Cocktails & Recipes

Wildly delectable Negronis from Negroni Week 2023 – 

WildGins was proud to be an enthusiastic supporter of Negroni Week, the annual fundraiser for Slow Food International, an organization dedicated to preserving global food culture and environmental health in over 160 countries worldwide. Participating bars and restaurants donated $1 for every Negroni sold September 18-24; here are a few of our favorite recipes you can try at home, and links to the bars where you can find them in the Wild.
Salud!

Villa de Varda Negroni

Whoa – the fine folks down at It’s Italian Cucina are taking the Negroni to all new places, and we’re not talking cheesy spaghetti westerns. Strap on your chaps and prepare to giddy up with WildBark West Texas Dry Gin, Campari, Carpano Antica, chamomile liqueur and rose water! What?!? Gimme, gimme.

Ingredients:

WildBark West Texas Dry Gin
Campari
Carpano Antica Vermouth
Villa de Varda Chamomile
Rose Water

Build:

Hitch up your horsies and saunter on down south of the river to get a taste of this rare treat:
It’s Italian Cucina, 1500 South Lamar, #110, Austin 78704

Strawberry Negroni

The barkeeps at El Raval are upgrading the classic bittersweet balance of a classic Negroni with the premium complexity of WildJune Western Style Gin, a splash of sweet-tart strawberry, and a hint of citrus from an orange wheel – can you take a classic cocktail up a notch? Oh, yes. Yes you can.

Ingredients:

1 oz (30 ml) WildJune Western Style Gin
1 oz (30 ml) Campari
1 oz (30 ml) Sweet Red Vermouth
1 oz (30 ml) Fresh Pureed Strawberry
Orange Wheel garnish

Build:

Add all ingredients to a shaker full of ice, give it a good stir and a quick shake, and double strain into a coupe glass or pour over fresh rocks.
Visit El Raval, 1500 South Lamar, #115, ATX 78704

Wild Barking Mule

Ingredients:

2 oz WildBark West Texas Dry Gin

2 oz Ginger Beer

Serve over Ice

Recipe:

A built cocktail in a Mule Mug or highball glass.

Remove WildJune from cooler or freezer.

Combine with the Ginger Beer.

No need for simple syrup. 

Optional:

Switch out WildBark with WildJune to make a Summer Mule.

West Texas Spring Water

Ingredients:

1.5 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

3 small chunks of Cucumber

4 leaves of Mint

Sparkling Water

Recipe:

Muddle the Cucumber and Mint, Add WildJune, Ice, and top with Topo Chico (Sparkling Water)

Garnish with cucumber, sprig of mint, and squeeze of lime (optional). 

Credit – Audrey Torres

Texas Southside

(Essentially a ‘Gin Mojito’, Texas style)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz WildBark West Texas Dry Gin

1 oz fresh lime juice

0.5 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 sugar:H2O by weight)

8 mint leaves

Recipe:

Muddle the mint. 

Add rest of the ingredients and shake well with ice. 

Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with mint. 

Wild Watermelon

(Summertime Favorite)

Ingredients:

2 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

2 Cubes of Fresh Watermelon

8 Mint Leaves

Splash of Simple Syrup (optional)

Club Soda (Richard’s Sparkling Rainwater or Topo Chico)

Ice

Recipe:

Muddle the mint and fresh watermelon. 

Shake all ingredients with ice. 

Strain into a martini glass or serve in an ice-filled tumbler. 

Top off with Club Soda and garnish with mint

WildHound

(Get your Bark on!)

Ingredients:

2.0 oz WildBark West Texas Dry Gin

0.75 oz Grapefruit Juice

0.5 oz Simple Syrup

Recipe:

Shake with ice, strain into a chilled glass. 

Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Wild Bing Martini

(Molly’s favorite)

Ingredients:

2 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

1 Bada Bing Cherry (from Tillens)

Ice

Recipe:

Shake WildJune Western Style Gin with ice. 

Strain into a martini glass & add cherry. 

** To make a Dirty Cherry, simply add more cherry juice to glass.

WildJune Strawberry Negroni

Ingredients:

1 oz (30 ml) WildJune Western Style Gin

1 oz (30 ml) Campari

1 oz (30 ml) Sweet Red Vermouth

1 oz (30 ml) Fresh Pureed Strawberry

Mandarin Orange Wheel garnish

Recipe:

Stir in a tin full of ice and double strain into a coupe glass or pour over a fresh rock with an orange wheel for garnish. Can be batched with any equal portions. You might adjust acidity if strawberries are sweeter.

Wild Gimlet

Ingredients:

2 oz (60 ml) WildJune Western Style Gin

3/4 oz (22.5 ml) lime juice

3/4 oz (22.5 ml) simple syrup

Lemon Twist for up (pictured), Lime wheel garnish for rocks

Recipe:

Shake vigorously in a tin full of ice and serve in a coupe glass with a twist, or pour over fresh rocks with a lime wheel for garnish.   

Wild Girl Gimlet

Ingredients:

2 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

1 oz Meyer Lemon Juice

0.5 oz Pink Elderflower Liqueur

1 dropper Rose Bitters

Recipe:

Shake all ingredients with ice, double strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a slice of Meyer Lemon and a Rosebud. Credit: Molly Harris   

Barking Martini

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz (75 ml) WildBark West Texas Dry Gin

Lemon Twist

Recipe:

Stir WildBark in a tin full of ice for a full 30 seconds to get it to 32 degrees F.

Strain into a frozen coupe or Martini glass with a lemon twist.   

WildJune Pegu Club Cocktail

Ingredients:

1½ oz. WildJune gin (45 ml)
½ oz. Cointreau (15 ml)
¾ oz. fresh lime juice (20 ml)
2 dashes Angostura bitters (2 ml)

Recipe:

Tools: juicer, shaker, strainer. Glass: cocktail (Nick and Nora). Looks nice in a Martini glass, also.

Shake all the ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled glass. 

WildBark Gin Paloma

Ingredients:

.75 oz lime (20 ml),

.5 oz simple syrup (2:1, rich) (15 ml),

1.5 oz WildBark gin (45 ml)

Splash of grapefruit juice (10 ml) / 2 oz soda to top (55 ml).

2 dashes Angostura orange bitters on top. Lime wheel garnish

Recipe:

10 second shake ingredients up to soda with ice, Double strain – to pint glass, top with soda and dashes of bitters. Garnish with lime wheel, or grapefruit (pictured)

Wild Rose Hip Martini

Ingredients:

2 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

1 oz Wild Rose Hip Simple Syrup

Serve up with fresh rose hips as garnish

Recipe:

Forage for Wild Rose Hips (preferably after the first snow)

Make Wild Rose Hip Simple Syrup (preferably using Monk Fruit instead of sugar; straining off the seeds and skins of the rose hips

Mix 2 oz WildJune Western Style Gin + 1 oz Wild Rose Hip Simple Syrup in a shaker with ice & serve in a chilled martini glass with fresh rose hips as a garnish. Enjoy!

Wild LB&J Smash

Ingredients:

In a shaker filled with ice, Add

1.5 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

0.5 oz Wild LB&J Cocktail Enhancer

0.5 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 sugar:H2O by weight)

0.5 oz fresh lemon juice (squeeze half a lemon)

Recipe:

In a shaker filled with ice,

add all ingredients then Shake & Strain, 

Garnish with a lemon twist.

WildJune Negroni Rosa

Ingredients:

2 parts Strawberry Infused WildJune Western Style Gin*

2 parts Suze

2 parts Lillet Blanc (or Rose or Rouge)

1 part verjus (We used Left Coast Cellars Pinot Noir)

3 dashes hibiscus rose bitters (Bubb’s!)

2 dashes saline (20% solution)

Recipe:

Shake in your tin with ice until very chilled –

double strain,

and serve up in a chilled Nick and Nora glass (shown),

or chilled Martini glass…

*Make Strawberry Infused WildJune Western Style Gin by pureeing 1 pound hulled strawberries with one bottle frozen WildJune – refill the bottle and store in freezer, use remainder for your first round of Negronis. You could, conceivably, make a 1/2 batch.

HollyHock Martini

(created by Audrey Torres)

Ingredients:

2.5 oz WildJune Western Style GIn

2.5 oz Prosecco

Lemon Juice (squeeze a half lemon)

Dash of Simple Syrup

Recipe:

Stir all ingredients with Ice,

Strain and Serve in a Martini Glass with a Lemon Twist.

WildJune Bramble

Ingredients: 

1.5 oz WildJune Western Style Gin

.75 oz fresh lime juice (or fresh lemon juice)

.75 oz simple syrup

.75 oz crème de mûre (Blackberry Liqueur)

Garnish: Fresh lime (or fresh lemon), blackberries

Recipe:

In your shaker, filled with ice, pour the WildJune Western Style Gin, lime (or lemon) juice, and simple syrup (to taste).

Shake that thing.

Strain the drink into a highball glass filled with (crushed) ice. 

Drizzle the cremé de mûre (or other berry liqueur) on top of the drink and garnish with a lime (or lemon) slice and blackberries.

Free Range Nurse

Ingredients:

2 parts WildJune Western Style Gin (WildBark West TX Dry Gin for more herbal style)

1 part Free Range Nurse Syrup (below)

Top with seltzer

Syrup Ingredients:

1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, About 1/4 of a pear, sliced 

Two sprigs fresh rosemary, 1 cinnamon stick

Bring to a simmer and then let steep for at least 30 minutes.

Reserve the pear slices to use as garnish.

Recipe:

Shake WildJune Western Style Gin & syrup in an ice filled shaker,

strain into a rocks glass with fresh rocks,

top with seltzer after that.

Garnish with a slice of pear from the syrup, and a sprig of rosemary or pine.