Best Cocktails for International Gin & Tonic Day

Celebrate International Gin & Tonic Day on Thursday, April 9 with a bevy of creative cocktails from your favorite gin brands and bars around the world. Prepare to enjoy a gin and tonic in advance with these creative recipes that add a twist to this classic drink. The best part? You can make them right at home.

Made with juniper berries and a medley of other herbs, gin has vast history in England, when British soldiers would carry the spirit on long voyages in place of beer, which would spoil quickly. Today, there are plenty of ways to spruce up your average gin and tonic – though the simple cocktail is just as delicious without any fancy accoutrements. Here are some of our favorite gin and tonic recipes to cheers with this year.

Supersonic Gin & Tonic with Hendrick’s Gin

• 2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
• 2 parts tonic water
• 1 part fresh espresso
• 1 barspoon simple syrup

Created by Hendrick’s Gin ambassador, Mattias Horseman, this supersonic gin and tonic wakes you right up. Combine gin, tonic and simple syrup in a Collins glass (ice is optional). Wait for the espresso to chill and float on top of the cocktail. Garnish with a cucumber. hendricksgin.com

Gin & Tonic, American Bar at The Stafford London

• 1 part London Dry Gin
• 2 or 3 parts tonic
• Lime wedge

American Bar is one of the most revered bars in London with expert mixologists at the helm of its extensive drinks menu. Three-decade industry veteran Benoit Provost is the bar manager, who helps create each drink and conceptualize the menu. For International Gin & Tonic Day, he shares his tips and tricks for the perfect G&T at home. “Nothing I find is more refreshing than a perfect serve of a gin and tonic,” he says. “This is usually when I start and quite often how I finish my evening when I am looking for a last delicious, palate-cleansing tipple.”

Provost recommends more tonic than gin (but no more than three parts tonic), and he prefers London Dry Gin to other flavored gins. “I like mine to be London Dry in style and very juniper-led,” he says. “While you should not be scared of experiencing other types of gin, I would recommend some good classic, easy-to-find London Dry gins, like Beefeater (spicy and fruity); Sipsmith (dry and zesty); Bombay Sapphire (light and floral); or Tanqueray (smooth).”

He says that the copa glass helps to release all of the aromas. “Fill your glass with good quality ice, pour one large measure of your favorite gin and top with two parts Indian tonic water. Garnish with a wedge of lime.” thestaffordlondon.com/american-bar

Cucumber Lemon T&T with Tanqueray Gin

• 1.5oz Tanqueray No TEN or Tanqueray London Dry
• Tonic water to top
• Lemon
• Cucumber ribbon and lemon wheel

In a copa or red-wine glass, add all ingredients. Next, squeeze the lemon wedge into the glass and add ice. Garnish with a cucumber ribbon and lemon wheel to finish. Celebrate gin and tonic with classic Tanqueray gin – the extra cucumber and lemon wheel adds a bright, fresh, citrus flavor to the already-aromatic drink. The drink is made even more delicious with a fresh queeze of lemon. Don’t have Tanqueray at home? Order delivery on the app, Drizly, and use the code TANQUERAY at checkout. tanqueray.com

Tell Me What You Want, Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London

• 25ml Monkey 47 Gin
• 30ml mango wine
• 20ml pink grapefruit
• 5ml unicorn syrup (strawberry-marshmallow flavor)

Fine – this might not be a gin and tonic, but we couldn’t resist sneaking this gin-based cocktail in our list – it’s that good. Crafted from the expert bartenders at Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London, Tell Me What You Want is from the bar’s music-themed menu and inspired by the Spice Girls hit song, “Wannabe.” To create, shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, serve in a tulip glass and spray with “Spice Girls spray.” There are four versions of this spray: Sporty (chartreuse and eucalyptus); Baby (rose and pink grapefruit); Scary (peat and fernet branca); Ginger (English Breakfast tea and cloves) and Posh (gold). Scarfes Bar is temporarily closed, but once the world returns to normal, make it a priority to enjoy the wonderful ambience of this very special bar. scarfesbar.com

Empress & Elderflower with Empress 1908 Gin

• 2oz Empress 1908 Gin
• 3-4oz Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic
• Grapefruit Slice

This colorful purple gin and tonic makes this classic cocktail just a little bit more fun. In a copa glass, mix gin and tonic over ice. Stir, garnish with a fresh grapefruit slice and serve. Empress 1908 is unique in that it’s a beautiful indigo color – the bottle looks just as stunning on your bar or bar cart as it does in a drink. The gin is handcrafted in small-batch copper-pot stills in British Columbia using traditional botanicals, including a signature blend of black tea, butterfly pea blossom (which gives it that deep indigo color) and aromatic spices and citrus flavors. empressgin.com

Jaisalmer Gin & Tonic

• 50ml Jaisalmer Gin
• 125ml Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water
• Orange peel
• Ice

To make, fill a copa glass with ice, add Jaisalmer Gin and Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water and garnish with a fresh orange peel. Jaisalmer Gin is crafted from a range of seven local Indian botanicals, including coriander and vetiver from Northern India; sweet orange peel from central India; cubeb berries and lemongrass from southern India; Darjeeling green tea from eastern India and lemon peel from western India. The beautiful dark bottle is unlike most other clear- or blue-glass gin bottles out there. Adorned with gold lettering – an homage to Jaisalmer, India’s nickname, the “golden city” – the bottle is an exceptional addition to any gin-lover’s collection. jaisalmergin.com