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Fresh citrus, honey syrup, mint, orange bitters, and your favorite gin come together for this light and refreshing Honey Orange Gin Cocktail. It’s perfect on a warm spring day or a summer night on the porch.

A glass of honey orange gin cocktail garnished with a dehydrated orange slice and mint leaf.

Fresh orange juice, orange bitters, and a squeeze of lime dial up the citrus while fresh mint brings a delicious, refreshing note to this easy, happy hour drink. 

I like to have multiple uses for any cocktail syrup I make, but honey syrup isn’t a common cocktail ingredient. When I found myself only using it for a Bee’s Knees or a Lavender Bee’s Knees, I knew it was time to start working on a new cocktail recipe. 

Honey is delicious with citrus, and citrus is delicious with gin, so this drink combination seemed inevitable! It’s light, refreshing, and perfectly balanced. It’s ideal for a hot day or a quick and easy happy hour. 

If you’re not a fan of gin – or don’t have any on hand – substitute vodka for the gin. I’ve tested this recipe with both, and while I prefer gin, both are delicious.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Honey Orange Gin cocktails - gin, honey syrup, orange, lime, mint, orange bitters.
  • Gin – Use your favorite gin for this recipe. I love a juniper forward gin in this one like New Holland Knickerbocker. If you’re new to gin or don’t usually like gin, try a London Dry gin like Beefeater.
  • Honey syrup – Quick and easy to make yourself at home with just 2 ingredients. Just be sure to give it a couple of hours to cool before using. I usually make mine in the morning for evening drinks or the night before for brunch cocktails.
  • Orange bitters – Find these in the mixer section of your liquor store (or grocery store if it carries liquor). You can choose your favorite brand. I love Angostura brand orange bitters.
  • Orange – A fresh orange is a must in this cocktail. The difference between a good cocktail and a great one is fresh squeezed citrus. You’ll need about half of an orange per cocktail.
  • Lime – A little fresh lime goes a long way. You’ll need about half of a lime per drink. Before you cut into your lime, roll it on the counter while applying pressure with your palm to get the most juice possible from the fruit. 
  • Mint leaves – Fresh mint is the only way to go. Save the big leaves for inside your cocktail shaker and use the pretty sprigs at the top of the stems for your garnish.
  • Orange slices, lemon slices, mint sprigs (garnish, optional) – Fresh garnish is easy to do for this cocktail, but you can always mix is up with some dehydrated orange slices too.

How to Make a Honey Orange Gin Cocktail

A hand pouring orange juice from a jigger into a cocktail shaker.

Combine the gin, honey syrup, orange juice, orange bitters, mint leaves, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. 

A hand pouring a honey orange gin cocktail from a cocktail shaker into a coupe glass.

Shake it up! Double strain into a Nick and Nora glass or a coupe glass.

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Garnish with a sprig of mint, orange wheel, lemon slice, or dehydrated orange slice. Enjoy!

A glass of honey orange gin cocktail garnished with a dehydrated orange slice and mint leaf.
A glass of honey orange gin cocktail garnished with a dehydrated orange wheel and mint leaf.
5 from 1 vote

Honey Orange Gin Cocktail Recipe

Katy McAvoy
Fresh orange juice, orange bitters, and a squeeze of lime dial up the citrus in this Honey Orange Gin Cocktail while mint and honey brings delicious, refreshing notes to this easy, happy hour drink.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Tap +/- to adjust servings1 cocktail
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1.5 oz orange juice, fresh squeezed
  • 1 oz honey simple syrup
  • 0.25 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • 4-5 fresh mint leaves

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice. 
    2 oz gin, 1.5 oz orange juice, 1 oz honey simple syrup, 0.25 oz lime juice, 2 dashes orange bitters, 4-5 fresh mint leaves
  • Shake it up! 
  • Double strain into a coupe glass. 
  • Enjoy! 

Equipment

Video

Serving: 1cocktail, Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 0.5g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.02g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 19mg, Potassium: 135mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 259IU, Vitamin C: 25mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg
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Pro Tip

Double straining – straining your drink from the shaker, through a fine mesh sieve, and into your glass – keeps out any small mint or ice pieces that would otherwise get into your glass. If you don’t mind these small pieces being in your drink, feel free to skip this step and strain your drink from the cocktail shaker directly into your glass.  

Glasses of honey orange gin cocktail garnished with dehydrated orange slices and mint leaves.

Make Your Own Honey Syrup

Honey syrup is a quick and easy syrup your can make at home using only 2 ingredients – honey and water! Get all the instructions and tips over on my honey syrup page.

A jar of honey simple syrup.

Don’t Miss These Gin Cocktails

Gin is one of my favorite spirits, so there’s lots of tasty gin recipes on my site. Try a classic Gin Gimlet, my Fresh Strawberry Gin Cocktail with Ginger Beer or this easy and refreshing Gin Grapefruit Cocktail with Elderflower.

Even More Gin Cocktails
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Classic Gin Gimlet
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Fresh Strawberry Gin Cocktail
Grapefruit and Elderflower Cocktails

Grapefruit Gin Cocktail with Elderflower

Happy Hour Snack Pairings

Pair your Honey Orange Gin cocktail with these light bites and easy appetizers.

A bowl of avocado and corn salsa next to a pile of tortilla chips.

Fresh Avocado Corn Salsa Recipe 
Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Curry Chicken Salad with Grapes
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Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
Mini apple pie bites on a platter.

Mini Apple Pie Bites
A bowl of fresh apple salsa surrounded by cinnamon tortilla chips.

Fresh Apple Salsa with Strawberries
A white plate with a slice of crab quiche and a fork on it next to a pie plate full of crab quiche.

Quick Crab Quiche with Swiss Cheese

I love when you share my recipes!