Spirits Gin 32 Refreshing Gin Cocktails By Food & Wine Editors Updated on October 31, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter With fresh ingredients like lavender, honey, hibiscus, and lemon, many gin cocktails seem destined for warm-weather sipping. But these bright, clean drinks needn't be relegated to the confines of a rising mercury. From gimlets to martinis to fizzes, crisp gin cocktails are great really whenever you're seeking something cool and refreshing. Try any of these 32 terrific gin drink recipes and see for yourself. 01 of 32 Lavender Gin Cocktail Julian Broad This spritzy, floral cocktail from La Granja in Ibiza, Spain, will make anyone a gin drinker. The lavender plays perfectly with a botanical-forward gin and a touch of lime juice and agave rounds the whole thing out. Get the Recipe 02 of 32 Turf Club Cocktail Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Unlike a martini, which traditionally leans on dry gin and vermouth, the Turf Club Cocktail is slightly sweet from the addition of maraschino liqueur, an aromatic liqueur distilled from cherries. This recipe from Brooklyn's retro mainstay Gage & Tollner uses fresh orange to balance the juniper-forward gin. Get the Recipe 03 of 32 James Bond Martini © Tina Rupp For this variation on the Vesper from Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale bar manager "Martini Bob" Perry adds a Wisconsin touch: blue-cheese-stuffed olives. Get the Recipe 04 of 32 Gin-Campari Old-Fashioned © Marcus Nilsson Dave Kwiatkowski of The Sugar House in Detroit creates this variation on an old-fashioned by swapping gin for the whiskey. A splash of Campari adds bitterness and a rosy color. Get the Recipe 05 of 32 Jasmine Gin Fizz © Tina Rupp Master mixologist Ryan Fitzgerald always wanted to incorporate the floral scent of jasmine tea into a cocktail. He chose to add it to the late 19th-century Silver Fizz by using gin infused with jasmine tea. Get the Recipe 06 of 32 Felicitation Punch © Tina Rupp In this pleasantly tart punch, cocktail historian David Wondrich mixes Irish whiskey with gin to mimic the taste of a richer, older style of gin. Get the Recipe 07 of 32 Pink Floyd © William Meppem The gin-based liqueur Pimm's is mixed with Cointreau, lime, and cranberry in this delightful drink from the late, great chef Floyd Cardoz. Get the Recipe 08 of 32 Lychee Gimlet © Tina Rupp Lychee nectar balances the tartness of fresh lime juice in this fantastic take on the gimlet. Garnish it with a fresh lychee if you can. Get the Recipe 09 of 32 Rosemary Salty Dog © Tina Rupp Chef Ashley Christensen adds muddled fresh rosemary in her version of the gin and grapefruit juice classic. Get the Recipe 10 of 32 Frozen Martini Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen There's no ice and no stirring or shaking with the Frozen Martini: With a formula of two parts gin, one part vermouth, and one part water, the ideal dilution is built into the batch. When you take it out of the freezer, the liquid won't be completely frozen but will glide right out of the bottle. Let it sit in the glass on the counter for a minute before sipping. The garnish is up to you. Get the Recipe 11 of 32 California Collins © Tina Rupp Bartender Ryan Fitzgerald created this drink for the 2009 San Francisco Slow Food Festival using only local ingredients: The gin came from Distillery No. 209, the apples for the juice from a Sonoma orchard, and the lemon verbena from an urban garden run by his cousin. Even the club soda was Bay Area–made, by the bottle-recycling Seltzer Sisters. Get the Recipe 12 of 32 Mother's Ruin Punch © Quentin Bacon Classicist bartenders have resurrected the centuries-old ritual of formal punch service. Here, mixologist Philip Ward makes a potent concoction named after the old British slang for gin. Get the Recipe 13 of 32 The Harrier © Tina Rupp Mixologist Greg Best named his lavender-scented riff on a Greyhound made with gin instead of vodka after a dog known for its keen sense of smell: the harrier. Get the Recipe 14 of 32 Rosemary Gin Fizz © Maura McEvoy Fragrant rosemary perfumes this bubbly, bright cocktail in two ways. First, a rosemary-infused syrup provides a touch of sweetness, then a fresh sprig garnish awakens the senses as the glass is drawn to your lips. Get the Recipe 15 of 32 Limoncello Collins © Tina Rupp The Collins was most likely named after 19th-century bartender John Collins of London's Limmer's Hotel. The Tom Collins was originally made with Old Tom, a sweet style of gin that's extremely hard to find today. Get the Recipe 16 of 32 Chartreuse Gin Daisy © Lucas Allen Mixologist Patricia Richards swaps honey-sweetened yellow Chartreuse (a spicy herbal liqueur) for the usual grenadine in her simple Gin Daisy variation. Get the Recipe 17 of 32 Pimm's Cup This classic boozy cooler originated in Britain as a health drink in