Whilst many people in the UK may be currently participating in the Dry January, there is another trend that is gaining more momentum each year, and that is Ginuary, where a month is dedicated to the tastes, smells, and pleasures of Gin. Here is a few of our favourite recipes.
There is no official Ginuary committee, group, organization, and it is not affiliated to any brand. It was simply a pun that was started a few years ago by gin lovers not so much in competition to Dry January, but as an alternative option, and as with so many random trends, the hashtag took off. #Ginuary
The origin of gin dates back to Holland in the early 17th century, when it was sold to treat stomach upsets. To make it more palatable, Dutch chemists began flavouring it with juniper which had therapeutic benefits of its own… It became a hit with British soldiers fighting in the war, who needed something to warm them up on long, cold nights. It was then that its popularity grew, becoming a big hit within poorer communities. Fast forward to 2017 – Gin has been named one of the nation’s favourite spirits, and is the perfect remedy to cure our January blues!
Anyway, back to Ginuary, and there’s no real right or wrong way to go about making recipe’s involving Gin. It’s all about personal preference. What works for one person, doesn’t work for someone else.
With that said here are a few great Gin recipe’s we have found across the net…
Gin-Ger Ninja
Ingredients:
- Double shot of Opihr Gin
- Squeeze of Lime
- Plenty of ice
- (Fentimans) Ginger Beer
- Sprig of Thyme
- Slice of fresh Ginger (optional)
Instructions:
- Fill a Highball glass with ice
- Add the Gin and squeeze in the lime
- Top up with Ginger Beer
- Top with a sprig of Thyme and use as a swizzle stick
- Use a potato peeler to take a very thin slice of ginger and add to the glass for an extra ginger kick
Cardamom Rose Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz of Hendrick’s gin (this is a rose & cucumber infused gin)
- .75 oz of Rose syrup (make at home with rose water and simple syrup or buy locally)
- .25 oz of Fresh lemon juice
- .75 oz of Fresh grapefruit juice (ruby red preferably)
- 2 dashes of Peychauds bitters
- 1 Cardamom Pod
Instructions:
- Lightly muddle 1 cardamom pod at the bottom of shaker (not too much muddling or it will overpower the drink)
- Add the rest of the ingredients
- Add ice
- Shake for 20 seconds
- Strain over fresh ice to remove the cardamom pod
- Add a splash of seltzer water
- Garnish with rose petals or fresh lemon wedge (use organic if possible)
The Curious Blue
Ingredients:
- 40ml Brockmans Gin
- 10ml Blueberry Liqueur
- 10ml Lemon Juice
- 60ml Blueberry Puree
- 50-70ml Ginger Beer
Instructions:
- Shake all ingredients apart from the ginger beer with ice.
- Strain into a tall Collins glass filled with a few dry ice pellets topped with cubed ice and pour ginger beer.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and a knotted bamboo skewer OR a cocktail stick with 3 blueberries.
Sloe-secco
Ingredients:
- 35ml Warner Edwards Harrington Sloe Gin
- 100ml Prosecco
- 10ml Sugar syrup (optional)
- 10ml Raspberry puree (optional)
Instructions:
- Stir all ingredients (excluding the Prosecco) together.
- Pour into coupette glass.
Garden Fizz
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz gin
- ½ oz Martini Bianco
- ⅔ oz lavender simple syrup
- ½ oz fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 basil leaves, muddled
- Healthy dash peach bitters
- Lots of ice
- Carbonated spring water
Lavender Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tbs dried culinary lavender
Ingredients:
- In a tall glass, muddle basil leaves.
- Add gin, Martini Bianco, lavender syrup, lemon juice and peach bitters.
- Fill glass with ice cubes and top with carbonated spring water until the glass is full.
Lavender Simple Syrup
- In a medium saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to cool then add the lavender.
- Refrigerate overnight then strain out lavender buds. Store in fridge.
These recipes were collected for websites: aubeterreblue.com – designsponge.com – brockmansblog.com – theenglishhome.co.uk – portandfin.com