Homemade Strawberry Gin Tonica is my attempt to bottle the best drink I had in Madrid and bring it home. Gin infused with fresh ripe strawberries and lemon peel for three to seven days until the gin turns the most beautiful deep pink, strained, poured over ice in a gin goblet, and topped with tonic. So refreshing!
Gin tonica is not just a gin and tonic in Spain. It is a whole experience. In Madrid, they serve it in large balloon goblets with botanicals floating in the glass, ice piled high, and the tonic poured slowly down a spoon so it does not lose its fizz. I had a Puerto de Indias strawberry gin at a bar there and spent the entire rest of the trip thinking about how to replicate it at home. This is what I landed on and it is genuinely very close to the real thing. The Haribo candy garnish is also such a nice touch!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
One batch makes 21 shots. Infuse once and you have a stunning homemade strawberry gin ready to go for weeks.
That deep pink color. Fresh ripe strawberries turn the gin the most beautiful natural pink without any artificial flavoring or coloring.
Completely customizable. Infuse for three days for a lighter flavor or the full seven for a deeply strawberry forward gin that is almost syrupy in its richness.
Homemade Strawberry Gin Video
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Ingredient Notes
Ripe Fresh Strawberries: Ripe strawberries have a higher sugar content and a deeper, more concentrated flavor that infuses into the gin much more effectively. Cut them in half so the cut surface is exposed to the gin. More surface area means faster, deeper infusion.
Lemon Peel: The lemon peel adds a bright citrus note that lifts the strawberry's sweetness and keeps the gin tasting fresh and complex rather than just sweet and fruity.
Bombay Sapphire Gin: Thirty-two ounces of a good-quality gin. Bombay Sapphire is what I use because its botanical profile of juniper, coriander, and citrus peel works beautifully with the strawberry and lemon infusion without competing against it.
Fever Tree Tonic: Fever Tree uses natural quinine and real botanical extracts and has a cleaner, less sweet, more complex flavor than standard supermarket tonic. The bitterness of a good tonic is what balances the sweetness of the strawberry gin and keeps the drink from tasting like a juice cocktail.
The Haribo Garnish: In Madrid they served the gin tonica with a few Haribo gummies dropped into the glass alongside the botanicals. It sounds like a gimmick but the gummies sit in the gin tonic and absorb some of the liquid as you drink, becoming slightly boozy and intensely flavored by the end of the glass.
Substitutions & Variations
No Bombay Sapphire? Any good quality gin works here. Hendricks adds a floral cucumber note alongside the strawberry. Tanqueray gives you a more juniper forward result. Aviation gin gives you a softer more floral base. Use whatever gin you genuinely enjoy drinking.
No Fever Tree? Q Tonic is another excellent option with a similar quality to Fever Tree.
Want to make a mocktail version? Skip the gin and infuse the strawberries and lemon peel in a large bottle of sparkling water for 24 hours in the fridge. Strain and serve over ice with extra tonic and the Haribo garnish. Still beautiful, still fun.
FAQ
The strained strawberry gin keeps for up to 3 months stored in a sealed bottle in a dark cabinet or the refrigerator. The flavor is best within the first month when the strawberry is at its most vibrant. After 3 months the color may fade and the flavor will start to mellow.
Yes. Thaw them completely first and use any accumulated juice in the jar too. The color will be just as vibrant and the flavor will be similar to fresh. Fresh ripe strawberries at peak season will always give you the best result.
Light degrades the color and the delicate flavor compounds in the strawberry infusion. A dark cabinet keeps the gin a vibrant deep pink rather than a faded orange-pink and preserves the fresh strawberry flavor throughout the full infusion period.
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⭐️ Recipe
Homemade Strawberry Gin
Equipment
Ingredients
Strawberry gin infusion
- 20 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
- 3 cups fresh ripe strawberries washed, hulled, and halved
- 2 to 3 thin strips of lemon peel pith removed
- 1 32 oz mason jar sanitized
To serve per drink
- 1.5 oz homemade strawberry gin
- Fever Tree tonic to top
- Ice
- Fresh strawberry for garnish
- Haribo gummies
Instructions
Sanitize the jar
- Place the 32 ounce mason jar and its lid in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Remove carefully with tongs and let cool completely on a clean kitchen towel before using. This step ensures nothing interferes with the infusion and the gin stays fresh throughout the full infusion period.1 32 oz mason jar
Prep the fruit
- Wash the strawberries thoroughly under cold running water. Hull them and cut each one in half so the cut surface is exposed to the gin. Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, cut 2 to 3 thin strips of lemon peel away from the lemon keeping the strips as free of the white pith as possible. The pith is bitter and you want the fragrant yellow zest only.3 cups fresh ripe strawberries
Fill and seal
- Add the halved strawberries and lemon peel strips to the cooled, sanitized mason jar. Pour Bombay Sapphire gin over the fruit. The gin should cover everything completely. Seal the jar tightly with the lid.20 oz Bombay Sapphire gin, 2 to 3 thin strips of lemon peel
Infuse
- Place the sealed jar in a dark cabinet or pantry at room temperature. Leave to infuse for 3 to 7 days. Swirl the jar gently once a day to keep the strawberries moving and ensure even infusion. Start tasting from day 3. At day 3 the gin will be light pink and delicately strawberry forward with the Bombay botanicals still very present. At day 7 the gin will be a deep vibrant pink and intensely strawberry forward. Pull it when it tastes right to you.
Strain
- When the gin has reached your desired flavor, set a fine mesh sieve over a clean bowl or pitcher. Pour the infused gin through the sieve slowly. Press the spent strawberries very gently with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible without forcing the pulp through. For a fully clear gin, strain a second time through a coffee filter or a layer of cheesecloth placed inside the sieve. This second strain takes a while, so be patient and do not squeeze or press hard, or the gin will turn cloudy. Discard the spent fruit and lemon peel once fully drained.
Adjust
- Taste the strained gin. If it tastes too strong or too alcoholic, add still water a little at a time, up to about 100 milliliters, to bring the ABV down closer to a commercial strawberry gin, which sits around 37.5 percent versus the 40 percent of your base Bombay. If you want it slightly sweeter, add a small drizzle of simple syrup and stir gently. Taste as you go until it is exactly where you want it. Transfer the finished gin to a clean sealed bottle, and it is ready to serve or store.
Serve
- Fill a large gin goblet generously with ice. Pour 1.5 oz of the homemade strawberry gin over the ice. Top slowly with Fever Tree tonic. Garnish with a fresh strawberry on the rim. Drop a few Haribo gummies directly into the glass and enjoy!1.5 oz homemade strawberry gin, Fever Tree tonic to top, Ice, Fresh strawberry for garnish, Haribo gummies
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!