Summer garden gin mocktail

I am reducing alcohol, not joy. That is an important distinction.

If I am sitting in the garden at the end of a busy week, I still want a beautiful glass, a ridiculous amount of ice and a drink that feels as though somebody has made an effort. I do not want a tumbler of fizzy water with one exhausted slice of lemon floating in it while everybody else gets a cocktail menu.

This summer garden gin mocktail is fresh, aromatic and grown-up rather than very sweet. It uses Sipsmith FreeGlider™, strawberries, cucumber, basil and lemon, with tonic to give it the slight bitterness a proper long drink needs.

It is also easy to make alcoholic. Replace the FreeGlider™ with London dry gin and you have a summer gin cocktail without changing the entire recipe. That is how I like food and drink to work: one good idea, adapted to the person and the occasion.

Why I use Sipsmith FreeGlider™

FreeGlider™ is Sipsmith's alcohol-free spirit made with juniper and citrus. The brand says it took 189 prototypes and more than 100 ingredients to develop, which makes the number of slightly disappointing drinks I have made in my own kitchen feel quite reasonable.

It gives this mocktail the juniper-led structure you expect from gin without a standard measure of alcohol. It is not completely 0.0% ABV, though. Sipsmith lists FreeGlider™ at 0.45% ABV, so it is worth knowing that “alcohol-free” on this particular bottle does not mean absolutely no alcohol.

This is not a paid Sipsmith article. I am using FreeGlider™ because it suits the recipe and because I genuinely want an alcohol-free option to taste like a deliberate drink.

Image courtesy of Sipsmith

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Summer garden gin mocktail

Ingredients

Makes one generous drink.

50 ml Sipsmith FreeGlider™

2 ripe strawberries, hulled and quartered

3 thin cucumber slices or ribbons

3 fresh basil leaves, plus one small leaf to garnish

15 ml fresh lemon juice

5 ml sugar-free syrup or a small amount of your preferred sweetener, optional

100–150 ml chilled light or sugar-free tonic water

Plenty of ice

1 strip of lemon peel, to garnish

The strawberries should smell like strawberries before you cut them. If they are pale and disappointing, use raspberries, frozen berries or skip the fruit and add extra cucumber.

Equipment

You do not need cocktail-bar equipment. A large wine glass or highball, a teaspoon, a measuring jigger and something to peel the lemon are enough.

If you make cocktails regularly, a 25 ml/50 ml jigger is useful because home measures become extremely generous when poured by eye. That is less important with FreeGlider™ but very relevant if you make the alcoholic version.

Method

Put the strawberries, two cucumber slices and three basil leaves into the bottom of the glass.

Press them gently two or three times with the back of a spoon. You are releasing juice and aroma, not making gazpacho. Over-muddling basil can make it bitter and turn the drink murky.

Add the lemon juice and optional sweetener, then stir.

Fill the glass to the top with ice. A full glass of ice melts more slowly than three lonely cubes, so it dilutes the drink less.

Pour in 50 ml FreeGlider™.

Top with 100 ml tonic and stir slowly from the bottom. Taste before adding the final 50 ml, as different tonics vary in sweetness and bitterness.

Twist the lemon peel over the drink to release its oils, then add it with the remaining cucumber and basil leaf.

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How to balance the flavour

A useful mocktail should be adjustable. Fruit varies, lemons vary and some tonic waters taste much sweeter than others.

Too sharp: Add a little sweetener or more tonic.

Too sweet: Add lemon juice or a splash of soda water.

Too bitter: Use half tonic and half still or sparkling water.

Too weak: Add another 10–15 ml FreeGlider, more basil or a strip of grapefruit peel.

Too busy: Leave out the strawberry and make a cucumber, basil and lemon version.

Make it alcoholic

Replace the 50 ml FreeGlider™ with 50 ml London dry gin. Keep the fruit, cucumber, basil, lemon and tonic exactly the same.

You could also make a lower-alcohol version using 25 ml gin and 25 ml FreeGlider. It keeps some of the character of a gin cocktail while halving the spirit measure.

Make it without tonic

Tonic is part of the G&T flavour, but it is not compulsory.

