So now, it’s Day 37 of lockdown in Sydney.  

What does one do besides work and watch Netflix and go for long romantic masked walks?

Make gin cocktails! 

I was gifted two bottles of 708 gin to create some cocktails. Besides my all-time fave - Gin and Tonic (with a garnish of lime or cucumber), I’ve discovered some great gin cocktails that are super delicious.

Here are my favourite gin cocktails. The recipes are super easy to follow, without needing any fancy equipment or unusual ingredients. One of the cocktails is a winter warmer. Who knew gin is not just a Summer drink?

All the recipes are for one drink, so if you’re entertaining - heck, what am I saying? If you want to drink more than one since you only have yourself (or your household) to entertain during lockdown, double or triple the recipe. You get the idea!

And if you're not in lockdown, multiply those recipes by ten and impress your guests!

Pear Collins

If you like gin and you like pears, you'll love the Pear Collins.  This one’s super easy one with simple ingredients. 

ingredients

4 tbsp gin

4 tbsp pear puree (recipe below)

club soda

garnish a slice of pear, thyme

for pear puree

1 medium pear, peeled, cored and diced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp water

To make the pear puree, heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer until pears are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Blend in a blender or food processor. 

To make the cocktail, place gin and pear puree in a shaker with ice cubes and shake. 

Strain into a fancy retro glass (actually, you don’t have to, it will taste good regardless!)

Top with soda water and garnish with pear slices and thyme.

Hot Spiced Apple Gin

Are you looking for a drink to warm the cockles of your heart in this cold weather? This might be the one!

ingredients 

1 cinnamon stick

a sprinkle of cloves

a little grated nutmeg

100ml gin (a bit more than ⅓ cup) 

200ml apple juice

a pinch of sugar (optional)

juice of half a lemon or orange

star anise

garnish a slice of apple, dehydrated citrus, star anise

Add all the ingredients except the gin into a saucepan and heat gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may not want to add the sugar if your apple juice is already sweetened - taste to see if you want to include it! 

Remove from the heat and add the gin and lemon juice, then strain into glasses. 

Garnish with a fresh slice of apple, star anise, dehydrated citrus.

Greyhound cocktail

Why is it called a Greyhound cocktail i hear you ask. Apparently, it’s named after the bus company of the same name. Go figure!

ingredients 

3 tablespoons gin 

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

1 tsp simple syrup or maple syrup, optional

garnish grapefruit wedge and rosemary sprigs

Fill a glass with ice.

Place the gin, grapefruit juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker with 4 ice cubes and shake until cold.

Strain it into the glass. 

Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and a sprig or two of rosemary.

gin fizz

The Gin Fizz is a classic cocktail made with gin, lemon, simple syrup and soda water. 

Ingredients 

4 tablespoons gin

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon simple syrup or maple syrup

1 egg white

soda water

garnish dehydrated lemon slices, a rose petal

Place the gin, lemon juice, syrup and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds.

Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds until cold.

Strain the drink into a glass and top with the soda water; the egg white foam forms on top.

Garnish with a dehydrated lemon slice or rose petal. 

Serve immediately.

If you’d love to see more drinks and tips on how to photograph drinks, check out my shoot for Manly Spirits and my 5 Tips for Light Inspired Drinks. And if you’re wondering how to capture the splash in splash photography, check out 5 Tips for Splash Photography.