7 of the best Eurovision co*cktail recipes - Craft Gin Club | The UK's No.1 gin club (2024)

Love it or hate it, the Eurovision Song Contest is a cultural phenomenon that draws in an astounding 200 million or so delighted (and horrified) viewers across the globe.

Basically, whether you’re a fan or not, you can’t escape Eurovision… but whichever camp you fall into, these Eurovision-themed co*cktails, all co*cktails named after Eurovision winners, are definitely going to make your viewing experience a more pleasurable one!

So get the gin out, preferably a tasty European gin, whip up a few of these great Eurovision co*cktail suggestions and get ready to dance, sing and cry along with the rest of the world. Salute!

7 of the best Eurovision co*cktails for your Eurovision party 2023:

Waterloo Sunset

Get your party off to a swinging Swedish start with this pretty co*cktail in honour of the ultimate Eurovision song!

The winning entry in the1974 Eurovision Song Contest, ABBA’s debut single went on to become a No#1 hit around the world and sold nearly six million copies. “Waterloo” was officially named the best song in the competition's history at the 50th-anniversary celebrations in 2005.

What’s more, “Waterloo Sunset” could be the ultimate Eurovision co*cktail name too!

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? For this co*cktail, we recommend Portofino Dry Gin.

From Italy, it’s full of amazing citrus, herb and spice tones that work so well with the raspberries and elderflower liqueur here (not to mention the design of the bottle reminds us of the Mediterranean joys of Mamma Mia!).

30ml Portofino Dry Gin
15ml elderflower liqueur
Dash of Chambord or grenadine, to taste
30ml champagne

Stir the gin, elderflower liqueur and Chambord with ice and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top up with champagne. Garnish with a raspberry. Serve and enjoy!

Aviation

Who remembers the surprise winners of Eurovision 2000, Denmark’s Olsen Brothers? Their incredible song ‘Fly On the Wings of Love’ was an instant hit with its mix of acoustic guitar, heart-warming themes, and a Che-like use of autotune - if that’s not a recipe for success at Eurovision, we don’t know what is!

One sip of our Aviation co*cktail recipe and you will be flying on the wings of love for this tasty tipple.

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? We recommend another fabulous product of Denmark, Mad Owl Gin Special Edition!

This wonderful gin has a mouthwatering mix of juniper and citrus tones that work oh-so-well with the crème de violette and maraschino liqueur in this co*cktail, elevating the whole experience.

45ml Mad Owl Gin Special Edition
15ml Crème de Violette
15ml Maraschino liqueur
30ml lemon juice
Lemon twist, to garnish

Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a twist of lemon or a maraschino cherry. Serve!

Ginny Buck’s Fizz

When the boys in the band whipped the skirts off the girls to reveal the daring miniskirts beneath, Buck’s Fizz sealed their place firmly in Eurovision history. Here, we pay tribute to one of the only UK entries ever to win the Eurovision Song Contest- and a super-catchy no#1 hit to boot - with a classic co*cktail: the Gin (Buck’s) Fizz.

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? To compete with the powerful tang of the orange juice and the delightful fizz of the champagne, we think this co*cktail needs a gin that’s packed full of flavour.

TŌSH Gin from the Czech Republic will do very nicely indeed. It’s brimming with wonderfully ginny aromas like juniper and pine, mixed with spice, citrus and floral tones. Yum!

Juice of half an orange (or approx 30ml orange juice)
Half a teaspoon of sugar (optional)
50ml TŌSH Gin
Champagne (or prosecco)
Orange peel, to garnish

Add the orange juice, sugar (if using) and gin into an ice-filled shaker and shake for about 15 seconds. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne and stir gently. Garnish with an orange peel twist. Enjoy!

The Phoenix

As the soaring vocals of Conchita Wurst belted out the chorus to “Rise Like a Phoenix” in a world-first at the 2014 contest, hearts lifted, tears were wept, and the Eurovision Song Contest was catapulted firmly into the 21st century.

The song triumphed, but we were all winners that year. Here, we give homage to this rule-breaking icon with a drink as unique as the singer herself: the Phoenix - or in other words, colour-changing gin.

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? With all of its colourful, floral gorgeousness, this co*cktail brings one gin and place in Europe to mind - QVT Gin Édition CGC and its home of Provence, France.

