Here at Craft Gin Club, we love all the classic cocktails, and summer is definitely the perfect time for a chilled Martini, an ice-cold Negroni, or a fabulous gin and tonic. However, sometimes we all want a little taste of the tropical to transport us out of our back garden and to some exotic, palm-fringed beach, right?

Here are five of our favourite gin cocktails for summer, guaranteed to bring a little of that holiday ‘spirit’ back into your living room!

Try our ginny take on the Tequila Sunrise

Gin Sunrise

30ml gin
60ml orange juice
7.5ml (about 1.5 tsp) grenadine
Orange slice and maraschino cherry to garnish

Fill a highball or other long glass with ice. Add your gin and orange juice then stir until chilled. Slowly pour the grenadine in around the rim of the glass until it starts to rise up into the drink. Do not mix once the grenadine is in, otherwise you’ll ruin the blush effect! Instead, give it a minute or two and the grenadine will settle, creating the lovely pinky orange colour gradation. Garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry and serve.

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Coconut shell drinking glasses optional!

Coconut Crush

50ml gin
50ml full-fat coconut milk
20ml freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
20ml simple syrup
Tonic, to top up
Lime slice, to garnish

Combine your gin, coconut milk, lime juice, simple syrup and ice in a blender and pulse. Decant into a chilled coupe glass. Using a bar spoon, mix in your gin. Top up with tonic and garnish.

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Caramelised pineapple, prosecco and gin: an incredible flavour combination!

Pineapple & Prosecco Royale 

2 pineapple wheels
50ml gin
70ml pineapple juice
Prosecco, to top up

Grill the pineapple wheels for 5 minutes before turning them over. Continue grilling until they are lightly browned, smoky and caramelised. Cut one wheel of pineapple into wedges and muddle it into your cocktail shaker. Add ice, gin and juice. Shake for two minutes. Strain into a glass with ice. Top up with prosecco and garnish with the remaining grilled pineapple wheel.

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This sparkling gin and grapefruit punch is a real crowd-pleaser

Grapefruit Wheel

Serves approx. 8

300ml gin
400ml grapefruit juice
2 bottles sparkling wine (not too sweet)
3 to 4 grapefruits

Add heaps of cubed ice to a large punch bowl or jug. Pour over your gin, juice and sparkling wine. Stir well. Slice your grapefruits into juicy wheels and add them to your punch. Garnish your glass with a further slice (or a little rosemary stem also works well here).

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Pink gin and peach lemonade is a delightful summer cocktail

Pink Gin & Peach Lemonade

Makes one batch - approx 8 servings

Fresh peach
300ml gin
900ml fresh lemonade or pink lemonade
150ml elderflower liqueur
Rosemary sprigs, to garnish (optional)

Wash, peel and slice a large fresh peach. Put it in a pitcher with lots of ice and then pour in the remaining ingredients. Stir with a long spoon or bar spoon gently for a minute, until the mixture is really chilled. Pour into highball glasses over more fresh ice. Garnish each drink with a peach slice and a sprig of rosemary.

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