Strawberry Gin Cocktail

With that rare moment of English summer sun and heat, a refreshing strawberry gin cocktail with mint and lime will help sooth the heat of the day as you sit back and relax in the extended evening light of mid-summer.

I’m a strawberry perfectionist and am only really happy eating perfectly fresh, firm strawberries, so this is an ideal recipe for using up strawberries that might be a little bit tired, but where you don’t have enough to make jam.

Strawberry Gin Cocktail Recipe

Strawberry syrup Ingredients:

• 200g strawberries
• 2 tablespoons water
• 50g sugar

Cocktail:

• 50g Strawberries – washed & quartered
• 1 lemon
• 2 sprigs mint
• 60 ml Gin
• 400 ml sparkling water or tonic
• ice cubes

Method:

• Wash, de-husk and quarter the strawberries and place in a saucepan
• Add the water and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes
• Mash the strawberries and simmer for a further 2 minutes
• Strain the strawberry mix through a fine sieve into a bowl
• Mix with the sugar then allow to cool
• Place the remaining strawberries, sliced lemon and mint into two glasses.
• Add 3 tablespoons of strawberry syrup in each glass
• pour in the gin and sparkling water or tonic
• Add ice cubes, garnish and serve

You can always use other fruit if you prefer, depending on what’s in season or available.