, combine all of your ingredients.
- Add ice and shake up.
- Strain into your coupe glass.
- Garnish with your choice of fruit!
Notes
More on the Aperol and Gin Sour, or check out these Aperol drinks:
#3 Adult Cherry Limeade
Adult Cherry Limeade
Equipment
- Barglass and muddling tool, or you can muddle in your cocktail shaker.
- Cocktail Shaker!
- Two strainers.
- Rocks glass or collins glass
Ingredients
- .5 Whole Lime cut in 4 pieces
- 6 Whole Cherries – fresh! Not from a jar.
- .5 Oz. Simple syrup
- 1.5 Oz. Gin
- Soda or seltzer to top, for one version of this drink.
Instructions
- In your glass or cocktail shaker, muddle your six cherries (pits removed) and your 1/2 of a lime, cut into pieces. Add the .5 oz. of simple sugar to the muddling mix.
- Add your gin to the muddled fruit mixture.
- Shake vigorously! REALLY vigorously.
- Double strain into your rocks glass.
- If you want a longer lasting and more diluted adult cherry limeade, use a collins glass and top with soda or seltzer or sparkling water.
More on the Adult Cherry Limeade
#4 Old Tom Punch
Old Tom Punch
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker!
- Coupe glass.
Ingredients
- 1.5 Oz. Old Tom Gin
- .75 Oz. Lime juice
- .25 Oz. Campari
- 1 Barspoon Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Combine all of your ingredients, including the sugar, into your cocktail shaker.
- Add ice, and mix thoroughly. Really thoroughly to dissolve the sugar.
- Strain into your coupe glass, garnish with lime peel.
More on the Old Tom Punch, or check out these Old Tom Recipes:
#5 Strawberry Bearcat
Strawberry Bearcat Gin Cockatil
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker and muddling device.
- Strainers
- Rocks Glass
Ingredients
- 3 Strawberries, you can leave the tops on.
- 2 Oz. Gin
- .75 Oz. Lemon juice
- .75 Oz. Orgeat syrup
- 2-4 Dashes Aromatic bitters
Instructions
- Start by chilling your rocks glass.
- Combine your strawberries and liquid ingredients (except the bitters) in your cocktail shaker.
- Smash up your berries in the shaker.
- Then add ice to the shaker and go to town.
- Double strain into your rocks glass.
- Bitters on top if you like! You can also add bitters when you are shaking.
- Garnish with a fresh berry and/or lemon.
Deets on the Strawberry Bearcat, and more orgeat drinks for you:
#6 Pavan Peacock
The Pavan Peacock
Equipment
- Shaker and coupe glass!
Ingredients
- 1.5 Oz. Pavan Liqueur
- 1 Oz. Gin The Pavan takes center stage, so maybe don't use your most expensive gin here.
- .5 Oz. Lemon juice Squeeze your own!
- Mint For a lovely botanical garnish.
Instructions
- Let your coupe glass chill a while.
- Pour all of your ingredients into your shaker with ice, and get to shaking.
- Throw your hips into it, if you like.
- Strain as you fill your coupe glass with Pavan goodness.
- Garnish with mint.
The Pavan Peacock is just one of a few great Pavan drinks:
#7 Key West Side
The Key West Side
Equipment
- Mixing glass or shaker, muddling spoon, strainer. Enjoy from a coupe glass.
Ingredients
- 2 Oz. Gin
- 1 Oz. Simple syrup
- 2 Sliced Key limes to muddle
- 6-7 Mint leaves to muddle
- Fresh mint to garnish
Instructions
- In your mixing glass, use the flat end of your bar spoon to muddle your sliced limes and mint leaves.
- Add your gin and simple syrup to your shaker and get it all mixed up.
- Double strain into your coupe cocktail glass.
- Garnish with fresh mint.
More on the Key West Side here.
#8 Pimms and Gin
Pimm’s and Gin
Equipment
- Collins glass.
- Bar spoon.
Ingredients
- 2 Oz. Pimm's No. 1
- 1 Oz. Gin
- 1 Barspoon Fernet Branca
- Ginger ale to top
- Lemons, limes, berries, cucumbers
Instructions
- Make this delightful Pimm's and Gin in the glass.
- Add in your chopped fruit. Two chunks of cuke, lemon, lime, strawberry, whatever you have.
- Option to muddle the fruit just a bit to release more flavor.
- Stack your glass with ice.
