English Garden Cocktail Recipe
While this summer may be a bit different, there are a few sure-fire ways to get that summery feeling. One guaranteed way of feeling like you’re on holiday while at home is by recreating the flavours of summer. As we can’t travel far from home, embrace the flavours found on our doorstep, like apples and elderflower. There are many ways to enjoy these delicious, home-grown ingredients, but one of the best is in a cocktail. The cocktail we’ve chosen to best represent these flavours is the clean and crisp English Garden cocktail.
After a long winter in lockdown, the ingredients in this cocktail are the perfect metaphor for the warmth finally returning. It’s hard to pinpoint who invented the English Garden cocktail, but it’s easy to see why we still love it. The best flavours are often those found closest to home, and this drink definitely proves that theory. The ingredients are loved by all, making it perfect for a family event, without the alcohol for kids, of course! For the non-alcoholic version, keep reading!
Is English Garden Cocktail better with Lemon or Lime juice?
As you may find, various recipes vary slightly in their ingredients. Many recipes use lime, but in our recipe, we’ve chosen lemon. We find the lemon gives a fresher flavour and complements the apple perfectly. However, feel free to substitute the lemon for lime if you prefer, there are no rules! Our mission is to help you find your next favourite cocktail, and that usually comes with some experimentation!
Another addition you may find other recipes recommend is a cucumber slice garnish. This is a tasty addition, but don’t fret if you don’t have any cucumber to hand – it’s not essential. We like using apple wheels because they enhance the apple flavour of the cocktail and they look great too!
So, without further ado, here is how you make an English Garden cocktail:
Ingredients:
50ml Gin
100ml Apple Juice
25ml Elderflower Liqueur
25ml freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Apple wheels and a Lemon peel
Method:
1. Half fill a shaker with ice.
2. Add the gin, elderflower, lemon and apple juice and shake until combined.
3. Strain into an ice filled hurricane glass
4. Garnish with an apple wheel and a thin twist of lemon peel
As we mentioned, this is a family favourite in many households. For a non-alcoholic, kid-friendly version simply hold the gin and swap elderflower liqueur for elderflower cordial. You may also want to reduce the acidity to make it more palatable for children. To do this, vary the amount of lemon juice as required.
You must try to make this at home
The English Garden cocktail may not be the first cocktail most people think of when ordering at a bar. However, we think that anyone who tries this recipe will soon put it at the top of their list! The classic combination of locally sourced ingredients and smooth gin will always make for a very tasty cocktail.
The ability to tailor the recipe to your tastes lends means that this cocktail really lends itself to personalisation. A fun idea, when we can meet with loved ones again, is to have a cocktail making party. Lay out all the ingredients for this classic English Garden cocktail, as well as the substitutes we’ve mentioned. Let your guests design their own twist on this classic, so they can find their perfect version. This will also mean you’re able to fix them their perfect English Garden cocktail in the future!
So as the days get longer and warmer, reach for the gin and fix yourself a delicious English Garden Cocktail! For us, there are few cocktails that embody British summer so well.
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