23 Essential Gin Cocktails for Happy Hour Tonight
We have dozens of gin cocktails on the pages of Epicurious, but the list below is the right place to start if you’re looking to taste the absolute essentials. Perhaps you’re ready to dial in your personal favorite gin & tonic and martini—or you’re curious about other classic cocktails and the many delicious riffs that bartenders have created in recent years. The best gin drinks can be bracing and boozy or light and refreshing, stirred or shaken, frozen or fizzy. There’s something for summer, fall, winter, and spring. Below you’ll find a selection of the best gin cocktail recipes around, coming to your personal at-home happy hour soon.
Looking for more drink ideas? Check out our interactive cocktail recipe finder. Wondering how strong that gin drink is? Try our ABV calculator.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert1/23Clover Club
Sipping gin cocktails means sipping on history—this frothy, tart, classic drink is sweetened with raspberry syrup, which goes back before the days of grenadine. Making a batch also means you can whip up the world's best pink lemonade, too.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell2/23Dry Martini
We've said a lot about the martini before, so we'll keep this brief: Martinis are the kind of drink that you want to play around with. Start with this basic recipe, then adjust to your own taste, adding more dry vermouth (or even blanc vermouth!) if desired, trying out different gins, and garnishing with an olive, or three, or a lemon or grapefruit twist. Anchovy and olive? Sure. Just don't shake it, please. But on a hot day, don't be afraid to drink your gin martini on the rocks. When you're ready to go further afield, try the Tuxedo No. 2 and the Obituary. While you're at it, try a Martinez, too—this version is adjusted for a London Dry gin, so you don't have to seek out sweeter Old Tom.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton5/23Negroni
This classic Italian aperitivo calls for equal parts gin, Campari, and vermouth. A pretty easy formula to remember! But if you like your drinks on the dry side, try pouring in a little extra gin. This is a great pre-dinner sipper—but on a truly hot day, you might want to whip up this frozen version.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich8/23Gin Rickey
The gin rickey keeps it simple. Just gin, club soda or seltzer, and fresh lime juice. Get that seltzer maker fizzing!
10/23Gin-Gin Mule
This modern classic cocktail brings together a refreshing combination of ingredients—herbaceous mint, tart lime, spicy ginger, and crisp, bright gin. Does a copper mug make it more delicious? Maybe not, but it's still fun to sip from one.
Photo and Styling by Joseph De Leo13/23Corpse Reviver No. 2
Corpse Revivers are a classic family of cocktails meant for daytime sipping. Hair of the dog, and all that. This eye-opener pairs herbal gin with a dash of anise-scented absinthe, fragrant Cointreau, and bitter, fruity Cocchi Americano. Shake it up well, then strain into a chilled stemmed cocktail glass.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton15/23Bittersweet Symphony (Gin and Aperol Cocktail)
If you find the Negroni a little intense, try this softer version, which is made with orangey Aperol instead of Campari. Herbaceous Punt e Mes gives a balancing bitterness that makes this gin cocktail particularly delicious.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt19/23Spiked Ginger-Lemonade Soda Can Cocktail
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton20/23Casino Cocktail
This easy gin cocktail is essentially an Aviation with orange bitters instead of Crème de violette. We like the swap a whole lot.
Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen21/23Champagne Punch with Ginger, Lemon, and Sage
Photo by Cristian Barnett23/23Hanky Panky Cocktail
This classic gin cocktail gets a bitter kick from Fernet-Branca. Serve this one with your favorite salty snacks.
