English Garden cocktail

As the weather gets a little warmer and we enjoy long, balmy evenings we often find ourselves yearning for something refreshing, delicious and most importantly – chilled. A fresh fruit juice could do the job or perhaps a glass of flavoured water but what we are really after is a fruity cocktail to quench our thirst and that is where the English Garden cocktail really comes into its own.

Blending quintessentially English flavours together such as elderflower, cucumber and mint with apple juice and a little freshly squeezed lemon, it leaves you dreaming of rolling orchards and country gardens so it is easy to see how the cocktail got its name. We think it is perfect for a summer get together or pre-dinner tipple due to it’s refreshing flavours and relatively low alcohol content.

What you’ll need to make an English Garden cocktail

What adds to the allure of this cocktail is that try as we might, we can’t seem to find anything about the drinks origin anywhere suggesting that this tipple may have become popular so rapidly that jotting it down was an afterthought! The air of mystery adds a little something to the drink but this one stands out on its own accord – the English Garden cocktail doesn’t need to rely on an extensive history with flavours as delectable as these.

Ingredients

• 75ml Gordon’s London dry gin
• 100ml elderflower cordial
• 150ml apple juice
• 50ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 scoop ice cubes (to mix)
• 2 scoops crushed ice (to serve)
• 2 sprigs fresh mint
• 2 ribbons cucumber

Method

1. Shake all of the cocktail ingredients together with the ice cubes before disposing of the cubes.
2. Pour the crushed ice evenly between two champagne flutes and pour in the cocktail mix.
3. Carefully drop one end of the cucumber ribbon into the glass and gently twist the glass so the cucumber wraps the edge of the flute .
4. Top with a sprig of fresh mint and serve.

If you want some more cocktail ideas, how about a Negroni G&T, Tom Collins or the classic G&T?

Printable recipe