7 Refreshing Gin Cocktails for Balmy Summer Evenings

At the end of a hot summer day, there is nothing quite like a refreshing gin cocktail to unwind and beat the heat. Put your bartending skills to use and inspire your inner mixologist with innovative summer cocktails, there is something for everyone, whether your palate is sweet, citrusy, or spicy, there is something for everyone in this list. It's happy hour somewhere, so try our pick of refreshing cocktails for balmy summers made with award-winning gins that dominated the Cosmo India SNAs.

1. Gin Basil Smash with Stranger & Sons Gin

Ingredients

60ml Stranger & Sons Gin

20ml Lime juice

20ml Sugar syrup

6 Fresh basil leaves

Method

Pour all the ingredients into the cocktail shaker.

Add ice and shake hard until you get a chilled temperature.

Double strain it into a rock glass with ice.

Garnish it with Basil leaves

Recipe Courtesy: Stranger & Sons

 

2. Baby's Watermelon with Beefeater London Dry Gin

Ingredients

22ml Cointreau

60ml DRY GIN

22ml Lemon Juice

3 cubes of Watermelon

5 leaves of Cilantro

Ice

Garnish: Watermelon slice and Lemon wheel

 

Method

Add Cointreau, Gin, Lemon juice, watermelon cubes, and cilantro to a shaker and gently muddle.

Once done, add ice, shake, and fine strain into a glass and garnish with a watermelon slice and, or lemon wheel.

Recipe and Image Courtesy: Cointreau

Discover the best gins in India by clicking here.

 

3. Bombay Sapphire Negroni

Ingredients

25ml Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin

25ml Sweet Vermouth

25ml Campari

Ice

Garnish options: blood orange slice, orange zest twist, star anise

 

Method

Combine gin, vermouth, and Campari in a shaker with ice and stir.

Strain into a tumbler, add fresh ice, and garnish with a slice of blood orange or an orange zest twist with star anise.  

Tip for Hot Days: For a frozen negroni on a hot summer day, add all ingredients with 1 cup ice and 1 orange, juiced, in a blender and blend till a slushy-like texture, pour into a glass, garnish with an orange slice and enjoy!

 

4. Hendricks Cucumber G&T

Ingredients

30ml Hendricks Gin

Regular or light cucumber tonic water

20ml elderflower liqueur

Garnish: cucumber ribbon and mint sprig

 

Method

Add gin, tonic water of your choice, and elderflower liqueur together and stir.

Pour over ice in a balloon glass and garnish with a cucumber ribbon and mint sprig. 

 

5. Classic French 75 with Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin

Ingredients

60 ml Monkey 47

20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

15ml simple syrup

100ml Champagne or other sparkling wine

Garnish: lemon twist and sage leaves

 

Method

Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice and shake well.

Strain into a coupe glass or champagne flute. Top with champagne.

Garnish with a lemon twist and sage leaves. 

Tip: For a frozen French 75, add all ingredients in a blender with 1 cup ice, blend until smooth, pour into a glass, garnish and enjoy!

 

6. Southside Fizz with Tanqueray London Dry Gin

Ingredients

60ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin

30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

30ml simple syrup

5 mint leaves

Garnish: mint sprig

 

Method

Add mint leaves and lemon juice into a shaker and gently muddle.

Then add the gin and simple syrup with ice and shake well.

Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a mint sprig. 

 

7. Classic Tom Collins with Gordon's London Dry Gin 

Ingredients

60ml Gordon's London Dry Gin

30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

15ml simple syrup

To top: club soda

Ice

Garnish: lemon wheel and maraschino cherry

 

Method

Add the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a collins glass, fill with ice, top with club soda, and stir.

Garnish with a lemon wheel and maraschino cherries.