Saturn Cocktail

The Saturn Cocktail is a delicious Tiki drink with an bit of a twist! Unlike most tropical Tiki cocktails, it uses gin instead of rum. This gives it a refreshing flavor, with a hint of the juniper that goes really well with all of the classic Tiki elements of this recipe. It's the perfect summertime drink!

The Saturn is a great addition to any Tiki bar menu, and definitely stands out from the rest with its gin base! It's a delicious cocktail for summertime but also into the fall months.

Looking for some more Tiki-inspired drinks? Try the delicious Mango Mai Tai with homemade Mango Nectar, or go for the Jungle Bird cocktail with Campari liqueur.

For more gin drinks with tropical flavors, try out the classic Singapore Sling cocktail! Or, this Hibiscus Gin Cocktail with pineapple is super delicious and refreshing.

Ingredients

You'll need a few Tiki staples to make this cocktail.

• Orgeat (almond flavored syrup)
• Falernum - this is a lime and ginger liqueur, also sold as a non-alcoholic syrup.
• Passion Fruit Syrup
• Gin
• Lemon
• Garnish - optional cocktail cherry and lemon peel

Substitutions

If you need to swap out the gin, using something like tequila or an unaged brandy, like Pisco, would work really well. Or, if you just don't like the flavor of gin, try just using vodka or white rum.

The syrups in this drink are pretty specific, and they will all definitely get some use if you're a Tiki fan! But, here are some substitution ideas if you're in a pinch.

For the orgeat, try just using more of the falernum instead.

If you don't have the falernum, you can use maple syrup instead. Or just use more orgeat if you have that.

If you don't have the passion fruit syrup, try using a mango syrup or nectar, or a guava syrup or juice.

Variations

If you want to make some changes to this drink, here are some ideas!

If you need to make the drink less sweet, cut back on the orgeat. Or, to make it more sweet, add more orgeat or reduce the lemon juice.

Want to make this into a mocktail? Just use a gin substitute, like Monday Zero alcohol gin. And instead of a falernum liqueur, go for a falernum syrup instead.

Equipment

You'll need a cocktail shaker and strainer to make this, plus a jigger and a serving glass.

If you're going to make the garnish, you need a paring knife for the lemon, plus a cocktail pick to hold everything in place.

Note: If you need any new bar tools, A Bar Above is my go-to! You can get 10% off using my discount code, LKDrinks.

Instructions

Start out by making the garnish if you're using one. Cut a thick slice of lemon, and then hollow out the middle of the slice so you're left with a ring of lemon peel.

Poke the cocktail pick through one side of the peel. Then skewer the cherry onto the pick, and then poke the pick through the other side of the peel.

You should be left with the cocktail pick going through the peel, with the cherry in the middle of the circle of peel. Just like Saturn with a ring around the center planet!

Set the garnish aside while you make the drink. Start by adding the lemon juice and passion fruit syrup to your cocktail shaker.

Add in the orgeat, falernum, and gin to the shaker.

Fill the shaker with ice, and give everything about 15-20 good shakes.

Strain the cocktail onto fresh ice in your serving glass.

Add your pre-made garnish to the top of the drink, and serve!

Hint: if you're not making the planet-shaped garnish, you can always just use a lemon peel, or add a cheeky cherry!

Top tip

This drink makes a great party cocktail! To make a batch of eight, just change the ingredients from ounces to cups, and make it in a pitcher.

You can either add ice to the pitcher, or add about ½ ounce of water per cocktail instead and keep it chilled in the fridge. Cheers!