Toast the Royal Wedding with British-Gin Cocktails

Grab your tiara or “fashionable” British-style hat—it’s time for the big royal wedding as Britain’s Prince Harry and U.S. actress Meghan Markle tie the knot May 19. These recipes, created by The Martini Club located in Toronto, Canada, literally mix in the spirit of England with a variety of British gins.

With the height of wedding season coming up, these drinks could also be perfect to toast a happy couple you know closer to home on their special day or at a wedding shower or engagement party. Cheers!

The Windsor Knot

Makes 1

1½ ounces Bloom gin
½ ounce orange liqueur
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces white cranberry juice
3 cucumber slices
3 ounce club soda
cucumber slice, for garnish

Fill a wine goblet with ice. Add gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, cranberry juice, and cucumber slices. Stir to mix. Top with club soda. Garnish with a cucumber slice.

Wedding Belle

Makes 1

1½ ounce Portobello Road gin
½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce Whittard golden chamomile tea syrup (see recipe below)
2 to 3 ounces Fever-Tree tonic water
mint sprig or 2 teaspoons silver dragees (edible cake decorating balls), for garnish

To a stemmed or stemless wine glass filled with ice, add gin, lemon juice, chamomile tea syrup, and tonic. Stir gently to mix. Garnish with a mint sprig or gently add dragees.

Chamomile Tea Syrup
Makes 1 cup for 8 servings
Add 1 cup granulated sugar and 4 chamomile tea bags to a resealable, heatproof container. Pour in 1 cup boiling water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool, remove tea bags. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

G & Tea

Makes 1

1½ ounces Sipsmith gin
1 tablespoon Tiptree orange marmalade
1 ounce Whittard Earl Grey tea, chilled
dash orange bitters
orange twist, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add gin, orange marmalade, chilled Earl Grey tea, and bitters. Shake and pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add more ice and garnish with orange twist.

Brit’s Pub Royal Wedding Celebration May 19
Set your alarms and get your formal gear ready! If you would like to gather with royal watchers and see the occasion as it unfolds rather than catching recaps later in the day as you sip your wedding-themed tipples, Brit’s Pub in downtown Minneapolis will be ready to watch and celebrate as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot. This is in real time, so doors open at 5 a.m. local time on Saturday, May 19. The ceremony is scheduled for 6 a.m. as that is just about “midday” across the pond.

Mary Subialka is the editor of Real Food and Drinks magazines, covering the flavorful world of food, wine, and spirits. She rarely meets a chicken she doesn’t like, and hopes that her son, who used to eat beets and Indian food as a preschooler, will one day again think of real food as more than something you need to eat before dessert and be inspired by his younger brother, who is now into trying new foods.