The Shrove Tuesday Trend For 2025? Pancake Cocktails

From honeycomb butter to chilli con carne, pancakes are topped with all manner of things nowadays. But the latest trend gives us a new way to consume them: as a drink. The flavours of the staple breakfast dish are being reimagined as cocktails, from zingy lemon and sugar tipples to chocolate martinis. Interest is on the up as we approach Shrove Tuesday next week: Google searches for pancake cocktails having nearly doubled in the past three months, with maple syrup cocktails proving particularly popular, increasing by 114 percent.

Keen to give them a go? Award-winning mixologist Patrick Pistolesi from NIO Cocktails has created two gin-based cocktail recipes inspired by pancake toppings.

2 Pancake Cocktails To Try

Lemon & Sugar Pancake Cocktail

‘I’ve created a cocktail that captures the classic flavour of lemon and sugar pancakes,’ Patrick says. ‘It’s a bright, zingy drink that’s perfect with fluffy pancakes or on its own to unwind midweek.’

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp water
• Sugar
• 1 lemon 
• 50ml gin
• 1 tsp vanilla syrup
• Dash of sparkling water

Method:

1. First, you want to make the honey syrup. Just mix equal parts honey and warm water. About two tablespoons for one glass. Then, stir until it’s dissolved. 
2. Next, rim a cocktail glass with sugar by rubbing the edge with lemon juice and dipping it into the sugar.
3. Fill a shaker with ice and pour 50ml of gin, juice from half a lemon, all of the honey syrup you’ve just made, a teaspoon of vanilla syrup and a splash of sparkling water. 
4. Shake well and double strain into the glass. Finish it with a lemon slice, and enjoy with a freshly made pancake!

Maple Pancake Gimlet

‘Most maple-based cocktails rely on whiskey, creating a rich, heavy drink,’ says Patrick. ‘With this twist on a classic Gimlet, I wanted to craft something cleaner and sweeter, perfect for pairing with brunch or as a solo midweek treat.’

Ingredients:

• 50ml gin
• 20ml fresh lime juice
• 15ml maple syrup
• 5ml vanilla syrup
• Orange bitters or candied peel to garnish

Method:

1. Simply begin by pouring 50ml gin, 20ml fresh lime juice, and 15ml of maple syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake. 
2. For those with a sweet tooth, add 5ml vanilla syrup (or more to taste), for that extra ‘pancake’ sweetness. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass and finish with a dash of orange bitters or candied peel.

Patrick is a mixologist for NIO Cocktails