35 Gin Cocktail Recipes That Are Anything But Basic

Gin is meant for so much more than gin and tonic.

gin cocktails
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Julia Marzovilla
By
published
in Features

Bored of always drinking the same old gin and tonic? Same. For too long, gin has been reduced to that simple, two-ingredient cocktail. But with so many different possible flavor profiles, gin is one of the most complex and interesting cocktail bases. Check out our 35 easy-to-master gin cocktail recipes to impress your friends at your next party.

1. Verde Gimlet

Hendrick's Gin

(Image credit: Hendrick's Gin)

Ingredients:

1 part Ancho Reyes Verde

1 part Hendrick's Gin

1 part Lime

½ part Rich Simple Syrup (2:1 Sugar: Water)

Slice of Cucumber

Directions:

Add all ingredients to shaker, add ice, and shake hard to chill and dilute. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a cocktail coupe, then garnish with a cucumber wheel.

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin

2. The Tommyrotter Martinez 

Tommyrotter Distillery

(Image credit: Tommyrotter Distillery)

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. Tommyrotter Cask Strength Bourbon-Barrel Gin

1 ½ oz. Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula preferred)

¼ oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur-2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Directions:

Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Courtesy of Tommyrotter Distillery

3. Brooklyn Garden

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge

(Image credit: Hotel Brooklyn Bridge)

1 ½ oz Hendrick's Gin

½ oz. St. Germain

¼ oz. Agave Nectar

½ oz. Fresh Lime

2 ½ oz. Spinach/kale/coconut H2O/celery/ginger

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a shaker and give a medium strength shake for about 5 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a cucumber sliced on the bias.

Served at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge

4. Van Brunt Gimlet

The Dorsey at the Venetian

(Image credit: The Dorsey at the Venetian)

Ingredients:

2 oz. Plymouth Gin

1 oz. Lime Juice

0.75 oz. Pomegranate Grenadine

Spray of Rose Water

Lime Wheel, for garnish

Directions:

Combine ingredients, shake, and strain into a coupe glass.

Served at The Dorsey at the Venetian

5. Spanish-Style Spring G&T

Hendrick's Gin

(Image credit: Hendrick's Gin)

Ingredients:

1.5 parts Hendrick's Gin

4 parts Q Tonic or Q Indian Tonic

Seasonal Garnishes (we used peeled rhubarb, strawberry and basil)

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a copa or burgundy-style red wine glass. Stir to combine and garnish freely.

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin

6. Infused Cucumber G&T

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin)

Ingredients:

1.5 Hendrick's Gin

4 parts Q Tonic

3 Cucumber Ribbons, per drink

Directions:

Lay cucumber ribbons against the inside of a tall Collins glass end to end from bottom to top. Carefully add cube ice. Top with gin and tonic and garnish with lime.

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin

7. Green Witch 

Courtesy of Greenhook Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Greenhook Gin)

Ingredients:

2 oz. Greenhook Ginsmith Gin

¼ oz. Strega Liquore

¾ oz. Giffard Pamplemousse

¾ oz. Lime Juice

Absinthe

Rosemary sprig

Directions: 

Shake Gin, Strega, Pamplemousse and Lime Juice.Place rosemary in highball glass. Use atomizer to spritz rosemary with absinthe. Light rosemary on fire to quickly toast. Add ice to glass and pour contents from shaker over ice. Top with splash of club soda.

Courtesy of Greenhook Gin at Due West Restaurant in NYC 

8. Gin Mare

Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

(Image credit: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba)

Ingredients:

1 oz. Gin Mare

Bui Tonic Water

Directions:

Add Bui Tonic water to Gin Mare, then garnish with orange and lemon slices, plus rosemary.

Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

9. Gin-Fitzey

Courtesy of Sparkling Ice

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sparkling Ice)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. GinSimple Syrup

½ Lime (sliced into 3 wedges)

Splash of Lemon Lime Sparking Ice

Lime, for garnish

Directions:

Add gin, simple syrup, and lime wedges to shaker. Muddle. Add ice. Shake and strain into highball glass. Add a splash of Lemon Lime Sparkling Ice. Garnish with lime twist.

Courtesy of Sparkling Ice

10. Strawberry Rhubarb G&T

gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin)

Ingredients:

1.5 parts Hendrick's Gin

3 parts Q Tonic

1.5 parts Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup*

Fresh Strawberries and Basil, for garnish

Directions: 

Add gin and simple syrup to a glass, add ice, top with Q Tonic, and garnish with strawberries and basil.

*Add 1 cup each of chopped fresh rhubarb and strawberries, 3/4 cup raw cane sugar, and 1 cup water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes until fruit breaks down. Strain through a chinois and chill.

