Summer is the perfect time for cocktails. We’re off work, the holidays are stretching out in front of us, and we can finally relax with something long and cool.

These gin cocktails make the perfect summer serve – whether you’re at home, by the pool or picnicking in the park – they’ll leave you feeling refreshed in more ways than one!

Cheers!

Tom Collins

A Tom Collins is one of the classic long gin cocktails but there’s a lot of controversy around its origins, with numerous people laying claim to the invention. Apparently, the earliest record for Tom Collins was written by Jerry Thomas, the father of American mixology, in 1876.

Ingredients

2oz gin

¾ oz simple syrup

¾ oz lemon juice

Soda water

Steps

1. Fill a Collins glass with ice and keep it in the freezer.
2. Pour in gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
3. Add ice and shake until well-chilled.
4. Strain into the chilled Collins glass.

Negroni Swizzle

‘Swizzling’ is a way to chill the drinks by twirling a swizzle stick between your palms. Try this swizzled cocktail overflowing with ice to cool you off this summer.

Ingredients

1 oz gin

1 oz Campari

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz soda water

Steps

1. Fill a highball glass with crushed ice.
2. Add gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
3. Swizzle with a bar spoon until your glass frosts up.
4. Add the soda water.
5. Garnish with a piece of orange or twist.

Takumi’s Aviation

The Aviation is usually purple, made with Creme de Violette. However, when Takumi Watanabe, a Japanese bartender at The Sailing Bar, did not have the Creme de Violette on hand, he made do by using Parfait D’Amour which gives it a distinctive blue colour.

Ingredients

½ oz gin

½ oz maraschino liqueur

1 bar spoon parfait d’amour

⅓ oz fresh lemon juice

Steps

1. Combine all the ingredients into your cocktail shaker
2. Shake with ice
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish with a twist of lemon

Cucumber and Gin Cocktail

This cocktail is a riff on the cucumber cooler, but takes it to the next level by using cucumber juice instead of the diced cucumber. The result is a refreshing green cocktail – the Incredible Hulk in a glass!

Ingredients

1 unpeeled cucumber

1 lime, cut into quarters.

2 oz gin

3 oz cucumber juice

1 tsp sugar

Mint leaves

Soda water

Ice

Steps

1. Cut up the cucumber and pulse in a food processor.
2. Strain using a cheesecloth or coffee filter.
3. Fill a tumbler with ice.
4. Using a peeler, cut a long strip of cucumber and arrange it to the side of the tumbler.
5. Muddle half a lime, 2 mint leaves, and 1 tsp sugar
6. Add the gin and cucumber juice into the muddling glass.
7. Add ice and shake vigorously.
8. Drop 2 quarter slices of the lime into the tumbler.
9. Strain the cocktail mixture into the tumbler.
10. Top with soda water

Gin Gin Mule

A modern classic, the gin-gin mule was created by Audrey Saunders of New York City’s Pegu Club. While it’s often thought of as a Moscow Mule with gin, it also has a bit of mojito influence. Either way, you look at it, it’s incredibly easy to make and a fabulous drink you’re sure to love.

As the name indicates, there are two “gins” in this recipe. The first is gin—as in the botanical liquor we know and love for everything from the martini to the gin and tonic. The second is ginger beer, that snappy soda that makes the Moscow mule a truly great drink. When you muddle in a little lime, syrup, and mint, the drink’s flavour has a refreshing contrast.

Ingredients

8 mint leaves

3/4 oz lime juice (fresh)

1 oz simple syrup

1 1/2 oz gin

4 to 5 oz ginger beer (enough to fill)

Garnish: mint sprig

Steps

1. In a cocktail shaker, add the mint leaves, lime juice, and simple syrup. Muddle well to release the essence of the herbs.
2. Add gin and fill the shaker with ice
3. Shake well
4. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice
5. Top up with ginger beer
6. Add a sprig of mint to garnish

Singapore Sling

A holiday classic, everything about a Singapore Sling screams lounging on a beach or propping up a pool-side bar. It’s also one of those cocktails that bartenders like to put their own twist on, so you’ll see variations everywhere you go. If you want to make this version even more special, you can use Cointreau instead of triple sec.

