Gin it up this summer

Just as some foods are good matches for a particular season–hearty stews in winter, cool salads in summer–some liquors also feel right at certain times of the year. Warm weather calls for light, refreshing drinks, and gin fits the bill, as demonstrated in a recent Telegraph article highlighting unique gin cocktails perfect for summer sipping. The pretty City in Bloom, pictured above, features a rhubarb-infused gin. The article’s Parlsey Gin Julep puts an interesting twist on the classic Mint Julep.

Iced tea is a standard summer thirst quencher, especially in the Southern U.S. Add gin, limoncello, and few other tidbits and you can have the popular and tasty Leland Palmer. You could also try a Pimm’s iced tea. Turning to Pimm’s, several variations of the Pimm’s Cup, in which gin plays a starring role, are highly rated in the EYB Library as well.

You can also “gin” it up with ginger beer and ginger ale, as Saveur Magazine encourages you to do with beverages featuring these spicy-but-sweet favorites. One of the featured drinks is a Black and Stormy (pictured left), a take on the classic Dark and Stormy but with added ginger juice to give it a kick. Bringing the “gins” full circle, Saveur combines both gin and ginger beer in the Gin-Gin Mule, a riff on the Moscow Mule.

Although it’s not light or bubbly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Negroni in a post about gin. That is especially so since this is Negroni Week, being celebrated worldwide from June 2 to June 8. Campari and Imbibe Magazine are teaming up in this effort, in which “bars around the world will be mixing up their favorite Negroni variations and donating a portion of proceeds from each one sold to a charity of their choice.”

What’s your favorite summer “gin” beverage?

Photos courtesy The Telegraph and Saveur Magazine