The Five Best Gin Cocktails to Warm You This Winter

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With winter a short steam-breath away, it's time to embrace life in the longer, cooler evenings. This is the season for cosy conversations in dark corners, wearing many layers and indulging in a good shot or two of gin, the spirit of old world glamour and new world glitz.

Bombay Sapphire's Project Botanicals pop-up knows how to do it, with creations like the Angelica Negroni and Liquorice Pontefract. The botanical oils and floral scents of a great gin are loving partners to spicy winter flavours, giving your tastebuds a sophisticated toast as they warm your flesh. Here are five of our favourite gin cocktails, some classic, some new, that will take your tongue on a tour beyond the familiar martini.

RANGOON GIN FIZZ

Toby Maloney's variation on the gin fizz switches the traditional lemon juice for a spicier lime, and kicks the cold out with a ginger snap. The title bows to the old British name for Yangon, a former capital of Myanmar/Burma, so best serve this when you're ready for political debate.

60ml Bombay Sapphire
22ml ginger syrup
30ml lime juice
9 drops bitters
5 sprigs of mint
60ml tonic water (the less sweet, more quinine the better)

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass. Top with the tonic, garnish with mint.

Image: Smith & Ratliff.

ROSEMARY GIMLET

Contemporary gins come infused with many crisp flavours, with citrus being a prominent one. This recipe takes the classic gimlet, a mix of gin and lime (to ward off malnutrition, presumably) and thumps some complexity into its orange soul. The rosemary is a beautiful winter addition, harkening to roast lamb and crisp evening air, while possibly helping you remember the night afterwards.

45ml Bombay Sapphire
30ml simple syrup, strongly infused with rosemary
30ml tart lime juice
8ml orange liquer (blood orange is preferable for presentation)
1 sprig rosemary

Shake liquid ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with rosemary sprig.

Image: The Style Gathering.

AVIATION

This classic recipe was born on the streets of New York, around the time when the Wright brothers were first getting up off the ground. Excellent for the gin-shy, sipping this dainty number will warm your loins for some ragtime dancing, or boost your morale for the frosty dash towards the nearest vaudeville theatre. Add a splash of crème de violette for a sky-blue variation.

45ml Bombay Sapphire
22ml lemon juice
15ml cherry liqueur
1 maraschino cherry

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with the cherry.

Image: Platings and Pairings.

BIJOU

Another gin classic that would like to have a few stern words with the martini, the bijou (bee-joo) is French for 'jewel' and takes its name from the three gemstone colours represented by its ingredients: the diamond gin, the emerald Chartreuse and the ruby vermouth. Knocking back a few of these will most likely end the night in a poetic swoon or a bloody duel.

20ml Bombay Sapphire
20ml green Chartreuse
20ml sweet vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
1 orange peel

Stir in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Image: Nightlife.ca.

THE MONKEY GLAND

So apparently people used to do whacky things for their health, such as surgically graft primate testicles onto their body. Possibly they were inspired by this heady concoction. Aside from hilarious tales of medical history, the monkey gland will hopefully provide you with effective protection against the common cold.

50ml Bombay Sapphire
30ml orange juice
2 drops absinthe
2 drops grenadine

Shake well with ice, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a monkey gland (optional).