Ingredients

2 oz gin

½ oz triple sec

¾ oz Cherry Heering liqueur

½ oz Benedictine DOM Liqueur

½ oz lime juice

½ oz grenadine

3 oz pineapple juice

2 dash Angostura bitters

Cherry, pineapple wedge and cocktail umbrella for garnish

Steps

1. Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
2. Strain into a tall glass full of ice.
3. Garnish with a cherry and a pineapple wedge skewered together with a cocktail umbrella

Recipes provided by Advanced Mixology

When reading a cocktail recipe, it often suggests a style of glassware used for that drink.  There are certain unwritten rules within the World of Mixology, and every Cocktail recipe made, is designed for a specific Cocktail glass, to get the “correct experience” and fully take advantage of the creation in hand.

Why is this even important you might ask?  With this guide you will hopefully see why it indeed is important.

SHOP YOUR OWN GLASSWARE

I love to shop and find new glassware – the more vintage the better. Don’t be afraid to buy it second-hand; this is often where all the gems are located.

The first tip – Don’t buy very thin glasses – these will most likely break at one time or another, while hand washing them, and you will instantly regret losing one of your favourite glasses this way.

After washing your priceless glassware, dry them immediately to avoid water spots – sipping from a crystal clear glass is part of the Cocktail Experience.

THE ESSENTIAL GLASSWARES

The Martini Glass

This conical shaped glass is often used for serving Martinis – so this glass is simply referred to as a “Martini Glass”, but the correct term is actually a “Cocktail glass”.

Use this glass for any kind of Martini variation (like my favourite one; Espresso Martini) or any short drink. The drinks enjoyed with this kind of glass is often “served up” (without ice). I do however enjoy a large block of clear ice in mine – to keep it chilled for longer, and for its beauty.

The Coupe Glass

This broad-bowled shaped glass is often used for the same purpose as a Martini glass and is often seen to even replace the Martini glass.

Use this glass for cocktails that are served “up” (no ice), like the Manhattan (Bourbon/Rye, Sweet vermouth, bitters) or Gimlet (Gin, Lime juice and Simple syrup). I often serve my cocktails made in a Coupe glass, with a large block of ice. I do this because I enjoy that the drink is nicely chilled from start until the end.  By using a large block of ice, it won’t dilute the drink too much either.

The Old Fashioned Glass.

This short tumbler of a glass is often used for serving short mixed drinks or straight pour of liquor served over a large block of ice.

Often referred to as a “lowball” or “Rocks Glass”, this is one of my absolute favourite glasses (partly because one of my favourite cocktails, The Old Fashioned, is made using a glass of this type.

My favourite Old Fashioned variation contains Rum, Maple Syrup, Chocolate bitters and a dehydrated orange wheel – stirred with great patience and to perfection.

The Highball Glass

This tall glass, shaped like a chimney, is often used for serving mixed drinks filled with plenty of quality ice.

The recipes are often built directly in the glass itself, by pouring the ingredients directly over the ice finished by a wee stir.

The most classic cocktail using this type of glass is for sure the “Screwdriver” (Vodka, orange juice and plenty of ice) or the Legendary “Gin & Tonic”.

When ready for it, I recommend you try serving a “Dark & Stormy” (Dark rum, lime juice, topped with lime wedges and ginger beer) or the “Cuba Libre” (Rum, lime juice, topped with lime wedges and cola).

The Copa Glass

Typically shaped like a balloon and sits on a stem almost like a red wine glass, this type of glass is perfectly suited for sipping a Gin & Tonic.

Nick and Nora Glass

The Margarita Glass

This bowl-shaped glass is often used for serving margaritas, either on the rocks or frozen.  These glasses often have a wide rim, making it easy to add sugar and/or salt.

Want to share with good friends? Don’t worry, these type of glasses can easily be found in really large sizes, containing up to 60oz/180cl of liquid.

My all-time favourite Margarita must be the “Strawberry Margarita”; Light rum, Triple sec, lime juice, sugar and plenty of strawberries, blended with ice.

