After seeing Nigella repost her beloved Gin and tonic jelly recipe, it got us thinking (and salivating!). You can’t go wrong with Panna cotta: the classic Italian dessert is light, just sweet enough, and perfect for a summer gathering. Here at Craft Gin Club, we felt it was only right to give you a Panna cotta recipe, with the addition of a delicious fruity gin jelly topping to really take this classic dessert to another level. Sound right up your street? Scroll on…

You don’t have to be a pro to make these (but if you love gin baking, be sure to check out these), can have them prepped and ready for your garden party guests ahead of time and they look as good as they taste, thanks to the beautiful berries on top (we used raspberries, blackberries and blueberries but you can add whichever berries you fancy!).

You’ll need 6 small glasses or ramekins for this recipe (at least 200ml) - but seeing as most of you have gorgeous gin glasses to serve your G&Ts in, we’re sure you’ve got some smaller corkers knocking about!

Taking inspiration from this dreamy panna cotta recipe on the BBC, we’ve given it the ginny makeover of our dreams. Now let’s get prepping…

Panna cotta with a fruity gin jelly topping

For the Panna cotta:
3 gelatine leaves
100ml double cream
100ml full-fat milk
100g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
300g greek yoghurt

For the Jelly:
5 sheets of gelatine leaves
100ml fruity gin (like this raspberry gin)
100ml tonic water
200ml pomegranate juice
Fresh berries, to garnish

First up, lets make the panna cotta.

1. Begin by putting the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for at least five minutes.

2. Place the double cream, milk, sugar and vanilla seeds into a small pan and heat through gently, just enough for the sugar to dissolve, stirring from time to time.

3. Meanwhile, put the yoghurt in a large jug, stirring to loosen it up and set aside. Remove the creamy mixture from the heat once ready.

4. The gelatine should be soft by now, so lift it out of the water and squeeze the excess water out. Drop the gelatine into the creamy mixture and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool to room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.

5. Get your 6 x 200ml glasses for serving, but as the layers are set at a slant, the glasses will need to be propped to one side. (Depending on the shape or type of glass, you may find egg cartons or crumpled tea towels perfect to help prop the glasses). Whatever you use, set them on a large tray or trays that will easily fit in the fridge.

6. Once cool, pour the creamy mixture over the yoghurt and then gently whisk everything together.

7. Carefully pour the mixture into the six glasses, dividing it evenly, without allowing any to spill out. Carefully place the tray in the fridge and leave to set for 1-2 hours, or until nice and firm. To start the setting process off quickly, you can always put them in the freezer for 20 minutes or so before popping them in the fridge to finish setting.

8. For the fruity gin jelly…

1. To make the jelly, add the leaf gelatine to a bowl of cold water and set aside. In the meantime, combine the gin, pomegranate juice and tonic in a bowl.

2. Add 100ml of the gin mix to a saucepan and bring to the boil until steaming. Using your fingers, strain the water from the leaf gelatine and add to the saucepan, stirring until the leaf gelatine have completely dissolved. Sieve back into the remaining gin mixture and leave to cool completely.

3. Remove the set panna cottas from the fridge and stand the glasses upright, removing any props. Pour the cool jelly over each one, dividing it evenly. Return the glasses back to the fridge for about two hours, or until the jelly is set firm.

4. When you’re ready to serve, add the fresh berries on top to garnish. Enjoy!