Skip cracking open another beer or bottle of wine. It’s time to get creative with these easy-to-follow cocktail recipes.

Johnnie & Lemon Highball

For a light, refreshing cocktail, we can’t go past a delicious whisky highball. The team from Johnnie Walker has you covered with this oh-so-simple Johnnie & Lemon Highball recipe below! P.s. make sure to celebrate World Whisky Day (May 16th) by tuning into Johnnie Walker x Dan Murphy’s virtual whisky tasting (aiming to be the world’s biggest virtual whisky event, hoping to break the Guiness World Record) at 7pm on Dan Murphy’s Facebook Page here.

INGREDIENTS

• Johnnie Walker Black Label
• Lemon Barley
• Soda

METHOD

1. Pour 30mL Johnnie Walker Red or Black Label

2. Add 30mL Lemon Barley Cordial

3. Top with 120mL of soda water

4. Fill highball glass with lots of ice

5. Garnish with lemon wedge

Johnnie & Blood Orange Highball

INGREDIENTS

• Johnnie Walker Black Label
• Pimm’s
• Agrum Blood Orange

METHOD

1. Pour 30mL Johnnie Walker Red or Black Label

2. Add 15mL Pimm’s No.1

3. Top with 120mL Schweppes Agrum

4. Fill highball glass with lots of ice

5. Garnish with orange wedge

3-Ingredient G&Ts from FeverTree’s Trish Brew

There’s nothing more refreshing than a classic G&T. But why not add a twist with expert guidance from Fever-Tree’s mixologist Trish Brew. Here are four simple recipes to follow to create a winning G&T at home.

• Pair a dry-style gin (such as Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin) with Fever-Tree’s Mediterranean Tonic Water and garnish with a slice of orange.
• Pair a contemporary-style gin (such as Hendrick’s Gin) with Fever-Tree’s Elderflower Tonic Water and garnish with a cucumber ribbon.
• Pair a modern gin (such as Suntory Roku Gin) with Fever-Tree’s Aromatic Tonic Water and garnish with fresh ginger, sliced into thin sticks.
• Pair a Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin with Fever-Tree’s Sicilian Lemon Tonic and garnish with a slice of lemon.

Martell Blue Swift Old Fashioned

For something a little richer, why not mix up a bold and spicy Old Fashioned cocktail using Martell Blue Swift (the first-ever spirit made with 100% cognac VSOP and finished in bourbon casks). Expect equal parts fruit and spice with a hint of toasted oak from the Kentucky bourbon casks used to craft the spirit, with this innovative French twist on a classic bourbon cocktail.

INGREDIENTS

• 50mL Martell Blue Swift
  10mL simple syrup
  Dash of bitters
  Orange peel

METHOD: In a large mixing glass, stir ingredients over ice until chilled. Pour in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Stone Pine Distillery’s Black Truffle Martini 

As Bathurst’s first microdistillery, the crew from Stone Pine Distillery have gone all-out with their luxe Black Truffle Gin. Infused with fresh local black truffle, expect a juniper-first gin with notes of coriander seed, flaked salt and black pepper to make this a perfect martini gin.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 parts Stone Pine Black Truffle Gin
• 1 part Lillet Blanc

METHOD

 Stir the ingredients with ice, strain and serve into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a burnt butter sage.

Baker Williams’ Mudgee Negroni

With the weather cooling down, there’s no better time to mix up a Negroni. Based in Central NSW, Mudgee’s Baker Williams is a microdistillery renowned for producing handcrafted spirits and liqueurs that showcase regional flavours and influences. This simple Negroni recipe is a must-try!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 parts Gin XLCR
• 1 part Orancello
• 1 part Peter Van Gent Sweet Vermouth

METHOD

Stir all ingredients together and serve over ice.

Husk Distillery’s Southside

You’d be hard-pressed to find a gin more recognisable than Ink Gin from Northern NSW’s Husk Distillery. This vivid purple spirit gets its eye-catching colour from specially prepared petals of the butterfly pea flower (which are steep in the still for 24 hours before being adding in a post-distillation infusion), paired with ingredients of locally grown lemon myrtle leaf, coriander seed, Tasmanian pepper berry and freshly peeled sundried sweet orange peel. The gin’s curious colour-changing property makes it the perfect cocktail spirit. So, why not try this delicious, fresh and simple Southside recipe?

INGREDIENTS

• 45ml Ink Gin
• 30ml Lemon juice
• 15ml Simple Syrup
• Mint

METHOD

Four Pillar’s Four Home Cocktails 

With all of us spending more time at home, it’s time to step up our at-home drinking game. Thankfully, Four Pillars’ James Irvine (Australia’s Best Bartender of 2018) has created a series of easy-to-follow cocktail recipes that anyone can mix up at home.

The Classic G&T: combine 45mL of Four Pillars’ Rare Dry Gin with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water over ice and garnish with a wedge of orange.

The Changing Seasons Gin Highball: combined 45mL of Four Pillars’ Changing Seasons Gin with StrangeLove Yuzu Soda over ice and garnish with a lime leaf or a lemon wheel.

The Coffee Negroni: combined 30mL of Four Pillars’ Spiced Negroni Gin, 30mL of Coffee Bean Campari* (recipe below) and 30mL of Martini Rosso over ice and stir before garnishing with an orange wedge.

Coffee Bean Campari Recipe (prep time: 24 hours)

INGREDIENTS

• 700mL Campari
• 70g coffee beans

METHOD

1. Lightly dry roast coffee beans until aromatic.
2. Remove from heat and place into a sterilized jar.
3. Cover with Campari and seal lid shut.
4. Shake to incorporate and leave in a dark place at room temperature for 24 hours.
5. Once ready, fine strain and discard beans.
6. Bottle and refrigerate (should yield approx. 700ml).

The Cocktail Affogato: use 300mL Four Pillars’ Sherry Cask Gin, 1 shot of espresso, 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and 10mL of Mr Black Cold Drip Liqueur. Scoop ice cream into a bowl, add Gin + Mr Black, pour over espresso to ensure it melts the ice cream slightly and enjoy!

Sydney Gin’s Top 4 At-Home Cocktail Recipes

In collaboration with Sydney bartender Kate McGraw, the crew from Sydney Gin are here to help us get creative and whip up these delicious cocktail recipes from the comfort of home.

Here’s a snapshot of the 4 delicious cocktail recipes:

1. Sip your way through a decadent Chocolate Negroni.
2. Enjoy a refreshing ‘Bird Is The Word’ gin-fueled cocktail.
3. Try this Bloody Mary-esque cocktail, ‘Scarlet Snapper’.
4. Experience the flavourful combination that is the ‘Sydney Smash’ cocktail.

Ready to get mixing? Read more about these 4 delicious recipes here.