Gin Lemonade Cocktail

This Gin Lemonade Cocktail contains the ultimate mix of refreshing herbs, spices, and citrus elements to make it the perfect treat for hot summer days.

Northern California Craft Distilleries

I collaborated with six different distilleries for this series of posts:

• St. George Spirits (Alameda)
• Young and Yonder Spirits (Healdsburg)
• Griffo Distillery (Petaluma)
• New Alchemy Distilling (El Dorado Hills)
• Sipsong Spirits (Windsor)
• Sonoma Brothers Distilling (Windsor)

Northern California is such a spirited area and I wanted to highlight some of the fun and innovating craft spirits being made here. These distilleries generously gave me tours, tastings, and donated bottles of gin for these posts. But of course, all opinions are my own.

Jump to Recipe

Fizzy or Neat

There are two separate ways to serve this Gin Lemonade Cocktail. The first is the fizzy way, as the recipe is written. But if you want a more spirit-forward cocktail with no fizz and no ice, you can double strain the shaken drink into a chilled coupe or rocks glass. The flavor is more concentrated in the neat version, so I like doing them when I feel like something stronger.

Shrub and Gin Pairing

This Gin Lemonade Cocktail will vary in taste depending on what gin you use. Each distillery adds different botanicals, so the same cocktail made with another gin will result in its own distinctive version.

You can read through my thoughts on how I think these gins pair with the Orange Shrub with Cardamom and Thyme if you want but whatever gins you use, keep these tips in mind:

• Smell the gins and the shrubs together to see what stands out
• Taste the shrubs and gins together but don’t be discouraged from trying to make a cocktail with a pairing you didn’t like. You might be surprised how the flavors you didn’t like are tempered in a full cocktail.
• Rather than thinking along the lines of like and dislike, think more about what flavors are really standing out and how you can either emphasize them or temper them.

St. George Spirits Botanivore Gin

The cardamom flavor really came through more than the orange, making the shrub taste more like a lemon shrub. There was a small amount of honey flavor and the overall feeling was very smooth.

St. George Spirits Terroir Gin

Orange shrubs for the win! This was my second favorite pairing. It was slightly spicy with an almost equal amount of orange and lemon flavor. I think the cardamom made the gin flavor stand out more.

St. George Spirits Dry Rye Gin

I think the cardamom made this pairing taste more like a gin drink than a tequila-based drink. It had nice orange flavor with lemon notes and a small spearmint finish.

Young and Yonder Spirits H.O.B.S. Gin

A very smooth orange flavor with slight honey notes. Even though you can taste the orange it also emphasizes the candied/yellow skittle flavor.

Griffo Distillery Scott Street Gin

Very warm and smooth with a spearmint-type feel on the tongue and the back of the throat

New Alchemy Distilling Fleurette Gin

Almost too sweet, a lot of honey and chamomile flavors

New Alchemy Distilling Fleurette Vermilion Gin

Very sweet, increases the flower and honey flavors

Sipsong Spirits Indira Gin

Very lemon-orange candied taste that is very sweet

Sonoma Brothers Distilling Gin

This pairing reminded me of limoncello

DIY Gin Bar Recipes

Here are all the recipes that are part of the DIY Gin Bar! There are also freebies that go along with the post that you should check out if you’re interested in throwing your own DIY Gin Bar party.

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Cocktails

• Strawberry Gin Fizz
• Blackberry Gin Fizz
• Mint Gin Fizz
• Lemon Gin Fizz with Cucumber and Dill
• Orange Gin Fizz
• Gin Lemonade Cocktail

Shrubs

• Strawberry Shrub with Basil and Peppercorn
• Blackberry Shrub with Vanilla and Earl Grey
• Lemon Shrub with Cardamom and Mint
• Orange Shrub with Cardamom and Thyme
• Orange Shrub Recipe with Yunnan Tea and Szechuan Peppers

Infused Sugars

• Vanilla Bean Sugar
• Orange Sugar with Szechuan Peppers
• Lemon Zest Sugar with Cardamom
• DIY Citrus Sugar with Lemon and Dill
• Lemon and Lavender Infused Sugar

Mocktails

• Orange-Basil Strawberry Mocktail
• Vanilla Earl Grey Blackberry Mocktail
• Sparkling Basil Lemon Mocktail
• Lemon-Dill Cucumber Mocktail
• Rosemary & Mint Lemonade Mocktail

Tools I Used