Five Surprising Gin Cocktails Worth Testing Out

Gin is an exceptionally versatile spirit, and yet, for the most part, it gets delegated to the typically gin & tonics and martinis of this world. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll be surprised at the type of cocktails gin pairs perfectly with.

Here are a few recipes I gaurantee you haven’t thought of before:

Green Eyed Passion

Gin is quickly becoming the go-to spirit for cocktails that have a little more health focus than the traditional fare. This anti-oxidant rich cocktail will have you feeling energized with its anti-aging spinach, kale and spirulina.

Ingredients:

• 1.25 oz Sipsmith London Dry Gin
• 3 Cucumber slices
• 4 to 5 Mint leaves
• 3 to 4 Kale leaves
• A handful of Spinach leaves
• 1 stem of Coriander
• 1.25 oz Lime juice
• 3.5 oz Matcha green tea
• 1 barspoon Spirulina
• 1.75 oz Jax Coco Passionfruit
• 1 barspoon honey

Method: Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well to combine. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

Rhubarb Fennel Harmony

Combining the sweet and tartness of rhubarb with the herbaceous notes of fennel makes for one excellent cocktail. This recipe just so happens to also make a large batch so you can share (or not). You can prepare the vermouth and rhubarb purée in advance.

Ingredients:

• 0.25 fennel bulb, untrimmed, coarsely chopped
• 1 375-ml bottle dry vermouth
• 1 large rhubarb stalk, thinly sliced, plus more, shaved, for serving
• 0.5 cup sugar
• 0.75 cup fresh lemon juice
• 0.75 cup gin

Method: Combine fennel and vermouth in a glass container, saving the bottle. Cover and chill for at least two days. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into bottle.

Bring rhubarb, sugar, and 0.5 cup water to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture is pink and slightly syrupy, this will take approximately 15 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.

Combine 12 oz fennel-infused vermouth, rhubarb purée, lemon juice, gin, and 2 cups ice in a large pitcher. Stir until cold. Pour cocktail into ice-filled old-fashioned glasses and garnish with shaved rhubarb.

Blueberry Pancake Fizz

Who said you can only enjoy pancakes in the morning? With this cocktail, you can have pancakes whenever you like.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Sipsmith London Dry Gin
• 1 egg white
• 2 oz maple syrup
• 1,5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Handful of blueberries (around 15)

Method: Add the egg white, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a shaker and shake well without ice. Muddle blueberries in a cup and add to the mix, add plenty of ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled martini coupe and garnish with two blueberries and a miniature pancake on a cocktail stick.

Monkey Gland

The legendary Harry McElhone is credited with making this cocktail, and he claimed the name was inspired by Serge Voronoff who gained notoriety in the 1920’s for attempting to cure impotence by grafting monkey testicles to humans. Despite the insane origin, this is a delicious drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz orange juice
• 0.25 oz grenadine
• Dash of absinthe

Method: Swirl a dash of absinthe in a chilled cocktail glass to coat it, then dump out any excess liqueur. Add the gin, orange juice and grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and shake well. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with an orange slice or a burnt orange peel.

Clover Club

This pre-Prohibition classic is one of Philadelphia’s contributions to mixology’s history.

Ingredients: