5 Best Juices To Pair With Gin

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For many people, when they hear the phrase "gin and juice" their mind immediately goes to the hip-hop song by Snoop Dogg from his 1993 album "Doggystyle." While he may have helped popularize the combination of fruit juice and this spirit, mixing these two ingredients predates Snoop's smash hit by decades. Citrus has a long history with gin — after all, the classic G&T was standardly made with a squeeze of lime juice and served with a slice of the fruit as garnish. Take the Greyhound, for instance, a simple combination of grapefruit juice and gin often attributed to the famed bartender Harry Craddock (but given its current name in 1945). Citrus juices are good mixers for gin because the tart and bright flavors of these fruits both complement and balance the botanicals, including juniper, found in the spirit.

Still there are a range of other fruit juices that also work superbly combined with gin, including pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and passion fruit juice. Each brings something different to the spirit, from the tropical flavors of pineapple and passionfruit, to the crisp tartness of cranberry juice that balances gin's botanicals. Both the quality of the juice is important as is the style of gin. We recommend a juniper-forward London dry gin, which can stand up to the strong flavors of various fruit juices, and is Snoop's gin style choice for this drink as well. We chose these juices for their ability to work as well in a simple mixed drink as in more complex cocktails. 

Orange juice pairs well with a variety of spirits, from tequila to vodka, but gin and orange juice can be an especially synergistic combination. Unlike a screwdriver where the juice simply masks the vodka's flavor, which already doesn't have a ton, orange juice plays well with gin's flavor profile. Its tangy sweetness and acidity balance the gin's botanicals. We recommend using fresh-squeezed orange juice since it's more delicate than store-bought OJ in containers and is less likely to overwhelm some of the gin's subtler flavors.

In Snoop Dogg's cookbook, "From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen," his OG recipe for this classic drink is simply Tanqueray and orange juice. If you want to get a bit fancier, there are a number of gin cocktails that include orange juice, including the orange blossom, which dates back to the 1930s and combines OJ, gin, and sweet vermouth. It can be served either up or on the rocks. The Stork Club is another Prohibition-era cocktail that includes gin, cointreau, orange and lime juice, and a dash of bitters, and is served up. Whether you prefer Snoop's version or something a bit more complex, orange juice can be a great mixer for gin.

Grapefruit juice and gin are another stellar pairing. The bittersweet tartness of grapefruit enhances gin's botanicals while adding depth. It also makes for a very refreshing mixed drink, especially in the summer (or in the dead of winter when you want something to remind you of summer). And unlike lemon or lime juice (the former used in the Tom Collins and the latter in the gimlet), grapefruit juice is sweet enough to stand on its own without adding sugar. This is especially true if you go with ruby red grapefruit over the white variety, the latter of which is less sweet and more acidic. Again, we recommend using fresh-squeezed juice as it has a fresher, brighter flavor than bottled.

While the greyhound is the classic iteration of this juice and gin cocktail combo that had a resurgence in the 1970s, there are other drinks that use grapefruit juice and gin, and are pretty easy to make. Add salt to the rim of the glass or your greyhound and you now have a salty dog. Throw tonic water in with the greyhound's ingredients and it becomes a grapefruit gin fizz. Grapefruit and gin can be a great base to build off if you're looking to explore new refreshing cocktails.

If tropical cocktails are your thing, but you're looking for a spirit other than rum, pineapple juice and gin may be the combination to try. The sweet and tangy pineapple contrasts with the herbal notes of gin. This flavor combination has inspired several distilleries, including Agnes Arber Gin and That Boutique-y Gin Company, to produce pineapple-flavored gin. While pineapple juice can sometimes be overly sweet for some, this juice and gin combination makes a great jumping off point for a variety of cocktails that temper the juice's sweetness while still showcasing its flavors.

Such cocktails range from the simple, like a pineapple gin and tonic, which is exactly what it sounds like (pineapple, gin, lime, and tonic water), to the more complex, like the Singapore sling. Besides gin and pineapple juice, this tropical classic includes lime, cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Bénédictine, soda water, and bitters. Even Snoop Dogg has a pineapple and gin recipe. It's his Remix Gin and Juice, which adds apple-flavored vodka to the gin and pineapple combination.

The tart, bittersweet, and bright flavor of cranberry juice can pair well with gin's juniper-forward profile. The two work well on their own in a simple mixed drink, but also offer a launchpad for a wide range of cocktails, especially during holiday season with their festive red color. We recommend using pure cranberry juice rather than a cranberry juice blend that typically has added sweeteners or is mixed with various other juices that could clash with gin. If you find pure cranberry juice too tart, you can instead add simple syrup, honey, or maple syrup to taste in your mixed drink or cocktail.

Most cranberry gin cocktails are relatively easy to make. For instance, you can add cranberry juice to your gin and tonic for a festive change or ditch the tonic water and add cranberry juice and simple syrup for a winter version of this classic. Another simple cocktail where cranberry works is in a mule that combines gin, cranberry, ginger beer, and lime juice. The ginger beer adds a spicy kick to the mix and has enough sweetness to balance the cranberry's tartness. To make any of these drinks even more festive, add a few whole cranberries and a sprig of rosemary as garnish.

Passion fruit has a complex flavor profile that's lightly sweet and tangy, with citrus and floral notes similar to some of those found in gin that helps enhance those flavors. You can go the simple route by mixing passion fruit juice and gin (and perhaps simple syrup if you find the juice too tart) or you can get more complicated. The velo is a bit more complex and besides gin and passion fruit juice includes St. Germaine, lime, and Peychaud's bitters. 

Which passion fruit juice you choose is up to you. While there are some brands, like Twisted Alchemy, that make pure cold-pressed passion fruit juice, most store-bought varieties have added sugar. You can also easily make your own with the fresh fruit and water or use the fresh pulp. 

These various juices all pair nicely with gin and, as you may have guessed, they can also work together with the spirit either when combined with it in a simple mixed drink or a more complex cocktail. Pineapple and passion fruit juice pair well with gin in a Tom Collins variation that also includes lemon juice and soda water. Likewise, cranberry and orange juice can spruce up your staid G&T. The secret to success is experimenting with the various juices, whether solo or in combination with each other, to find what best suits your palate.