This elegant craft gin is brimming with the incredible herb and floral tones that Provence is famous for. It’s ideal for pairing with the butterfly pea flowers and tonic in the eye-catching serve.

30 dried butterfly pea flowers
70ml QVT Gin Édition CGC
Pinch of baking soda (optional)
Tonic water, to top up
Lemon wheel, to garnish

Clean and dry the container you’re going to use – any residue can affect the colour of your gin.

Pour the gin into the jar and add 10 butterfly pea flowers for each 250ml of gin. Screw on the lid, shake well and leave to steep overnight.

Once your gin has reached a dark blue colour, strain out the flowers and decant the gin into a bottle. If the colour is more purple than blue, you can use half a pinch of baking soda to raise the pH and bring out the blue.

To show off your colour-changing gin, add it to a glass with ice, fill the glass with tonic and watch it transform from blue to purple!

Bump up the wow factor by mixing in edible shimmer, or dying your ice cubes to create a longer colour change.

Negroni

Did you know that the dulcet sensation that we know as the song “Volare”, covered time and time again by the likes of Gypsy Kings and Dean Martin, was actually Italy’s submission to the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest?

Sung by Domenico Modungo, it came third in the competition but some would say that it won in the end as the now-iconic tune is one of the most successful songs to have ever been played at Eurovision.

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? We think a classic Negroni is the best way to celebrate this classic song, especially if it’s made with a unique craft gin like Otterbeck Distillery’s Cotton Garden Gin, which has incredible citrus and herb tones that work so well with the Campari and vermouth in this co*cktail.

This co*cktail is also fantastic for a Eurovision party because it can be made ahead of time!

25ml Otterbeck Distillery’s Cotton Garden Gin
25ml sweet vermouth - we like using Punt E Mes in this recipe
25ml Campari
Fresh orange peel, to garnish

Add the gin, Campari and vermouth to a rocks glass with ice and stir well. Squeeze the orange peel over the co*cktail to release its oils and rub it around the rim of the glass before using it to garnish. Serve and enjoy!

Clover Club

Who could forget the Irish pop sensation Jedward? Made up of twins John and Edward Grimes, Jedward first shot to fame as contestants on the 2009 season of The X Factor and went on to represent Ireland at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Lipstick’. Perhaps as famous for their colourful costumes and big hair-does as they are for their singing, Jedward were made for Eurovision.

We think the Clover Club, with its vibrant red colour and luscious foam top, is just the co*cktail to cheer the twins with!

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? For us, it has to be Micil Spiced Orange Irish Gin.

Not only is this gin so well crafted, but it also has aromatic orange and spice tones that really help the raspberry flavours to shine in this juicy co*cktail recipe. Yum!

50ml Micil Spiced Orange Irish Gin
15ml lemon juice
25ml dry vermouth
15ml raspberry jam
1 egg white
3 raspberries, to garnish

Add the gin, lemon juice, vermouth, egg white and jam to a shaker and shake well. Add lots of ice and shake again. Strain into a chilled co*cktail glass. Garnish with three speared raspberries.

Gin Fizz

With this co*cktail, we are giving a nod to our friends from Down Under! Australia has been a welcome participant in the Eurovision Song Contest and since they joined the fray in 2015 they have shone, placing among the top ten finalists three times and even coming second in 2016.

To celebrate their most recent entry, ‘Zero Gravity’ sung by Katy Miller-Heidke in 2019, we think you should raise a glass of Gin Fizz at your Eurovision party. It’s zesty and vibrant and its gravity-defying foam top and bubbles are fun and fabulous, just like the contest itself.

What gin do we recommend for this co*cktail? It has to be that stunning Australian gin that is Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers House Gin.

Distilled in Australia’s gorgeous Barossa Valley, it is a miraculous craft gin that’s full of remarkable juniper, citrus, floral and herb tones that are ideal for mixing into a Gin Fizz. It’s a must-try!

50ml Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers House Gin
20ml freshly squeezed lemon
20ml simple syrup
20ml egg white
50ml Soda water
Fresh lemon, to garnish

First shake the gin, lemon juice, syrup and egg white well. Add ice and shake well again. Add the soda water and shake for a third time. Strain into a glass full of ice. Garnish, serve and enjoy!

Banner image: AFP/Getty