Gin Blossom Cocktail Recipe
Written by This simple Gin Blossom Cocktail recipe brings spring to life! With gin, bianco vermouth, apricot eau-de-vie, and orange bitters it's the perfect drink for the season.
Prep time: 1 minute
Mixing time: 1 minute
Servings: 1
Calories: 191
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Gin - preferably Plymouth
- 1½ oz bianco Vermouth
- ¾ oz apricot eau-de-vie
- 2 dashes Angostura orange bitters
- Ice cubes
- Lemon zest twist - for garnish, optional
Equipment
- Mixing Glass
- Measuring Jigger
- Cocktail Strainer
- Bar spoon
- Martini or Coupe Glass
Instructions
- Prep Glass: Fill your Martini glass or cocktail coupe with ice. Set it aside.
- Add Bitters: Pour 2 dashes Angostura orange bitters into the mixing glass.
- Add Apricot Eau-de-vie: Add ¾ oz apricot eau-de-vie into the stirring glass.
- Add Vermouth: Measure and pour 1½ oz bianco Vermouth into the mixing glass.
- Add Gin: Pour 1½ oz Gin to the mix.
- Add Ice and Stir: Fill the mixing glass with ice. Using a bar spoon or a long stirrer, stir well (for about 15-20 seconds).
- Strain: Take your Martini glass or cocktail coupe and discard the ice. Using the cocktail strainer, strain the mixture into the chilled glass.
- Garnish: Express the lemon zest on top of the glass. You can either discard it afterward or place it on the rim of the glass for an added citrus touch.
Notes
Substitutes:
- Plymouth Gin: If you don't have Plymouth gin on hand, you can use any other type of gin, especially London Dry gin, to make this cocktail. Just make sure to avoid Old Tom and flavored gin as they will alter the drink’s flavor profile.
- Bianco vermouth: You can make this cocktail using any brand of white vermouth of your choice. If you can’t find any, you can use Lillet Blanc as a substitute. Dry vermouth can also be used, but it will change the overall balance and make up for a dryer drink than the original version.
- Apricot eau de vie: You can use apricot brandy as a substitute if you can’t find any apricot eau-de-vie. However, contrarily to apricot eau-de-vie, apricot brandy is generally sweetened: depending on the brand you’ll be using, you may want to adjust the quantity so the final drink doesn’t come out as too sweet.
- Orange bitters: If you don’t have Orange bitters on hand, you can use another type of citrus bitters (like lemon or grapefruit to make this drink).
Making a Pitcher of Gin Blossom Cocktail:
- Scale: To make a pitcher that serves 8, multiply all the ingredients by 8. That would be 12 ounces of Gin, 12 ounces of bianco vermouth, 8 ounces of apricot eau-de-vie, and 16 dashes of Orange bitters.
- Mix: In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients (start with the bitters). Add ice and stir well.
- Serve: Strain to remove the ice, serve immediately into a chilled coupe or martini glasses, and garnish with lemon twists. If you have some leftovers, keep them in the fridge (make sure no ice cubes are left inside) in an airtight container as vermouth is prone to oxidation when kept at room temperature.
Making it Non-Alcoholic:
Please keep in mind that, as the Gin Blossom cocktail is solely made out of alcoholic ingredients, it can be hard to recreate its flavor using only non-alcoholic substitutes; the overall flavor and mouthfeel will probably change greatly from the original drink.- Gin Substitute: Use a non-alcoholic gin substitute. There are several brands available that mimic the flavor of gin without the alcohol.
- Bianco vermouth: Opt for a non-alcoholic vermouth (Martini Floreale for instance). These are usually widely available in supermarkets and liquor stores.
- Apricot eau-de-vie: You can use apricot syrup, either homemade or store-bought. However, you’ll certainly have to lower the quantity if you don’t want to end up with an overly sweet drink. Another option could be to infuse your gin substitute with fresh apricots and then use 2 ounces of the infused gin to make the drink.
- Orange bitters: To get the citrusy touch brought by the Orange bitter, you can slightly muddle an orange zest into the shaker/mixing glass before adding the rest of the ingredients. Also, note that 2 dashes of bitter in an otherwise alcohol-free drink won’t raise the overall ABV of the drink. The drink will indeed chemically contain a drop of alcohol, but won’t make you intoxicated at all. Depending on your reason for not drinking alcohol, this can also be a suitable option.
- Proceed As Usual: Use these non-alcoholic substitutes in place of the regular ingredients and follow the original steps to enjoy a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail.