When we were buying extra gin and tonic water to make the recipes below, the checkout clerk noticed our items and started singing. He said he belongs to a group that perform songs from the burlesque era and said many of them are about gin and tonic. So, in a way we celebrate a bit of musical history along with the cocktail on April 9th: National Gin and Tonic Day.

These six cocktail recipes are variations on the basic Gin and Tonic theme. We couldn’t resist adding two dessert recipes as well. All of them are perfect for a warm evening out on the porch, watching the sunset. We know you’ll love them as much as we do.

Pomegranate Gin & Tonic
courtesy of Distillery 209
2 oz. No. 209 gin
4 oz. Q Tonic
20 pomegranate seeds
2 sage leaves
2 whole cloves

Add ice cubes to a stemless wine glass. Add all ingredients and serve.

Spicy Tomato Gin and Tonic
courtesy of Sumptuous Living
2 oz. gin
2 oz. Q Tonic Water
½ cup yellow cherry tomatoes (halved)
¼ cup hothouse cucumber (wrapped in plastic at the market, sliced)
1 sprig fresh dill
1 thin slice jalapeño pepper
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes celery bitters
1 oz. fresh lime juice
steak seasoning
2 whole cherry tomatoes (for garnish)
2 cucumber slices (for garnish)

Wet the rim of a highball glass with cut lime; then dip it in steak seasoning. Place tomatoes, cucumber, dill, and lime juice in bottom of glass; muddle for one minute. Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, bitters, gin, jalapeño, and tonic water. Fill with ice and stir gently — be careful not to disturb rim. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices before serving.

Strawberry Gin and Tonic
by Alice Seuffert
2 oz. gin
3 oz. tonic water
2 Tbsp. strawberry syrup
2 sprigs of rosemary
¼ of a lime
1 strawberry

In a glass filled with ice add gin, tonic water, and strawberry syrup. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, a piece of quartered lime (squeeze in juice), and strawberry.

For Strawberry Syrup:
4 cups strawberries (32 ounces/2 lbs, stems removed, halved)
2 cups water
½ cup sugar (we used honey instead)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 10-15 minutes until strawberries are completely cooked–soft and light pink in color. Remove from heat and let cool. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl (ensure fit so mixture and liquid does not leak out the sides) and place strawberry mixture in the strainer. Allow juice to drain into bowl and lightly press mixture into strainer until syrup has completely drained. Chill strawberry syrup until ready to use. Store in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

The 25 Pounder
created by Mikha Diaz of Two Sisters Bar and Books, San Francisco
1 1/2 oz. Burnett’s Gin infused with Earl Grey Tea (To infuse, place 3 tea bags into 750 ml. gin and allow to steep for at least 48 hours.)
3/4 oz. bergamot orange juice
3/4 oz. honey simple syrup (2 parts honey to 1 part boiling water–stir until combined)
sparkling wine or tonic water

Combine gin, juice, and honey simple syrup into a pint glass. Fill with ice and shake. Strain into a 6 oz. flute and top with tonic water. No garnish is needed.

Blood Orange Elderflower Gin Cocktail
courtesy of The Little Epicurean
1 oz. gin
3/4 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. lime juice
2 1/2 oz. ginger ale or tonic water (we used dry sparkling blood orange soda)
1 oz. blood orange juice (we couldn’t find just blood orange so used raspberry blood orange juice)

In a serving glass, combine gin, St. Germain, lime juice, and ginger ale. Top the glass with ice. Slowly pour in blood orange juice. Garnish with blood orange slices and fresh lemon thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.

Blackberry and Lemon Gin and Tonic
courtesy of RealHouseMoms.com
6 blackberries
8 mint leaves
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. simple syrup
6 oz. gin
tonic water
additional mint leaves and lemon wheels for garnish

Using two lowball glasses, place three blackberries in each glass. Add four mint leaves per glass, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp. of simple syrup per glass and muddle together. Fill each glass with ice, followed by 3 oz. gin. Top each drink with tonic water; then garnish with a lemon wheel and mint leaves.

Gin and Tonic Cake
by Jessica Merchant
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp. freshly zested lime rind
1/4 cup gin
1/4 cup milk
juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add in sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy–about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl if needed. Add in each egg one at a time, beating until fully incorporated before adding the next. Next add in vanilla and lime zest and mix. With the mixer on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients. Then add in gin, milk, and lime juice, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl if necessary. Add remaining flour and beat until just combined.

Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden and center is not jiggly. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes across the top with a toothpick or fork. Pour gin glaze over; then let cake cool completely. While cake is cooling, mix up icing and once the cake has cooled, add the frosting. Note: you can sub tonic water in for the gin/milk portion of the recipe if desired.

For Gin Glaze
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. gin
juice of 1 lime

Mix ingredients together until a glaze forms, then pour over cake immediately while it is still warm. Note: start with 1-2 tablespoons of gin, if more non-gin liquid is needed, use tonic water.

For Gin Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. gin
1 drop of vanilla extract

Mix ingredients together until a very thick but spreadable icing forms. Once cake has completely cooled, spread a thin layer of icing all over the cake. Note: start with 1-2 tablespoons of gin, if more non-gin liquid is needed, use tonic water.

Cucumber Gin and Tonic Sorbet
by Kristen Olson
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
zest and juice from 2 medium limes
1 small cucumber, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups tonic water
3 oz. gin

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium low, stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool completely. In a blender, mix together the simple syrup, zest, and juice from two limes, cucumber, 2 cups of the tonic water, and the gin. Blend until smooth. Strain the mixture into a baking pan or baking dish. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours or until slightly frozen. Break up and stir with a fork. Freeze another 2 to 3 hours or until almost solid. Spoon icy mixture into the blender and blend until lighter and smooth. Return the mixture to the baking pan and freeze until scoopable. Cover and store in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to serve, scoop the sorbet into glasses with an ice cream scoop; top with a lime slice and additional tonic water and gin if desired.

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