Instructions

1. Wash the bucket with hot, soapy water and rinse it thoroughly.

2. Fill the bucket at least halfway with ice. Pour the gin over the ice and stir thoroughly. This sequence is important because the gin helps melt the ice, providing water to dilute the concentrated ingredients in the bucket.

3. Pour in your choice of lemon-lime flavored soda, using one 2-liter bottle of soda for every quart of gin. If you use a half-gallon bottle of gin, which is equivalent to 2 quarts, add a total of two 2-liter bottles of soda.

4. Stir in your choice of frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate until thoroughly dissolved. A standard 12-ounce can is enough for a gin bucket made with a half-gallon bottle of rum, but you can use 1 can each of lemonade and limeade concentrate for extra citrus flavor. Substitute an equivalent amount of bottled lemon or lime juice concentrate.

5. Cut fresh lemons and limes in half. Use approximately 6 citrus fruits for a 3-gallon gin bucket. Squeeze the juice from the citrus fruit into the gin bucket; add the squeezed rinds to the bucket. For a more attractive presentation, toss out the squeezed fruit halves and cut extra lemons and limes into slices to serve in the gin bucket.