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin

11. Blood Orange Mule 

Courtesy of Distillery 209

(Image credit: Courtesy of Distillery 209)

Ingredients:

2 oz. No. 209 Gin

½ oz. Lime Juice

¼ oz. Royal Ginger Lime Simple Syrup

3 oz. Bette Jane’s Blood Orange Ginger Beer Garnish

Rosemary Sprig

Directions: 

Shake ingredients minus ginger beer over ice. Strain over ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with Rosemary

Courtesy of Distillery 209

12. The Rickey Reynolds 

Courtesy of Aviation Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Aviation Gin)

Ingredients:

2 ½ oz. Aviation American Gin

¾ oz. Freshly pressed lime juice

1 tsp. Simple syrup

Soda water

Directions:

In a collins glass, add ice, spirits & mixers. Top with soda water. Stir Garnish with a lime wedge.

Courtesy of Aviation Gin

13. Rosa Is Red

Courtesy of Rosa Regale

(Image credit: Courtesy of Rosa Regale)

Ingredients:

5 oz. Rosa Regale

1 oz. London Dry Gin

3/4 oz. Lemon Juice

3/4 oz. Lavender Simple Syrup*

1/2 oz. Blood Orange Juice1 Strawberry, sliced

Orange Peel, for garnish

Directions:

Combine gin, lemon, blood orange, and lavender simple syrup into shaking tin and fill half way with ice. Shake for 3 seconds and strain into a wine glass with ice and top with sparkling rose. Drop strawberries into glass and garnish with orange peel.

*Bring one cup water to a boil with 1 Tblsp. lavender sprigs. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Take off heat and let cool. Strain out lavender and refrigerate up to one week.

Courtesy of Rosa Regale

14. Muses

The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort

(Image credit: The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Hayman's 1850 Reserve Gin

3/4 oz. Fresh Lemon

1/2 oz. Chamomile Infused Honey Syrup

Champagne Foam (made with Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, yellow chartreuse, raspberry, mint, agave nectar, and lemon juice)

Directions:

Combine ingredients, shake, and strain into a champagne glass.

Served at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort

15. Pink Martini  

Courtesy of Bloom Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Bloom Gin)

Ingredients:

1 ¼ oz BLOOM Jasmine & Rose Gin

¾ oz Chamberyzette Strawberry Aperitif0

½ oz olin Blanco

Directions:

Served straight up and garnish with a single rose petal

Courtesy of Bloom Gin 

16. American Werewolf 

Courtesy of St. George's Spirits

(Image credit: Courtesy of St. George's Spirits)

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. St. George Terroir Gin

1 oz. Bruto Americano

¾ oz. Sweet vermouth

Directions: 

Stir all ingredients with ice to chill, then strain into a rocks glass and serve over ice. Garnish with fresh rosemary.

Courtesy of St. George's Spirits

17. The Secret Garden  

Ingredients: 

1 ½ oz. The Botanist Gin

¾ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

¾ oz. Elderflower Liqueur

1 ½ oz. Sparkling Rosé

Directions: 

Add The Botanist Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice and Elderflower Liqueur to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake. Strain into a Flute Glass. Top with Sparkling Rosé. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Courtesy of 1

18. Lavender Honey Fizz

Courtesy of The Botanist Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of The Botanist Gin)

Ingredients:

½ oz. The Botanist Gin

¾ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

¾ oz. White Wine Aperitif

½ oz. Honey Water (1:1 honey to water)

4 Dashes of Rosemary Bitters

1 ½ oz. Soda Water

1-2 Sprigs of Fresh Lavender

Directions:

Add The Botanist Gin, Lemon Juice, White Wine Aperitif, Honey and Bitters to a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake. Strain over ice into a Rocks Glass and top with Soda Water. Garnish with lavender.

Courtesy of The Botanist Gin

19. Clover Club

Courtesy of Tattersall Distilling.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tattersall Distilling.)

Ingredients:

1 Egg white

2 ½ oz. Tattersall Gin

¾ oz. Lemon Juice

¾ oz. Raspberry Syrup

2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake for 10 seconds.Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain into a coup glass.Top with 2 dashes of aromatic bitters. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

Courtesy of Tattersall Distilling.

20. Cool Hand 

Courtesy of Forthave Spirits

(Image credit: Courtesy of Forthave Spirits)

Ingredients:

5 (1/2 inch) cucumber, cut into chunks

1 ½ oz. Forthave Blue Gin

¾ oz. Lemoncello

¼ oz. Fresh Lemon juice

¼ oz. Genepy liquor

Directions: 

Muddle cucumber then shake with ice. Double strain into chilled coupe and garnish with shaved cucumber.