The Champagne Glass

This tall, thin glass, is often used for serving Cocktails containing Champagne.  This type of glass is designed, on purpose, to keep the Champagne’s bubbles in the glass longer.

My favourite Champagne Cocktail must be the “French 75”; Gin, Lemon juice, Simple Sugar Syrup, topped with Champagne (or prosecco), and garnished with a lemon peel.

THE NEXT STEP

Now that you got the Basic’s all done, why not take it a wee step further?

The Tiki mug

These kitschy ceramic mugs, often formed as various animals or Polynesian Gods invites you to create funky-fresh cocktails. 

I recommend that you try the “Grog” (Dark rum, lime juice, Demerara syrup and water, filled with plenty of ice, garnished with plenty of flowers and fresh citrus fruits).

The copper mug

These metallic mugs will keep your cocktails super cold and chilled (or so myth has it), and is a pleasant sight for sure.

The mug quickly takes on the Cocktails icy temperature, therefore turning the whole mug into a super icy and frosty vessel.

Don’t deny yourself a nice and fresh “Moscow Mule” (Vodka, Lime juice, topped with ginger beer, garnished with lime wedges and fresh lemon thyme).

The punch bowl

Not really a “glass” as one knows it, but rather a bowl perfect for serving many guests at a time, and can be made ready before the guests arrive, making it very practical as well as festive.

I definitely recommend the always crowd-pleasing “Fish House Punch” (Dark rum, Cognac, Peach Brandy, Black Tea, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Fresh lemon wheels and plenty of ice).

IN SUMMARY

With these types of glasses stocked in your own very Home Bar, you are all set to enter the wonderful World of Mixology. 

Don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t be afraid to “break the rules” – only through “Trial & Error” can you really perfect your own Cocktail Creations.

Author: Morten Krag, @thecocktail.blog

The underlying message of our blogs is, inevitably, buy our gin. And you should: it’s absolutely delicious and wonderfully classic. The underlying message of this blog, however, is that you should buy our gin… and bottles of several other things, such as Campari, mezcal, vermouth and Aperol. Why? Because domestic cocktail making is on the rise, thanks to social media – and last year’s remarkable British summer.

We’ll add the expected caveats to that statement, of course, in that you should – please! – continue to drink responsibly and that you shouldn’t feel pressured to make your own cocktails just because that’s, as we’re about to demonstrate, what the (very) cool kids do so they can show their creations on Instagram. But if you are so inclined, it’s a very good opportunity to improve the way you drink – and improve the way you make drinks because, as our recipe section suggests, we do think all drinkers (and, particularly, Fifty Pounds Gin drinkers) should have a couple of faultless cocktails up their sleeve. Making cocktails at home is a fine way to learn a little more about what goes into your drinks, their creation and flavour profiles, all of which will, perhaps, help you develop a greater appreciation of your drinks cabinet AND the mixologist’s art. Because, while Instagram is clearly a hugely visual medium, the current craze is less about the elaborate creations of recent years, and more about the simple, subtler side of the art. Although, to be fair, your Instagram success may depend a little on how photogenic you are as well as the prettiness of your glassware…

According to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), last year saw a massive revival in liqueur sales. Figures now available for 2018 show that some 42m bottles were consumed across the UK’s homes, bars, pubs and restaurants.

Much of this figure comes from the remarkable 74% of UK bars that now serve cocktails – a number that seems to increase week on week in cities such as London – although, as mentioned above, the long hot summer certainly played a part. The WSTA reports that, in the 12 weeks to September, shops and supermarkets saw a whopping 56% rise in “non-cream liqueur sales”, equating to some four million bottles, and an increase of 1.4m from the same period in 2017.

Summer 2018 “saw an explosion in popularity of herbal bitter liqueurs and red-orange aperitifs mixed with sparkling wine,” explains the WSTA report. “These drinks, served in pretty stem glasses, proved very Instagrammable, and consumers were keen to share their snaps of the vibrant, colourful cocktails on social media.”

