Make Your Best of British Cocktails

To help you celebrate St. George's Day in style, we want to share an article from ManKind on the top 5 British cocktails! Enjoy!

Pimm’s Cup

You can't get anything more British than Pimm’s – it truly is a top British spirit. This recipe makes four pint glasses, so you and your mates can indulge in a Pimm’s Cup. Fruity, fresh, and fragrant, here at Mankind, we love a good Pimm’s cup cocktail, and it's quick and easy to make.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 1 ½ cups Pimm’s
• 1 orange, cut into thin slices
• 1 lemon, cut into thin slices
• ¾ cup firmly packed mint leaves and stems
• 1 ½ cups cold ginger ale
• 1 cucumber, cut into 8 wedges
• 3 cups ice
• 1 apple, cut into thin slices

Method:

Starting with a large pitcher, combine the Pimm’s, orange and lemon slices, and the mint. Leave it to chill for around 10 minutes, then stir in the ginger ale. Take the pint glasses and stand two cucumber wedges on end in each glass. Fill them up halfway with ice, then add the Pimm’s mixture. To finish, garnish by pushing the mint down into the drinks and divide the orange, lemon, and apple slices between the drinks. If this sounds too much like hard work, you could just throw the entire ingredients list into a large jug and hope for the best! Easier for sharing too.

Raspberry and Lavender Gin Fizz

Herb-infused cocktails are a great way to end the day, and this raspberry and lavender gin fizz cocktail is no doubt a great choice. This combination will have you raring to make more, and you'll be making these British cocktails for every occasion possible. This recipe makes just the one cocktail, but hey, no one is stopping you from making more!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 4 raspberries
• Pinch of dried lavender buds
• 50ml gin
• 2 spoons honey
• 20ml fresh lemon
• 20ml fresh orange
• Dash egg white
• Dash soda

Method:

Using a cocktail shaker, start by adding the honey into the bottom. Next, add the gin and stir until everything is dissolved. Take the rest of the ingredients and add them to the shaker, shake vigorously and double strain into a sling glass. Finally, add a dash of soda and garnish with fresh raspberries for your ultimate raspberry and lavender gin fizz cocktail! Enjoy.

Bramble

The Bramble cocktail is often featured in the 'Classic Cocktails' sections on menus in restaurants across the country. Invented by a man named Dick Bradsell, who worked at Fred's Club in London in the 1980s, the extensive list of British cocktails was dramatically improved. This simple recipe for one will be made by us for years to come.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 35ml gin
• 20ml lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar syrup
• 15ml blackberry liqueur
• Garnish – slice of lemon and a blackberry

Method:

The Bramble is super easy to make, and it all starts by putting some crushed ice in an old-fashioned tumbler glass. Simply add all of the ingredients into the glass, make sure to stir thoroughly, and garnish by adding a slice of lemon and a blackberry on top. Enjoy!

Juniper Sling

The Juniper Sling is the cocktail for all gin lovers. Its strong aroma alone will have you craving this iconic British cocktail time and time again. Even though this recipe only makes the one, the alcohol content is high enough to hit the spot! It includes an aromatized wine-based apéritif made of red wine, mistelle, and quinine called Byrrh, which we must admit we hadn't heard of before discovering this delicious recipe!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 40ml gin
• 20ml byrrh
• 20ml lemon juice
• 10ml sugar syrup
• Dash celery bitters
• Dash lemon bitters
• 6 juniper berries
• Tonic water

Method:

Begin by muddling the juniper berries into a highball/sling glass, followed by combining the other ingredients. Add ice cubes, churn and top up the glass with tonic water. Finish by garnishing with 2 cucumber slices, and your Juniper Sling is ready to drink!

G&T… With A Twist

A classic British drink; the good old gin and tonic is almost everybody's favourite. Why not mix it up and go for G&T with a twist? Switch the tonic for some tea syrup, and you've made yourself a British cocktails masterpiece! This tangy take on a classic will have you craving more with each sip.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 40ml dry gin
• 25ml tea syrup
• 2 lemon wedges
• 2 orange wedges
• 1 grapefruit wedge
• Orange twist/zest

Method:

Take your cocktail shaker, fill it with ice, then squeeze the wedges of orange and lemon into it. Repeat by squeezing in the grapefruit wedge, but then drop it into the shaker. Add the dry gin and tea syrup and shake well. Finally, strain your British G&T creation into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist or zest.