Campfire Gin summer cocktails blackberry & fennel smash cocktail

CAMPFIRE GIN SUMMER GIN COCKTAIL RECIPES

Enjoy shrubs and smashes made with fresh fruit

Our multi-award winning Campfire Gin range can be enjoyed equally well sitting round the campfire, in a restaurant or at home in the garden with friends and family, says Ben, founder and head distiller at Puddingstone. The four styles in the small batch gin range have been crafted to work in classic gin and tonic serves and a vast array of cocktails. Summer afternoon get-togethers and long warm, evenings are ideal but should the weather be unkind the fragrant aromas of Campfire Gin allow you to bring the ‘spirit of the outdoors’ indoors.

The carefully selected botanicals in each gin provide characteristics which, combined with other cocktail ingredients or a good quality tonic, enhance the drinking experience. The Campfire Gin range is built around juniper, the key requisite botanical but each style differs providing depth and variety for the professional mixologist or the at home cocktail experimenter.

When it comes to summer gin cocktails long, cool, fruity drinks often come to mind. The key to the Campfire Gin range is that you don’t need to have a fruity gin to make a fruity cocktail.

We’re big fans of pre-mixing cocktails and storing them in the fridge ahead of serving so we can enjoy entertaining and spending time with friends and family. We’ve often shared our knowledge in this way at our popular Campfire cocktail demos held here at the distillery in Tring just on the borders of Herts, Beds and Bucks. We’re just at the base of Wilstone Reservoir, a popular spot for walkers and bird watchers, so do head on over on a Friday or Saturday for a stroll and gin tasting. Puddingstone Distillery was recently voted The Gin Guide Distillery of the Year 2021, high praise indeed and endorsement of the fine quality gin produced by our small Campfire crew.

Here we share four of our favourite summertime fruit-flavoured gin cocktails that can be prepared in advance and finished with a tonic top-up or garnish flourish. You can even impress your guests with small taster welcome drinks when they arrive.

Strawberry & Basil Smash

The smooth and zesty Campfire London Dry Gin balances beautifully with sweet, juicy strawberries and the fresh green, peppery aromas of basil.

Ingredients (serves 2)

100ml Campfire London Dry Gin
8 Strawberries (sliced)
4 Basil Leaves
6 tbsp Sugar Syrup
¼ Lime
200ml Fever-Tree Indian Tonic

Add all the ingredients, except the tonic, to a cocktail shaker and muddle (smash with a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spoon) to extract flavour from the fruit and basil. You can now store this in a jug in the fridge for a few hours. When you’re ready to serve add some ice and stir. Strain into glasses, top with tonic and garnish with fresh strawberries and basil leaf.

Campfire Gin summer cocktails strawberry & basil smash cocktail
Strawberry and Basil Smash gin cocktail with Campfire London Dry Gin

Blackberry & Fennel Smash

Campfire Cask Aged Gin imparts notes of juniper, vanilla and caramel to this cocktail best enjoyed late summer. The liquorice notes from the fennel add a subtle freshness to the warming berry notes.

To make the fennel syrup (serves 2)

Add 200ml water, 4 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp fennel seeds to a saucepan and warm until sugar is dissolved. Do not simmer or boil. Leave to cool.

To make the cocktail

50ml Campfire Cask Aged Gin
8 Blackberries
25ml Fennel Syrup
¼ Lime
200ml Fever-Tree Indian Tonic

Add all the ingredients, except the tonic, to a cocktail shaker and muddle (smash with a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spoon) to extract flavour from the fruit. Add some ice and stir. Strain into glasses, top with tonic and garnish with fresh blackberries and fennel leaf.

Balsamic & Cherry Shrub

High in alcohol at 57%, Campfire Navy Strength Gin makes it the perfect spirit ingredient in many cocktails. It is full of juniper, citrus and floral notes with slight peppery undertones which are enhanced by the cracked black peppercorns in this recipe. Shrub cocktails do take a little more planning to prepare than others but they’re so worth the wait.

For the shrub (serves 2)

400gsm Cherries (stoned)
420gms Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
10 Black Peppercorns (cracked)
225ml Balsamic Vinegar

Add cherries, sugar and peppercorns to a bowl and mix well. Cover and put in the fridge for 24hrs. Strain and add the balsamic vinegar to taste.

To make the cocktail

75ml Campfire Navy Strength Gin
100ml Fever-Tree Indian Tonic
25ml Balsamic & Cherry Shrub

When you’re ready to serve your summer cocktail add the shrub and gin to a shaker filled with ice. Stir well, strain into a glass and top with tonic.

Old Tom Sawyer

Old Tom gins are typically high in spice and sweetness. Campfire Old Tom Gin achieves both these characteristics through warming cinnamon and gentle notes of cardamom balanced with malted barley and chamomile for softness and sweetness. Our Old Tom Sawyer gin cocktail is a twist on the classic Tom Sawyer cocktail where we switch a dry gin for Campfire Old Tom Gin.

Ingredients (serves 2)

50ml Campfire Old Tom Gin
21 dashes Bitter Union No 1 Aromatic Bitters
7 dashes Bitter Union Spiced Orange Bitters
15ml Lime Juice
15ml Sugar Syrup
Maraschino cherry for garnish

Add all ingredients except the cherry to a jug and store in the fridge for a few hours. When you are ready to serve pour the liquid into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake well. Fine strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with the cherry.