(Don’t worry about the cream liqueurs though. Even in the warmth, the likes of Baileys and Kahlua also saw an upturn in sales, with a 33% increase compared to 2017.)

The idea of “Drinkstagram” – or, to give it is more expected prefix #drinkstagram – has been well documented over the last couple of years, from national papers to great drinks business publications such as Diffords Guide. The cocktail making art has always been a visual one, hence this micro-blogging and photographic app has become its natural home.

While many people are using Instagram to document their life – from coffee art to pretty shop fronts, spectacular breakfasts to a pair of new shoes – to an audience of family and friends, a number of people are carving out a huge following and turning that following into a viable business opportunity. The Drinkstagram community is no different -although they do have one advantage in that, for the most part, you can recreate much of what they do yourself, wherever you are in the world. Looking attractive in a $1000-a-night hotel suite while wearing a designer watch and a pair of expensive shoes is something most of us will never be able to do. Making a cocktail inside a chocolate bunny because you saw it on Instagram, however, is something you can have a crack at in the comfort of your own home.

That particular example comes from Australian mixologist @cocktailsbykurtis but there are plenty of “amateurs” out there, such as the brilliantly named “apartment bartender” who’s turning a love of cocktail making into something bigger, while inspiring – at this point – around 56,000 people with his regular recipes. The same applies to the likes of @beautifulbooze – who mixes travel and creative drinking to great effect.

If you want to track down this wealth of drinks creation, it’s worth noting a few of the more popular drink-based hashtags. We’ve already pointed you towards #drinkstagram but #drinksofinstagram is also worth a look, ditto #instadrinks, #cocktailhour, #mixology, #cocktailgram and the very-to-the-point #cocktails. All of these should offer you hundreds of recipes to consider or, at the very least, keep you colourfully entertained for a few minutes.

So where does Fifty Pounds fit into this? Well, we see this rise of the simple, wonderfully coloured photogenic cocktail as something that’s riding on the back of the gin craze: think Negroni, think Aviation, think classic Bramble…  They’re all great starting points for home mixologists. They’re all excellent cocktails to master and will always win you fans. Perhaps most importantly, they’re all very good starting points before you move on to some of the more complex things you will no doubt find online.

If this article has inspired you to get mixing, do let us know. You can find us on Instagram at @fiftypoundsgin and we’d love it if you tag us into your photos. There’s no pressure though. Domestic mixology is meant to be fun and, whatever happens – or however many attempts it takes – the best thing about these drinks is not that they’re pretty. It’s that they’re pretty delicious.

The number 50 is one that’s close to our hearts – for obvious reasons. As a score, it’s a fine one in cricket, and a disappointing one in darts. In terms of history, however, it’s just about recent enough to be relevant but also provides sufficient distance for hindsight. Over the coming months, we’ll be taking a look at the significant events of 1968…

On May 3, 1968,

perhaps the most famous European event of the year, “officially” began: the Paris Student Riots. On this day, some 500 students at the Sorbonne protested against the closure of Paris University at Nanterre and the proposed expulsion of some students. The arrival of riot police fuelled the demonstration, leading to further riots and university closures across France.

On May 11, 1968,

the last day of the English football season, Manchester City would win the league with a 4-3 win over Newcastle. After losing 2-1 to Sunderland, Manchester United would finish in second place. They would repeat the same league positions exactly 50 years later.

On May 12, 1968,

a young session musician called Reginald Dwight decided he needed a name change. On a flight home from Edinburgh, after playing a gig with English R&B group Bluesology, Reg would settle on a tribute to bandmates Elton Dean and John Baldry. Happily, he chose Elton John because Dean Baldry just doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

At a press conference in New York on May 14, The Beatles announce the creation of Apple Records.

On May 18, toy company Mattel launched their iconic Hot Wheels brand.

Graham Linehan, comedy writer and, with Arthur Matthews, one half of the team that created Father Ted, was born in Dublin on May 22.

On May 24, 1968,

saw the release of Johnny Cash’s classic album At Folsom Prison and The Papas and The Mamas, the final album from, unsurprisingly, The Mamas and The Papas.