It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I’m excited to be sharing these two delicious gin cocktail recipes with you today. Surely, these will help you to take the reign as the hostess with the mostest this year. It’s easy to shop for, with a short list of ingredients, which you can easily find at any grocery store. For one of the recipes, I actually used my own orange bitter made with cloves, cinnamon, and fig that I put together at one of The Botanist’s recent events.

Gin has a special place in my heart because gin and tonic is my mom’s favorite drink. Every time I order a gin and tonic, I’m reminded of her and some of my favorite family vacation memories. I still remember the first time I had a sip, experiencing the burst of flavor and having no idea what I’m tasting. I’ve come to learn that gin is most commonly made with a number of botanical ingredients including juniper berries.

I recently discovered The Botanist, an artisinal gin produced by Bruichladdich Distillery, and the only dry gin made in Islay. It’s a super fragrant liquor made with 22 distinct and wild ingredients foraged from a Scottish island. I thought this was a perfect opportunity for me to create a few different cocktails for my family at Thanksgiving dinner this year. I’ll be hosting it at my place for the first time, so I’m looking forward to making an impression!

Gin Cocktail 1 | Holly Down

Ingredients:

Gin, 1.5 oz.
Fresh Pressed Apple Juice, 1 oz.
Fresh Lime Juice, 1 oz.
Simple Syrup, 0.5 oz.
Orange Bitters, 1 dash
Soda Water
Fresh Basil Leaves
Apple Slices

Instructions:

Add ice and all the liquid ingredients (except soda water) in a shaker
Shake and strain into a highball glass with ice
Top the drink with desired amount of soda water
Garnish with thinly sliced apple fan and fresh basil

Next up is a London Mule, a gin version of the popular Moscow Mule. It’s essentially replacing vodka with gin while keeping the other ingreidents the same. I love this version because the floral fragance of gin pairs really well with the ginger beer!