I was recently sent a bottle of Elephant Gin to try, and as it’s World Gin Day I thought I’d share some  simple summer cocktail recipes that you can knock together easily and with a minimum of fuss. These are both so classic, and they’re simple and delicious, so it’s worth making them part of your repetoire!

But before we get into that, let me tell you about Elephant Gin! It’s made in Germany but takes inspiration from African botanicals for a really unique flavour profile. Created using London Dry Gin methods, it’s made in small batches and contains rare ingredients that haven’t been used in gin before. Amongst the botanicals used are South African Buchu, which has a blackcurrant-like flavour, and the superfood baobab from Malawi, which gives a sharp citrus tang. Also from South Africa comes Devil’s Claw (aromatic and bitter), Lion’s Tail (with a herbaceous flavour), African Wormwood (for a bitter, floral note). These mix in with other more traditional flavours like apple, orange peel, and juniper berries. Elephant Gin’s boutique origins are reflected in its bottle design, too, with the logo echoing the stamps that would have been sent home adorning letters from explorers to their families.

Not only do I absolutely adore the flavour of Elephant Gin, but I also love its link to Africa, as my grandparents lived there for a while when my mother and uncle were young, going from country to country. I love listening to stories about my mother’s time in Africa, and so the fact that this gin has taken so much inspiration from the continent is lovely. Even better – they donate 15% of the proceeds from every bottle to two African elephant foundations (Big Life Foundation and Space For Elephants Foundation) to support the preservation of African wildlife. Even the batch names reflect great tuskers or elephants that these charities curently help to protect.

Gimlet

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long for fall for the charms of the gimlet. I first came across them when I was reading Julie Powell’s blog where she cooks all of Julia Child’s dishes from Mastering The Art of French Cooking. She makes them all the time, and they always sounded delicious. A gimlet is a simple cocktail, but because of that you really need good quality ingredients. I love using Elephant Gin in a gimlet because of the tangy, citrus baobab, and the fresh apple flavour notes.

• 50ml Elephant gin
• 15ml lime juice
• 15ml simple syrup
• Lime wedge, to serve

Simply fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and the liquid ingredients, shake and pour into a coupe with a lime wedge to serve. This drink needs to be served COLD!

Negroni

I love a good Negroni, because I’m a Campari and lemonade addict. The bitter orange flavour of the Campari works really well with the orange peel and mountain pine aromatics in Elephant Gin, making it a fabulous addition to this classic drink.

• 50ml Elephant gin
• 50ml Campari
• 50ml Martini Rosso (sweet/red vermouth)

Simply pour over ice in a short glass, and enjoy with a twist of orange peel, if you have one!

So there you go – two super simple, easy and flavourful gin recipes that you can use to highlight the unusual African botanicals in Elephant Gin! Of course, if you use any other gin, I won’t tell anyone. Promise…

You can purchase Elephant Gin from 31 Dover here, or visit their site here.