The royal wedding is just around the corner. While Meghan Markle’s character on Suits might have been a scotch fan like the rest of the office, in Great Britain, one of the most popular spirits around is gin.
To help get us in the mood, we’ve rounded up five gin-based cocktails (gin is a big deal in Britain, after all) in honor of the big day.
Whip up a few of these this weekend while you’re thinking about what it would be like to get invited to the real event at Windsor Castle later this month.
Harry Matrimony
Created by Bartender Mirek Struniaski at Stratus in Philadelphia
This cocktail nods to the English tradition of afternoon tea, combining Earl Grey tea infused honey with Tanqueray London Dry Gin – hailing from where the couple’s relationship began. Blackberries, lemon, and mint add fresh, tart flavors reminiscent of spring, when the couple will say I do.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Tanqueray London Dry Gin
.75 oz. earl grey infused honey
.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
4-5 fresh blackberries
4-5 mint leaves
Club soda
Lemon wheel for garnish
Directions: Add honey, lemon juice, and berries to shaker tin, muddle. Add gin, shake with ice, double strain into glass. Add expressed mint leaves, top with rocks and soda to fill glass, and garnish with lemon wheel.
The Windsor Knot
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Bloom gin
.5 oz. orange liqueur
1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 oz. white cranberry juice
3 cucumber slices
3 oz. club soda
Cucumber slice, for garnish
Directions: Fill a wine goblet with ice. Add gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, cranberry juice and cucumber slices. Stir to mix. Top with club soda. Garnish with a cucumber slice.
When Harry Met Meghan
Created by Bartender Sarah Ruiz at Dirty Habit in Washington D.C.
Head Bartender Sarah Ruiz created this cocktail keeping in mind that Earl Grey is a popular British tea and many Brits love to drink gin. She uses One Eight, an American gin distilled in Washington, D.C., as a representation of blending Prince Harry’s British heritage with Meghan’s American roots.
Ingredients:
1 oz. One Eight Distilling Untitled No. 3 Gin
1 oz. Chamomile Honey Syrup
.5 oz. Pear Brandy
3 dashes baked apple bitters
Top with Earl Grey Tea
Dehydrated pear for garnish
Directions: Preheat glass with hot water; build ingredients in glass excluding the tea; after ingredients are mixed, add 5 oz hot Earl Grey tea; stir. Garnish with dehydrated pear.
Wedding Belle
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Portobello Road gin
.5 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 oz. Whittard golden chamomile tea syrup (see recipe below)
2 to 3 oz. Fever-Tree tonic water
Mint sprig or 2 tsp silver dragees (edible cake decorating balls), for garnish
Directions: To a stemless wine glass filled with ice, add gin, lemon juice, chamomile tea syrup and tonic. Stir gently to mix. Garnish with a mint sprig or gently add dragees.
Chamomile Tea Syrup
Add 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar and 4 chamomile tea bags to a resealable, heatproof container. Pour in 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool, remove tea bags. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 cup for 8 servings.
G & Tea
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Sipsmith gin
1 tbsp. Tiptree orange marmalade
1 oz. Whittard Earl Grey tea, chilled
Dash orange bitters
Orange twist, for garnish
Directions: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add gin, orange marmalade, chilled Earl Grey tea and bitters. Shake and pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add more ice and garnish with orange twist.