Gin cocktails for summer

Ah, gin: as if you needed an excuse. But now’s the perfect season for experimenting with crisp, refreshing gin cocktails to enjoy at home on warm sunny evenings and lazy weekends

- LAURA FOSTER

Gin has been riding high for almost two decades now, and little wonder. Given the diversity of products and the complexity of the spirit, with its multitude of botanical ingredients available to play with, gin has captured the hearts and minds of drinks connoisseurs worldwide.

The levelling up of the Gin & Tonic has had a part to play, too. It is rare these days to be faced with one of those long, watery G&Ts with a couple of small, rapidly dissipating ice cubes clinking together sadly in the glass. Rather, copa glasses or highballs are filled with ice and the drink is then garnished with all manner of exotic ingredients. They are crisp, sparkling, moreish.

The gin cocktails category is arguably the most varied and exciting of all to get into. From dark, bitter Negronis through to the light, frothy Clover Club, gin’s cocktail canon runs the gamut of flavours, moods and textures.

So which gin should be used for making cocktails? The world is your oyster. However, don’t feel that it has to be a premium product that blows your budget. The leading household names have gained their place and reputation for a reason – they produce classically flavoured, juniper-forward all-rounders that work in a multitude of drinks. At least, their flagship products do. Do stay away from any flavoured gins or other strange innovations.

The likes of Beefeater, Gordon’s, Plymouth and Tanqueray will all provide a strong foundation around which to build your drinks.

In fact, I recently participated in a blind gin tasting with a group of industry experts on behalf of a consumer testing company, and at the reveal it was heartening to see these classic names sitting high at the top.