When it comes to making cocktails at home, sometimes they’re just too much of a hassle. You either don’t have all the ingredients or you just can’t be bothered. Thankfully, however, there are some cocktails out there that are super easy to make, such as these three-ingredient gin cocktails. They’ll make you feel fancy without all the fuss.
Tim Boast is the head distiller at Never Never Distilling Co. as well as an award-winning distiller. Boast has shared his tips for creating these simple gin cocktails that even the most amateur home bartender can’t mess up.
3 ingredient gin cocktails
Wet Martini recipe
What you’ll need:
- 60mL Juniper Freak Gin
- 10mL Dry Vermouth
- Dash of orange bitters
- Cocktail onion garnish
Directions for a wet martini:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice.
- Stir the drink until a frost develops on the outside of the mixing glass.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish will olives is you like but I prefer it with cocktail onions
“Martinis tend to scare people away because they can be pretty strong, but a wet martini uses more dry vermouth making it pretty approachable (and delicious). It’s an amazing variation of the standard dry martini (which funnily enough uses less dry vermouth, who’d have thought).
These days there’s heaps of quality options out there. Just don’t keep your vermouth in your back cupboard for a year after you use it and expect it to still be yummy the next time you pull it out. It’s wine-based so it will oxidise if you don’t pop it in the fridge.
I’ve used the Juniper Freak in this martini because I’m all about that juniper, but it still works with our other gins as well. The cloudiness comes from the juniper oils that become visible when you add dilution.” – Tim Boast
Gallery: Easy one-pot plant-based meals (StarsInsider)
Finger Stir Negroni
What you’ll need:
- 30mL Triple Juniper Gin
- 30mL Campari
- 30mL Sweet Vermouth
Directions for a Finger Stir Negroni:
- Add all ingredients to a rocks glass, add ice and stir using your preferred digit until the glass becomes frosted.
- Add a twist of orange. Drink immediately.
“The finger-stirred Negroni is a good one because it really stops people trying to drink your Negroni, especially these days. Gary Reagan popularised the technique but the recipe itself is from Italy sometime in the last century. If you go there they sell it to you in pint glasses for 10 euros but seeing as I won’t be heading to Italy anytime soon this recipe is easy, all equal parts.
Don’t muck about with a mixing glass, just whack it all in your favourite tumbler and give it a stir. The best thing about equal parts is you can make it a larger serve if you like.” – Tim Boast
White Cargo cocktail recipe
What you’ll need:
- 60mL Gin
- 15mL Chardonnay
- 1 Scoop of Ice Cream
Directions for a White Cargo:
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a few pieces of ice and shake until it’s frothy.
- Strain into a cocktail glass.
“When you look at the recipe for a White Cargo it looks like something you made up using all the spare dregs of stuff you found in the fridge. It’s basically gin, wine and ice cream which incidentally are my three favourite food groups. Chuck it all in a shaker and strain it into a martini glass. It tastes like a boozy vanilla milkshake, with wine.
Just don’t have three and go swimming. I learned that the hard way.” – Tim Boast
If you’re looking for other cocktails to use your gin with, check out this list of fresh and festive drinks.