For a lighter drink, use chilled soda water and add more citrus peel. For a still drink, top with cold water, cucumber water or a sugar-free botanical mixer. Taste the mixer first because some contain fruit juice, sugar or sweeteners you may be avoiding.

If you are intolerant to particular acids or sweeteners, read the label rather than assuming all slimline or sugar-free tonics are the same. They are not.

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A six-glass pitcher for a summer lunch

Do not simply multiply everything and leave chopped basil sitting in tonic for three hours. It will become flat, bruised and rather swamp-like.

Pitcher ingredients

300 ml Sipsmith FreeGlider™

12 strawberries, sliced

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

90 ml fresh lemon juice

20–30 basil leaves

Sweetener to taste, optional

750 ml chilled tonic water

Ice, added to individual glasses

Pitcher method

Up to two hours before serving, mix the FreeGlider™, strawberries, cucumber and lemon juice in a covered jug and chill.

Keep the basil, tonic and ice separate.

When everybody is ready, clap the basil leaves gently between your hands to release the aroma and add them to the jug.

Pour in 600 ml tonic and stir once. Taste before adding the rest.

Fill individual glasses with ice and pour the drink over it.

For an alcoholic pitcher, use 300 ml gin. That is twelve 25 ml measures, or approximately twelve units at 40% ABV, split across six drinks. Make sure everybody knows which jug contains alcohol. Use clearly different jugs or garnishes if serving both versions.

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Easy summer variations

Raspberry and mint

Replace the strawberries with four raspberries and the basil with six small mint leaves. Use lemon or lime juice. Frozen raspberries make useful edible ice cubes, although they will tint the drink pink as they thaw.

Grapefruit and rosemary

Leave out the berries. Add 20 ml pink grapefruit juice and a very small sprig of rosemary. Rosemary can take over a drink faster than a relative with a microphone at a wedding, so use it carefully.

Cucumber and elderflower

Use extra cucumber and add 10 ml sugar-free elderflower cordial. Reduce or omit the sweetener. Check the cordial label if you avoid sugar or particular sweeteners.

Blackberry and sage

Muddle two ripe blackberries with one small sage leaf. Sage is earthy and works well with juniper, but one leaf is enough.

What to serve with it

This is made for a summer lunch, barbecue or evening in the garden. It works with the roasted chickpea salad, grilled chicken, vegetable skewers, hummus and crisp pitta wedges.

For nibbles, I would serve olives, salted almonds, cucumber sticks and something crisp.

Frequently asked questions

Can I prepare it in advance?

Prepare the fruit, cucumber and lemon earlier in the day and refrigerate them in covered containers. Do not add tonic until serving or it will lose its fizz.

You can make the fruit and FreeGlider base up to two hours ahead. Longer than that, the cucumber softens and the basil darkens. Add fresh basil at the last moment for the best flavour and appearance.

Is Sipsmith FreeGlider completely alcohol-free?

Sipsmith currently states that FreeGlider is 0.45% ABV. It qualifies for the brand's alcohol-free description but is not 0.0%. Check the current product label if trace alcohol matters to you.

Can I make it sugar-free?

Use a sugar-free tonic and omit the syrup. The strawberries contain naturally occurring sugar, so leave them out if your version of sugar-free excludes fruit. Add cucumber, basil and citrus peel instead.

Why does my mocktail taste watery?

Use plenty of cold ice, chilled ingredients and enough acidity. Three melting cubes in a warm glass dilute the drink quickly. Fill the glass, chill the tonic and measure the spirit.

Can children drink it?

I would make children a separate fruit-and-cucumber cooler without an adult alcohol-free spirit. It avoids confusion and lets you control acidity, sweetness and age suitability.

Can I use another alcohol-free gin?

Yes. Brands differ in strength, sweetness and botanical flavour, so start with 50 ml and adjust the lemon and tonic after tasting.

Please drink responsibly. If you are driving, pregnant, taking medication or avoiding alcohol for health reasons, use an appropriate alcohol-free choice and check the label. Never assume a homemade drink contains one measure unless you measured it.