the 1800s. It contains Pimm's No. 1, a fruity gin-based spirit. Get the Recipe 18 of 32 Rosy Hibiscus-Gin Lowball Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner On the fence when it comes to gin? Try a sip of this gateway cocktail. Also known as sorrel, roselle — the type of hibiscus used in most hibiscus teas — complements the floral notes of gin, resulting in a refreshing, balanced beverage. Get the Recipe 19 of 32 Plum Gin Fizz Photo by Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell This fruity gin fizz isn't overly sweet, allowing the flavor of the caramelized plums to shine. A botanical gin works well with the fruit in this cocktail, adding herbaceous and fruity notes. To play up the deep color of the plums, try Empress 1908, a royal purple–hued, botanical-style spirit. For a vegan version, in place of the egg white, substitute 3 tablespoons unsalted or low-sodium aquafaba. Get the Recipe 20 of 32 Sakura Martini Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell This elegant, modern take on the saketini was created by Kenta Goto, owner of Manhattan's Bar Goto and Brooklyn's Bar Goto Niban. Goto uses aged genshu sake and gin in the drink, and garnishes it with a salt-pickled sakura, or cherry blossom. Get the Recipe 21 of 32 Gin and Tonic Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter The herbaceous, juniper-forward flavor of botanical London Dry Gin is perfectly carried by tonic water's sweetness. Get the Recipe 22 of 32 Sour-Cherry Gin Slings © John Kernick This sweet-tart concoction is based on the classic Singapore sling, replacing the traditional cherry brandy with an intensely vibrant homemade sour cherry syrup. Get the Recipe 23 of 32 Lemon and Lavender Gin Fizz Victor Protasio Leopold’s Summer Gin brings a smooth, floral flavor to this botanical cocktail with notes of cucumber, sage, lemon, and lavender. Be sure to use food-safe rose petals, not ones treated with pesticides or insecticides, for garnish. Get the Recipe 24 of 32 Tom Collins Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter With likeness to a Gin Sling or Gin Fizz, the Tom Collins is a refreshing cocktail made with gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a bit of sugar, and carbonated water. It's thirst-quenching and refreshing, with balanced sweet and sour flavors along with an enticing, fizzy finish. Get the Recipe 25 of 32 French 75 Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter This luxurious, delicious combination of gin and Champagne can be easily scaled up for a crowd. Get the Recipe 26 of 32 Cucumber-Rose Gin Spritz Victor Protasio A classic combination of gin, lemon, and club soda gets a refreshing twist with cucumber, basil, and black cardamom-infused syrup. Dried rose petals add a subtle floral flavor and act as a beautiful garnish. Get the Recipe 27 of 32 Negroni Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter Despite the Negroni's endless capacity for shape-shifting, this recipe is for the most classic version of the cocktail — think of it as an ode to its comforting simplicity. Made with vibrant red Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin, the drink is balanced with a combination of earthy, bitter, and botanical flavors. Get the Recipe 28 of 32 Concord Grape Gin Fizz © Jonny Valiant This vibrant purple cocktail — made with Concord grapes, gin, port, and lemon — is frothy, fruity, and refreshing. Get the Recipe 29 of 32 The Monarch Cocktail Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Pamplemousse liqueur lends mellow citrus flavor that highlights the grapefruit notes in Lillet Rosé in The Monarch cocktail, a martini-style drink from top bartender Shannon Tebay. Get the Recipe 30 of 32 Chandelier Martini Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Stirred exactly 24 times, this classic martini is made extra special with the addition of Chandelier Magic, a citrusy and aromatic homemade blend of bitters. Anise-flavored Herbsaint brings a subtle herbaceousness that pairs perfectly with the slightly sweet Old Tom-style gin. While this recipe calls for three gins, they each bring a unique flavor and combine elegantly in this aromatic martini. Get the Recipe 31 of 32 Butterfly's Breath Christopher Testani The late Julia and Paul Child often entertained friends with cocktails, many of them invented by Paul Child, who delighted in creating custom drinks. A small collection of Paul’s recipes, written on 3-by-5 index cards, was recently discovered in Julia Child’s archives. Among them is this sweet, apricot brandy–laced riff on the gimlet. Get the Recipe 32 of 32 Bee's Knees Abby Hocking The Bee's Knees combines the bright and lightly sweet flavors of lemon, honey, and gin. This classic cocktail is traditionally served up, but Chef Missy Robbins prefers hers on the rocks. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit