There's really never a bad time to reacquaint yourself with everyone's favourite juniper spirit — and how best to use it.
Neat, over ice, or poured into the ubiquitous G&T; it's clear that gin is a foundational ingredient in every home mixologist's toolbox. But what gin cocktails?
Below, we propose a trio that each strikes the right balance between flavour and convenience, giving you a handful of our favourite brand recommendations in the process.
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Lemon Drop Martini
Once you're comfortable with the fundamentals of making a classic Martini, this 'Lemon Drop' is an interesting variation to try your hand at. As a base, we recommend Aussie distiller Never Never's signature Triple Juniper Gin: renowned for its bright and intense citrus character.
The addition of lemon curd here plays a similar role to what you'll find in the 'Breakfast Martini' (a recipe penned in 1996 by Salvatore Calabrese).
Moreish and appetising, this particular gin cocktail also calls for the addition of egg white. By activating that ingredient's proteins — which you do by hard-shaking — the finished beverage has a smooth, velveted mouthfeel: essential when working with viscous flavours like lemon curd.
Tom Collins
To all intents and purposes gin-spiked lemonade, the Tom Collins is an excellent (not to mention efficient) alternative to the typical G&T — when you want to whip up something extremely refreshing, that just barely qualifies as a 'gin cocktail'.
Apparently (though there's little documented evidence for this) the Tom Collins evolved out of the trend for 'gin punch' cocktails, popularised in London during the early 1800s.
In any event, in line with the beverage's Victorian origins, we find it's best to build your Tom Collins over a foundation of Old Tom Gin: made to a recipe that's slightly sweeter than London Dry, but drier than Jenever.
South Australia's Kangaroo Island Spirits do an excellent, if somewhat modernised take; with the lemon myrtle-infused character playing well alongside fresh citrus and the Collins's lightly carbonated texture.
Spicy Gin Margy
Rate it or hate it, the Margarita continues to be one of Australia's most popular year-round cocktails. This riff, with more than a little inspiration from the 90s-era 'Tommy's' recipe, hardly reinvents the wheel; but with such a well-calibrated range of spicy, citric, and saline flavours all in one sip, why fix what ain't broke?
In contrast to the other gin cocktails we've chosen to include, the foundational spirit here is Oyster Shell gin. We like local producer North of Eden's take: in which the presence of briny, bivalve flavour is carefully incorporated — so as to avoid overpowering this gin's other notes of ginger, rose, and Hawthorn leaf.
In the mood to try your hand at something other than a gin-based cocktail? Then check out a handful of our most popular beverage recipes below:
