A cold gin and tonic is a pretty perfect thing: There's the herbal bite of the gin, the zing of the lime, the fizz of the tonic. There are a bunch of ice cubes clinking around in a tall glass. You can drink it through a straw. It makes us want to be barefoot. And who are we to mess with a perfect thing? BUT: While we love the classics, it's just as much fun to try new things. Go ahead, reach for the gin—but try one of these instead of your tried-and-true G&T. (And if you just can't shake the G&T habit, we've got a fresh play on that, too.)
Mix things up with some of the cocktails below:
Drinking with a crowd? Try a big batch of easy-drinking gin punch.
Bowery Punch by Food52
![](https://images.food52.com/p0laFbjvooS9U4M_ZEP42j8zNIo=/bf040b8b-0602-4510-8fca-2f58ed3ca5f7--gin-aperol-punch_food52_mark_weinberg_14-11-04_0510.jpg)
Mother's Ruin Punch by Kenzi Wilbur
![](https://images.food52.com/VbkrvS_uAX347Se9eGtPAgYurZk=/83971d42-d68b-4830-a8f4-8a0b77f5ce90--punch-eatocracy_food52_mark_weinberg_14-09-16_0570.jpg)
Boozy Watermelon Rosemary Lemonade by piccantedolce
![Boozy Watermelon Rosemary Lemonade](https://images.food52.com/k7yrf8qQNbmzr4nTUUSRu7qRStk=/7655b769-0740-4799-87cd-cd9b0caafeec--071911_314.jpg)
Booze-heavier gin cocktails, like the Negroni, make proper apertifs. These ones are citrusy and bright without being too sweet.
Last Word by Erik Lombardo
![Last Word](https://images.food52.com/EfuLjCGyVxIpCy6ycOiAureIU-w=/26d4e4dc-609d-4ab5-a7fd-0567217169ca--the-last-word-cocktail_food52_mark_weinberg_14-09-02_0383.jpg)
The Gin Hound by JRDsquared
![The Gin Hound](https://images.food52.com/i9nrwyzNGc3QeIP-XffQZCxYIjM=/1368bd24-aa39-4e0e-9946-b019fbb97f72--wildcard_gin-hound_food52_mark-weinberg_6070.jpg)
The Negroni by Erika Kotite
![The Negroni](https://images.food52.com/il_PnGsnngzEjo4KDhL35lAmFKs=/1981f36e-d1fd-4007-a868-6efc225946e4--food52_01-29-13-8832.jpg)
The Pessimist's Requiem by ProfPessimist
![The Pessimist's Requiem](https://images.food52.com/R_wkZ1oOBGz5OBPxzg3mAR9Txyg=/591e6dae-5a67-4324-a8ae-1bae0ad64cb0--2013-0510_2013-0806_jenny-pessimist-requiem-005.jpg)
Darkness At the Edge of Town by fiveandspice
![Darkness at the Edge of Town](https://images.food52.com/c2IfEonOrJkJ4mnLpA0-OKMK05Q=/d4974dc9-a52d-4f12-bc3e-ab0099eacf5a--gin-aperol-porter-cocktail_food52_mark_weinberg_14-11-04_0088.jpg)
Pull out the highball glasses for these fresh, cold, seltzer-topped drinks, which highlight gin's cooler herbal notes.
Lemon Lavender Gin Rickey by Samantha Weiss Hills
![Lemon Lavender Gin Rickey](https://images.food52.com/7BXkVXBDIrc0WBtyJ18Oq02msSQ=/a20456c0-8108-4016-ade3-d7b4c6cb6954--17198841058_f23cf03dc9_b.jpg)
Lotus Cocktail by drinkoftheweek
![Lotus Cocktail](https://images.food52.com/ZAHYs4gSjQtQ31W4WnacBu2oGzY=/06ae2304-c05b-4172-80d6-0a6c39b3af05--food52_07-05-11-78.jpeg)
Rosemary Gin Cocktail by Amy Stafford @ A Healthy Life For Me
![Rosemary Gin Cocktail](https://images.food52.com/HaCHXx0Orm9tgDNFWG-tmJGPVT0=/e5ccef4c-3869-4138-a594-77729a4935ef--8302108364_49752e20b7_z.jpg)
Minty Orange Gimlet by Rebecca Firkser
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