Courtesy of Forthave Spirits

21. Bloodhound 

Courtesy of Oola Distillery

(Image credit: Courtesy of Oola Distillery)

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. OOLA Gin⠀⠀⠀⠀.

¾ oz. Sweet vermouth⠀⠀⠀⠀

¾ oz. Dry vermouth ⠀⠀⠀

2-3 Strawberries (crushed) ⠀

Directions:

Shake all ingredients over ice and fine strain into a cocktail glass.

Courtesy of Oola Distillery 

22.  Riviera Rose

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin)

Ingredients:

2 Parts Hendrick’s Gin

1 Part Giffard Pamplemousse

½ Part apricot liqueur1 part fresh lime juice

½ Part egg white

Directions:

Combine ingredients and shake with ice, then shake without ice. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a rose petal

Courtesy of Hendrick's Gin 

23. 7 Ways to Sunday 

Courtesy of Freeland Spirits

(Image credit: Courtesy of Freeland Spirits)

Ingredients:

¾ 0z. Freeland Gin

¾ 0z. fresh lemon juice

½ oz. Cointreau

3 Tsp. strawberry preserves or jam

2 Dashes Peychaud’s bitters

1 0z. soda water

Directions: 

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Top with soda water.

Courtesy of Freeland Spirits Portland’s first independent, women-led craft distillery.

24. Romantic Devotion 

Courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin)

Ingredients:

1 Part Hendrick’s Orbium Gin

¼ Part cassis liqueur

½ Part basil syrup

Directions: 

Stir and serve in a champagne flute. Top with dry Champagne. Nepitella mint with bloom to garnish.

Courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin

25. Hanky Panky

Courtesy of Bloom Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Bloom Gin)

Ingredients:

1 oz. BLOOM Jasmine & Rose Gin

1 oz. Cocchi Rosa

Spray of Branca Menta

Orange Twist

Directions: 

Served straight up

Courtesy of Bloom Gin

26. NOLET’S Silver Lavender G&T

Courtesy of Nolet’s Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Nolet’s Gin)

Ingredients:

1 ¼ oz. NOLET’S Silver Gin

¼ oz. Fresh Lime Juice

¼ oz. Simple Syrup2

Fresh Lavender Sprigs

Tonic Water

Directions:
Add all ingredients, except tonic water to mixing glass with ice. Shake well and strain into a Burgundy glass over fresh ice. Top with tonic water. Garnish with fresh lavender sprigs.

Courtesy of Nolet’s Gin 

27. Islay Breeze 

Courtesy of The Botanist Gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of The Botanist Gin)

Ingredients:

2 oz. The Botanist Gin

½ oz. Cointreau

¾ oz. Fresh lime juice

¼ oz. Simple Syrup

1 Bar spoon Simple Syrup

3 oz. Tonic

1 Sprig Fresh Mint

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Fill shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass, filled with ice. Top with tonic and garnish with mint sprig.

Courtesy of The Botanist Gin

28. The Sage 

gin

(Image credit: Courtesy of Health-Ade Kombucha)

Ingredients: 

3 Sage Leaves, plus one for garnish

½ 0z. Simple Syrup

1 oz. Lemon Juice

½ 0z. Aperol

5oz Premium Gin

2 ½ 0z. Pomegranate Health-Ade Kombucha

Directions:

Pour gin, aperol, lemon juice, simple syrup, and three sage leaves into shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into coup glass. Top with 2.5oz Pomegranate Health-Ade Kombucha and garnish with sage leaf.

Courtesy of Health-Ade Kombucha

Julia Marzovilla
Julia Marzovilla
Fashion E-Commerce Editor

Julia Marzovilla is the Fashion E-Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she reviews the latest launches from fashion and beauty brands, finds the best on-sale items around the internet, and interviews experts to find the best products in any category to share with her readers. She also creates shopping guides that span every vertical on the site as an expert in everything from the best laptop bags to the best laser hair removal devices.

In her near decade of experience, Julia has both written for several top outlets in the E-Commerce space and worked at major fashion labels. Prior to joining the Marie Claire team, she contributed similar shopping stories to sites such as Bustle, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Who What Wear, and worked as the Trending Fashion and News Writer STYLECASTER. You can find her across the internet at @JuliaMarzovilla. In real life, you can find her creating shopping guides for her friends, cooking or baking in her too-small kitchen, or buying tickets for the next time Harry Styles is in town.

Julia has a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Journalism from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She lives in New York City, her hometown.

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