5 Easy Gin Cocktails You Can Make At Home

From a classic G&T to the honeyed charm of a Bee’s Knees, here are five gin cocktails that anyone can make at home. Requirements: a glass, some ice, and a little bit of curiosity.

Now, you’ve read my article on five easy whisky-based cocktails you can make at home (or at least I hope you have), but for those of you who aren’t exactly the biggest fans of whisky, here’s a sequel featuring gin instead. A spirit kissed by botanicals, gin is a versatile pour that lends itself to any and all.

It’s replete with subtle twists and turns that invite you to unravel its mysteries in whichever way you like. Gin might be complex, but spotlighting it in a cocktail doesn’t have to be, as these five recipes will attest to. So, ready your glasses, some ice, a spoon, and let’s kick things off.

1. Gin & Tonic

Of course, we had to start off an article on gin cocktails with a G&T—could anything else have sufficed? The no-brainer, the banker, the one that’s never failed: gin and tonic go together like peanut butter and jelly, Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of Siamese twins. I know a fair few people who don’t like the taste of straight-up gin, and I can’t imagine many would willingly indulge a glass of tonic water from time to time either, but somehow, when you put the two together, you have a drink that always hits the spot.

Ingredients:

• 50ml gin
• 125–150ml tonic water
• Ice
• Optional: lemon or lime slice, herb sprig (rosemary, mint)

Method:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Pour in your gin.
3. Top with tonic.
4. Give it a gentle stir.
5. Garnish if you feel like impressing… yourself.

They say simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, and the gin and tonic certainly embodies that to a tee. Balanced and refreshing, you can switch up the gin too whenever you’re looking for something different. A gin and tonic also happens to be one of the few alcoholic beverages that’s socially acceptable to drink at practically any time of the day, so that’s definitely a plus point.

2. Tom Collins

The taller, sunnier cousin to the G&T, the Tom Collins is like summer in a glass. Light, citrusy, and with a touch of sweetness, you can think of the Tom Collins as the adult version of lemonade. And who doesn’t like lemonade, right?

Ingredients:

• 50ml gin
• 25ml lemon juice
• 15ml sugar syrup (or dissolve 1 tbsp sugar in a splash of warm water)
• Soda water
• Ice
• Optional: lemon wheel or cherry

Method:

1. In a tall glass, add gin, lemon juice, and your sweetener.
2. Give it a stir to blend.
3. Fill with ice.
4. Top with soda water.
5. Garnish if you want it to look like you’ve made an effort.

This is a cocktail for those who want something tall, bubbly, and that goes down easy. Yes, we’re still talking about drinks here.

3. Negroni

Alright, now we’re getting serious. The Negroni, you must understand, is a very big-boy cocktail indeed. Few drinks out there command such legions of self-appointed connoisseurs ready to lecture you about what a “proper” example should taste like. But, belying its complex flavours and dignified stature, it’s actually quite a cinch to make.

Ingredients:

• Ingredients:
• 30ml gin
• 30ml Campari
• 30ml sweet vermouth
• Ice
• Optional: orange peel

Method:

1. Fill your glass with ice.
2. Pour in the gin, Campari, and vermouth.
3. Stir until chilled.
4. Twist an orange peel over it, if you’ve got one.

And really, that’s about it. If you’d only ever ordered a Negroni and never looked into the making of one, you wouldn’t have thought that it’d be this simple. Sure, it looks and tastes like you’ve read at least three books on mixology, but nobody has to know that, in actuality, all you did was pour three things into a glass and stir.

4. French 75

The French 75, or simply a soixante-quinze if you’re French (my sympathies), is a cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can swap out the champagne for another sparkling wine if you like, because really, who’s going to know? Invented right around World War I, it’s said to have gotten its name because drinking it will have you feeling like you just got shelled by the powerful French 75mm field gun.

Ingredients:

• 30ml gin
• 15ml lemon juice
• 1–2 tsp sugar (or 10ml sugar syrup)
• Sparkling wine (prosecco, champagne, cava)
• Optional: lemon twist

Method:

1. In a glass, mix gin, lemon, and sugar until dissolved.
2. Add a couple of ice cubes if you want it colder, or skip them entirely.
3. Top slowly with sparkling wine.
4. Garnish with lemon if you’re feeling fancy.

The keen-eyed among you will have noticed that it’s very similar to the aforementioned Tom Collins, but with champagne taking the place of soda instead. That alteration means you’ll definitely want to keep careful watch of how many you’ve had, because it got its name for a reason. Sophisticated, lively, and a great way to use that half-open bottle of prosecco you’ve been looking for an excuse to finish.

5. Bee’s Knees

The Bee’s Knees functions as both name and descriptor for this cocktail because it truly is what it says on the tin. This Prohibition-era beverage, by way of three simple ingredients, manages to turn out a drink that is gently sweet and smoothly indulgent. The honey works to soften the edges of the gin, while the lemon adds a sparkling effervescence to proceedings. It’s as if somebody taught gin how to give a hug; that’s what you’re getting here.

Ingredients:

• 50ml gin
• 20ml lemon juice
• 15ml honey syrup (or 1 tbsp honey dissolved with warm water)
• Ice
• Optional: lemon peel

Method:

1. Combine gin, lemon, and honey in a glass or jar.
2. Stir with ice until cold.
3. Strain into a fresh glass if you want it neat, or just plop out the ice and drink it as is.
4. Garnish with a peel if you have one handy.

When making the Bee’s Knees, there are two ways you could go about it. You could either use a London Dry gin for more of a juniper-forward profile, or you could go for a more modern gin featuring citrus and florals. This will work to bring out more of the honey and lemon notes in the cocktail. Whichever option you go with, keep track of your pours because this is a cocktail that’ll definitely get you buzzing. Buzzing, get it? Because… honey… bees… look, you get the point.

Gin For The Win

And there you have it: five cocktails to bring out the best of your gin. Whether you’re looking for something bright and sparkly, or something a touch more grown-up, gin can do it all, and that’s part of what makes it so great. So the next time you need to whip up some cocktails for the barbecue or just need a stiff drink or three in the privacy of your own home, give these easy and beloved classics a try.