Gordon's Breakfast recipe
A savory gin and cucumber cocktail brightened with lime juice and zesty hot sauce.
Method: Muddle, shake, and strain ·
Glass: Rocks glass ·
Time: 4 min ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Family: Modern Classics
Ingredients
- 2 oz London Dry gin
- 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
- 4 slices cucumber (English cucumber)
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
How to make a Gordon's Breakfast
- Muddle the cucumber slices and simple syrup gently in a shaker tin.
- Add the London Dry gin, fresh lime juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for ten seconds.
- Double strain the liquid into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with a cucumber ribbon and cracked black pepper before serving.
Garnish
Garnish with a thin cucumber ribbon and a light dash of cracked black pepper.
Pro tip
Muddle the cucumber lightly to extract fresh vegetable notes without releasing bitter compounds from the skin. Adjust the hot sauce and Worcestershire measurements to match your preferred spice level.
History of the Gordon's Breakfast
While exact authorship remains somewhat disputed in modern cocktail lore, the Gordon's Breakfast emerged within craft cocktail culture as an unconventional savory riff on traditional gin coolers and morning bracers. Pairing the crisp botanical profile of London Dry gin with cooling cucumber and sharp umami modifiers like hot sauce and Worcestershire, it challenged conventional boundaries between breakfast drinks and evening libations. Although some accounts attribute its rise to contemporary American tavern culture, the beverage established itself as a staple modern classic for drinkers seeking savory complexity.
Flavour profile
Savory, Citrus, Botanical, Spicy
Variations
- Spicy Mezcal Breakfast — Substitute smoky mezcal for gin to introduce an earthy, smoke-forward dimension.
- Garden Mary — Add tomato juice and celery bitters to transform the drink into a lighter botanical Bloody Mary relative.
Practise making the Gordon's Breakfast in the free Virtual Bar game.