- Pour in your Pimm's No. 1, Gin, and then top with ginger ale.
- Add a bar spoon of Fernet Branca liqueur.
- Gently stir with your bar spoon.
- Garnish with fresh fruits.
For deets on the Pimm’s and Gin, and if you like Fernet Branca, you may also like the Hanky Panky.
#9 Salty Dog
The Salty Dog Gin Cocktail
Equipment
- Collins glass.
- Cocktail stirrer.
Ingredients
- 2 Oz. Gin
- 4 Oz. Grapefruit juice
- Salt For the rim
- Lemon or lime or grapefruit As a garnish
Instructions
- Salt the rim of your Collins glass.
- Add ice to your glass.
- Layer your drink with gin first.
- Add your grapefruit juice.
- Stir in the glass.
- Garnish with your choice of fruits.
The Salty Dog is sort of, but not really, like the Gin Paloma.
#10 Elderflower Aviation
Elderflower Aviation Gin Cocktail
Equipment
- Shaker and strainer, coupe glass.
Ingredients
- 1.5 Oz. Gin
- .75 Oz. Lemon juice
- .5 Oz. Maraschino cherry liquor
- .5 Oz. Elderflower liquor
- Luxardo cherry For garnish!
Instructions
- Chill your coupe glass.
- In the meantime, combine your gin, lemon juice, maraschino liquor, and elderflower liquor into a shaker with ice.
- Mix it all up.
- Strain over your coupe after you have tossed your chilling ice.
- Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and lemon.
You just can’t go wrong with elderflower! This has more on the Elderflower Aviation, and check out these, too:
Elderflower and Cucumber Gimlet
#11 Passionfruit Martini
The Passionfruit Martini with Gin
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker and strainer(s)
- Martini glass
Ingredients
- 3 Oz. Passionfruit juice
- 1.5 Oz. Gin
- .75 Oz. Lime juice
- Lemon and lime peel for garnish
Instructions
- Combine your ingredients into your cocktail shaker.
- Add ice, and shake up.
- Strain into your martini glass.
- Garnish with lime, lemon, or both.
Details on the Passionfruit Martini here. The Stay at Home, Beach and the Lady Killer also dabble with passionfruit.
#12 Gin and Tea
The Gin and Tea Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker!
- Fancy glass or rocks glass
Ingredients
- 1.5 Oz. Gin Try something dry
- 1 Oz. Cooled breakfast Tea Avoid extra flavors like jasmine, mint, etc.
- .5 Oz. Lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp Marmalade That's not a typo
- Dash Orange bitters
- Orange twist For garnish!
Instructions
- Easy! Combine all of your ingredients – even the marmalade – into your shaker.
- Shake it up!
- Double strain over fresh ice into your fancy glass or your rocks glass.
Notes
Details on the Gin and Tea.
#13 Gin is my Jam
Gin is my Jam Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker!
- Two strainers.
- Coupe glass.
Ingredients
- 2 Oz. Gin
- 1.5 Oz. Sweet and sour mix – use homemade
- 1 Tsp. Raspberry jam
Instructions
- Combine all of your ingredients into your cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake vigoriously, perhaps a bit longer than you normally would to really break up the jam.
- Double strain into your coupe glass.
Notes
For more on the Gin and Jam.
#14 Lady Killer
Ladykiller Gin Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker and two strainers
- Collins glass.
Ingredients
- 1 Oz. Gin
- .5 Oz. Cointreau or triple-sec
- .5 Oz. Apricot brandy
- 2 Oz. Pineapple juice
- 2 Oz. Passionfruit juice
Instructions
- Add your ingredients into a shaker with ice.
- Shake.
- Double strain into a collins glass with crushed ice.
- Garnish with some sort of tropical fruit!
Lady Killer details are here!
#15 Minty Rose 75
The Minty Rose 75
Equipment
- Shaker and champagne flute!
Ingredients
- 1.5 Oz. Gin
- .5 Oz. Lime juice
- .5 Oz. Simple syrup
- Sparkling rosé to top things off
- Strawberry to garnish
- Fresh mint spank it or not for the garnish
Instructions
- In your shaker, add ice to your gin, lime juice and simple syrup.
- Shake things up. A lot.
- Strain into your champagne flute.
- Top with sparkling rosé wine.
- Garnish with fresh mint, spanked or not, and a strawberry. Or any other berry you like.
So many 75 options! Aside from the Minty Rose 75, you may enjoy these: