Winter Gin Cocktails: a Cranberry G&T and a Gin Hot Toddy

Looking forward to winter? We sure are. During these months at Humdinger Gin we're busy tweaking our distillery processes and making improvements wherever possible.

Humdinger doesn't believe in resting on our laurels. With the success of our Citrus and Sloe gins, we're looking to grow our range. Winter is the best time to get creative and experiment with new small-batch gins, and that's exactly what we're doing.

Preparing for the tourist season is another big job over winter. With the borders open and forward bookings looking good for summer, we're preparing our tasting room for more visitors.

Gin to be enjoyed all year round

History tells us gin is a summertime drink — and it is, but why limit your favourite tipple to the summer months? A thirst-quenching gin is just the ticket after a day's hunting in the backblocks of New Zealand, or after an afternoon stacking wood.

Traditional gin cocktails with a twist

There are plenty of great gin cocktail recipes to enjoy, and you can get into the winter vibe with a heart-warming twist. Gin works especially well with winter spices and ingredients like maple syrup, star anise, cinnamon, cranberries and ginger.

At Humdinger Gin we like to keep recipes simple, and that applies to our gin cocktails too. Using readily available ingredients that aren't complicated to make is why we chose the Cranberry G&T as our featured winter gin cocktail.

Cranberry G&T

The cranberry sugar syrup (makes enough for 8 cocktails)

• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

1. Gently heat all the ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Mash the cranberries gently with a fork, then set aside to cool.
3. Strain and keep in a jar in the fridge until you're ready to use. The syrup will keep for a couple of weeks.

The cocktail

• A handful of ice
• 30ml Humdinger Citrus Gin
• 30ml homemade cranberry sugar syrup
• Tonic water, to top

1. Add the ice to your favourite glass.
2. Pour in the gin and cranberry syrup, then top with tonic water. Enjoy!

Cranberry works beautifully with the crisp botanicals in our Citrus Gin.

Warm and spicy gin hot toddy

Gin takes wonderfully to spices, and it can easily take on a warming tone for the palate — an exciting alternative to traditional winter spirits such as whisky and port.

Barrel time adds extra warmth. When we first wrote this, our limited release was a blend of our Dry and Citrus Gins aged in a used bourbon barrel for three months. Today, our Humdinger Barrel Aged Gin carries on that tradition — and it's perfect for hot toddies.

Humdinger's Hot Toddy

• 3/4 cup water
• 50ml Humdinger Barrel Aged Gin
• 2–3 teaspoons honey, to taste
• 2–3 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 lemon slice
• 1 cinnamon stick, to garnish
• Apple slices, to garnish (optional)

1. Boil the water and pour it into a mug.
2. Stir in 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp lemon juice and the barrel aged gin until the honey has dissolved.
3. Taste, and add 1 tsp more honey for sweetness and/or 1 tsp more lemon juice for more zing.
4. Garnish with the lemon slice, cinnamon stick and optional apple slice, then enjoy!