The 12 Days of Ginmas – Christmas Gin Recipes

One of the best things about my new house is that my new local supermarket is Waitrose. Now, Waitrose is my happy place; brilliant customer service, top-notch cakes in the cafe and it’s full of middle-class people who say sorry when they nearly bump you with your trolley. Also, if you have a Waitrose card you get one cup of tea or coffee a day. I tell you, if you haven’t mooched round Waitrose (childless, obviously) with your free tea or coffee you haven’t lived. Honest.

One of the things I like about the mighty Waitrose is their booze selection. They have loads of it but not just your standard drinks. I could stand there for hours gazing at the array of spirits… but I don’t. Not every day, anyway. Last time I was there I picked up a bottle of Bombay Sapphire (it’s my everyday favourite gin: not wildly expensive but premium enough to be delicious). And because it’s Christmase – we all know everyone likes a tot of gin at Christmas (or Easter, Diwali, Hannukah, or any day with ‘day’ in it, actually) – I thought I’d share with you my favourite gin drinks.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Ginmas!!

A few rules I have with my gin drinking, before we get started: as I’ve said, the gin is Bombay Sapphire but for tonic water-based drinks it HAS to be Fever Tree. There’s no beating it in my opinion. Also, I use 50ml servings because I cant taste it enough if it’s only 25ml. Ahem. But in the interests of moderate drinking I’ve used 25ml measures below. 

1. Gin & Cucumber

My favourite way to drink gin. Terribly refreshing in the summer, drank while you’re sitting by a river lazily watching the world go round.

• 25ml (or more, no judgement) gin
• Small chunk of cucumber, chopped
• 200ml tonic

• Chop your cucumber and add to the glass: if you like the taste (I do) you can muddle it a little with a spoon.
• Add a couple of cubes of ice, pour gin and tonic over.
• Stir and serve.

2. Blood Orange & Pear Gin Cocktail

I love how the blood orange in this makes the cocktail seem ever so Christmassy.

• 25ml gin
• Good slug (approx 50ml) of blood orange juice
• Good slug of pear juice
• Good slug of soda water

• Pour gin into glass over a handful of ice.
• Add juices and soda water to finish. Serve.

3. Gin & Tonic with lime

The classic. Easy, peasy, yummy.

• 25ml gin
• Half a lime
• 200ml tonic

• Chop your half a lime in half again, squeeze one quarter into the glass and use the spent lime to wipe the rim of the glass.
• Discard and add other quarter to glass with a handful of ice.
• Pour gin and tonic over and serve. YUM!

4. Gin 75

Surely the most sophisticated gin cocktail out there. Every time I drink this at home out of a boring old champagne flute I think I need to get myself some proper saucer champagne glasses. Santa?

• 25ml gin
• Juice of half a lemon
• 15ml sugar syrup
• 40ml champagne (or prosecco)

• Pour gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a shaker.
• Add ice cubes and shake.
• Strain into a glass and top with champagne.
• Add a twist of lemon and serve.

5. The Negroni

I LOVE ordering a Negroni. It makes me feel like I’m in the 1920’s.

A Negroni is equal parts Campari, gin, sweet vermouth on the rocks with fresh orange. I could talk about it for ever here, but Buzzfeed do it better.

6. Apple, Pear & Gin

If you have loads of time you could make your own but I just buy Copella juices. These are on special offer in Waitrose at the moment…

• 25ml gin
• 50ml apple juice
• 50ml pear juice
• Tsp honey
• Squeeze lemon juice
• Sprig of rosemary to garnish

• Add juices, honey, gin and ice to a shaker.
• Shake and pour over ice.
• Add a sprig of rosemary to garnish.

7. Gin on the rocks with a twist

For the most hardened gin drinker, just serve 50ml gin over ice with a twist of lemon or lime. Yum.

8. Gin & Ginger

Wintery and warming.

• 25ml gin
• Juice of quarter of a lime
• Ginger beer (again, I love Fever Tree)

• Pour gin over ice and add lime juice.
• Pour ginger beer over.
• Garnish with lime wedge and serve.

9. Gin & Thyme

I love Thyme in the winter. With chicken, with roast potatoes and now with gin.

• 25ml gin
• Splash triple sec
• Juice of half a lime
• Tonic water
• 3-4 thyme sprigs

• Add gin, sugar syrup, triple sec, thyme and lime juice to a shaker.
• Shake and strain over ice.
• Top with tonic water.

10. Cucumber, Celery & Gin sorbet

OK, so not a cocktail, but still pretty epic, right? You can find this recipe over at Martha Stewart (I love you Martha).

11. The Southside

Possibly the most refreshing cocktail you will ever drink.

• 25ml gin
• Juice of a quarter of a lemon
• Sprig of mint
• Dash of sugar syrup
• Soda water

• Add gin, lemon juice, syrup and mint to a shaker.
• Shake vigorously with ice then strain over a glass.
• Top up with soda water to taste and garnish with more mint.

12. Gin & Elderflower

Are there many things more British than good old Elderflower drinks? I use Elderflower pressé for this (Belvoir, because I am fancy) but you could also use cordial and soda water.

• 25ml gin
• Elderflower pressé

• Pour gin over ice and add Elderflower pressé. Serve.