Oh summer.. our dreams of swaying palms and sandy beaches have been demoted to patios and the slightly unpredictable English weather (it’s sunny! It’s hailing! It’s sunny again!) which means we’re turning to cocktail hour to get our holiday fun.
Inspired by the tropical flavours in the ridiculously yummy Copacobana Cooler (the cocktail of the month sent out to members in July’s gin of the month box) we’ve rounded up the best gin cocktails using our favourite tropical fruits. Bright colourful cocktail umbrellas are optional but highly encouraged!
Watermelon Gin Punch
1/2 a large watermelon, cut into chunks and seeds removed
250ml gin
125ml fresh lime juice
125ml sugar syrup
Slices of watermelon and min leaves to garnish
Add watermelon chunks to a food processor or blender and blend until liquid. Add to a punch bowl (or fish bowl if you have one!) filled with ice and add in the gin, lime juice and simple syrup and stir. Garnish with watermelon and mint leaves and serve!
Pineapple Gin Martini
50ml Nelson’s Gluggle Jug Gin
50ml pineapple juice
Teaspoon of marmalade
Squeeze of honey
2 lemon slices
Pineapple slice, to garnish
Start by popping your coupe glass in the fridge to chill. Add your gin and juice to a cocktail shaker. Using a bar spoon, stir your marmalade to the mixture until it dissolves. Repeat this with the honey. Squeeze in the juice from your lemon slices. Add ice to the shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into your chilled coupe glass. Garnish and serve.
Guava Flamingo
45ml Gin
15ml Campari
20ml lime juice
10ml orgeat syrup
50ml guava juice
Lime wheel, to garnish
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with lime.
Papaya Tropical Gin Spritz
1 papaya or mango**
50ml Amázzoni Gin
50ml soda water
15ml simple syrup*
Slice your papaya** in half, peel it and remove the seeds. Cut half of it into cubes and add to a blender with your gin, 50ml water and simple syrup, plus plenty of ice. Blend it and pour into a rocks glass. Top up with soda water. Garnish with a slice of papaya and serve.
*You can buy simple syrup or make your own by simmering 100ml water with 100g caster sugar over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
**If you can’t find fresh papaya you can swap out the papaya for fresh mango, or ready-made mango or guava juice. Simply combine 50ml gin, 15ml simple syrup and 120ml juice in a rocks glass with ice and stir. Top with a little soda if you prefer.
Sparkling Mango Martini
1 mango
50ml gin
Dash of vanilla extract
30ml mango liqueur
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp simple syrup*
Prosecco, to top up
Slice your mango and muddle a wedge in a cocktail shaker. Add the gin, vanilla extract, mango liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup and a generous portion of ice. Shake and strain into a coupe or martini glass. Top up with prosecco and garnish with a slice of mango.
*To make simple syrup combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves.
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.
Passionfruit El Dorado
50ml La República Amazónica Gin
20ml passion fruit syrup
20ml lime juice
20ml orange juice
Cucumber slices and mint sprig, to garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add your ingredients. Shake and strain into a tall glass packed with ice. Garnish with cucumber slices and a mint sprig to serve in style!
For a longer, refreshing drink we also love this topped up with soda water
Banana Colada
45ml gin
15ml crème de banane liqueur
½ ripe bannana, sliced
2 tbsp coconut cream*
125ml pineapple juice
5 ice cubes
Fresh strawberries OR a sprinkle of cinnamon, to garnish
Pop all your ingredients into a blender and blitz well until smooth. Once combined, pour directly into your chilled cocktail glass. (You might want to use a strainer to avoid any lumps!) Garnish with a fresh slice of strawberry and serve. An alternative garnish is a light sprinkling of cinnamon.
*It’s important to use coconut cream or, at a push, full-fat coconut milk (including the thick cream from the top of the can), for both consistency and flavour; if you try this with reduced-fat coconut milk the end result will be disappointingly watery!
plus all of your
plus all of your
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