Cocktail of the Week: the Gin and Juice

The sun’s out and that means we need a refreshing cocktail made with minimum fuss. Something laid back. A Gin and Juice, perhaps…

We like to think our Cocktail of the Week series has a nice wide range of serves that aren’t too tricky to make. But some might involve bitters or liqueurs you’re not familiar with or require some intermediate-level prep you just don’t have the time or inclination for. This is why we also love to feature some of the drinks world’s most simple serves. 

It doesn’t come much easier than a two-part drink. And of all the many variations possible, there is perhaps none as easy or immediately appetizing as the Gin and Juice. It’s so basic, it’s hardly a cocktail. It doesn’t even have a dedicated name like a Screwdriver. Just a description of what’s in the drink. And the exact recipe is up to you.

No fancy equipment. No strange ingredients. It’s cheap, cheerful, and a crowd-pleaser. Who the hell won’t actually enjoy a Gin and Juice? Fruity and refreshing is always a winning combo. Try and mess it up, I dare you.

A classic in two worlds

Best of all, the Gin and Juice will always remind you of the song of the same name by Snoop Dogg. In fact, on the excellent Difford’s Guide, the ‘History’ section of this serve hilariously says the Gin and Juice is “possibly the inspiration behind the Top 10 single ‘Gin and Juice’ by rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg”. I think you might be onto something there, guys.

The second single from his debut album, Doggystyle, Gin and Juice was released in 1994 and is still Snoop’s most-streamed song on Spotify. It also features arguably the greatest line in a music video of all time: “Snoop doggy dog, you need to get a jobby job”. Still amazing after all these years. The song has also helped propel the drink’s fame and no doubt helped make it the name of choice for countless bars and clubs. 

On 27 May 2018, the legend himself even set the world record for the largest ‘Gin and Juice’, a 500-litre paradise cocktail, containing 180 bottles of gin, 154 bottles of apricot brandy, and 38 3.78-litre jugs of orange juice. Good thing he didn’t call the song White Russian. There’s no way that much milk wouldn’t curdle in the California sun.

A gang of Tanqueray

The most important ingredient is obviously the gin, because while your options seem pretty limitless, you will need to consider which style and profile will pair with your choice of juice. A classic London dry gin is the obvious way to go as it’s the easiest to balance. Snoop himself references Seagram’s gin in the Gin and Juice lyrics, but also says the line “Later on that day, my homie Dr. Dre came through with a gang of Tanqueray”. This gives us the perfect excuse to use an excellent brand of gin and also reveals a very generous side to the good doctor.

As for your juice, have fun with it. We’ve gone for a classic blend of orange and pineapple here, but you can go in whatever direction you like: grapefruit, lime, clam. It will all be tasty if you balance it right. Ok, I was joking with the last one (although someone unbearably trendy hipster bartender will probably make that work), but do experiment to find which flavours you like best. You can even theme your Gin and Juice, make it tropical with mango and pineapple, or festive with cranberry etc. 

Once again, as we say often in Cocktail of the Week, the MOST IMPORTANT THING is that the juice is fresh. Otherwise, it just won’t taste as good. Yes, it’s a pain to freshly squeeze your own juice. Yes, it’s easy and cheap to buy pre-made juice. It’s no problem if you want to do that, just understand that it won’t be as good as the fresh stuff. If you’re buying juice, get the stuff from the chiller cabinet, not the shelf. The latter is made from concentrate and heat-treated for long life. Not delicious. Oh, and some Gin and Juice recipes call for simple syrup, for those who like drinks on the sweeter side. That seems mad to me in a drink that is mostly fruit sugars anyway, but if you do need a little extra kick then I would add small amounts (5ml ish) at a time so you don’t mess up what should be the world’s easiest cocktail.

How to make a Gin and Juice

And that’s it, basically. This recipe was provided by the folks at Tanqueray, but really do feel free to play around with this one.

35ml Tanqueray No. 10
60ml fresh orange juice
60ml fresh pineapple juice

Splash your Tanqueray London Dry Gin in a shaker then add the fresh juices. Fill with ice, shake and strain, then squeeze some lime and dunk it in.