Gin and Tonic
Subheading
Gin and Tonic is on of the most popular drinks in history. It is one incredible balancing acts. It’s also a fluke of history.
It can be the simplest of drinks. Bright and refreshing. It can also be elaborate, delicate and nuanced. It is love by millions around the world. This is our guide.
Gin and Tonic – The Basics
The Gin and Tonic can be as simple as a gin poured over ice and topped with. Of course, people being what they are have taken that simple drink to all kinds of crazy heights.
We are going to start with the basics. Gin. And Tonic.
Gin
Gin is a distilled spirit with juniper berries and other botanicals. It dates back to the 17th century giving it a long and storied history.
Most gins include four groups of botanical flavors. Juniper gives gin it pine-like aroma and flavor. This can range from subtle and nuanced to bold and bright.
Juniper is only the start. Most gins has around seven to ten botanicals. Many have plenty more. There is a lot of variety in specific ingredients, but they center around four groups of flavor.
Citrus notes, woody spice notes and floral flavors compliment juniper’s pine-like flavors. Many gins include coriander, citrus peel, and floral petals roots or extracts.
This is a lot of flavor variables to work with and there is a wide variety of flavors found in gin.
The best gins for G&Ts
Gin fans have a variety of options to choose from when it comes time for their favorite drink. Unlike more spirit forward gin drinks, almost everything is good in the Gin and Tonic combination- even sweeter gins like Old Tom or Pink Gin can work well if you take care to balance them with a drier tomic.
London dry gin is a simple straightforward starting point. If you want to branch out a bit we’ve got a few examples of other styles of gin to try.
London Dry Gin
This is the classic gin style that everyone knows. It is a distilled gin originally produced in nineteenth-century London. As the name suggests it has little to no sugar. The style is light, dry and crisp with distinct juniper berry flavor.
These are going to be the most recognizable gins on the shelf. Leading brands include Tanqueray London Dry, Bombay Sapphire, Beefeater London Dry and Gordon’s London Dry Gin.
Plymouth Gin
Plymouth Gin is a style that come from Plymouth. Around the time London was becoming the center of the gin world, there were several other cities in England that were competing to
Contemporary
This is a catch-all category for the new breed of gin producers that have cropped up in the past decade and a half. This category was led by Hendrick’s early on, but hundreds of small craft distillers have jumped in and
Old Tom
Old Tom is a not really a well defined style of gin. Generally speaking, it is slightly sweeter and fruitier style of gin. It was a style that nearly died out, but in recent years it has made a bit of a revival.
Tonic Water
Tonic water is a drink that has not been around as long a gin. But, it does date back to the early 19th century giving it a long history too.
Tonic is carbonated water flavored with quinine. Quinine is an extract from cinchona tree bark. Cinchona trees are native to Asia, but they are grown widely in South America.
Quinine gives tonic its distinct bitterness. It also has antimalarial properties. British army officers in India would drink tonic to ward off the effects of malaria. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to mix the two together.
In addition to quinine, tonic also contains lemon or lime flavoring and sugar. This gives tonic water and sweet, sour and bitter balance. There are many flavored tonics available. Meaning, you can choose from many.
Gin and tonic are a natural pairing. Pine, spice, and citrus aromas balance with bitter and tart tonic. Given the wide variety of both gin and tonic flavors it pays to play around and find your favorite pairing. Of course, the two are great flavor companions. It is challenging to pick a pair that doesn’t work.
Choose Fresh Limes (or lemons)
When it comes to Gin and Tonic a wedge of lime is a key ingredient. Choose one that is fresh and ripe. It can make such a huge difference in flavor.
How do you make a perfect Gin and Tonic?
Start with Quality Ingredients.
Start with quality ingredients
I’m sure everyone will agree to start with a good quality tonic gin. I have a great tonic water. Like most cocktails it is based on a single component and poor ingredients ruin everything else…. There’s no reason to spend money. Tip: if gin and tonic water comes in plastic packaging they probably aren’t the best choices.
Get the Balance Right
A great G&T recipe requires balancing the bitterness in the two ingredients. Which brings us to the all important question:
What is the correct ratio of gin to tonic?
To say there is a correct ratio of gin to tonic is a bit of a stretch. Most people tend to fill their glass with ice. Then they put in the amount of gin they want. Finally, they just fill the glass with tonic.
Honestly, that pretty much does the trick, but if you’re a stickler for details shoot for somewhere between 2-4 parts tonic to 1 part gin.
You’ll want to taste both the gin and tonic to get a sense of how they would work together. Never try to taste both at the same time.
Tonic water vs. tonic syrup
Once you have chosen the perfect gin for your gin and tonic it is time time to select your tonic. While bottled soda is often available from the local supermarkets in the supermarket, they are usually over sweet or have an artificial smell and are mixed in with other drinks.
A better quality tonic water like Fever Tree or Fentiman’s can be a huge upgrade. In addition to those established craft brand names, there are many other fantastic craft tonic waters available.
Tonic syrup is a concentrate you can use to make your own tonic water by adding carbonated water or using something like a Sodastream.
Choose fresh limes (or lemons)
Fresh lemons add freshness to the juice and balance the bittersweet flavors in the cocktail. You could use lemon lime gin and tonic water. Lime is classic. Lemon makes a good pairing with Elderflower Tonic Fevertree. Try squeezed grapefruit juice from Empress 1908 Gin and herbal gin Mare. For a good cocktail, a good citrus requires fresh fruit that is juicy. A great lime or lemon feels heavy and smooth with a soft texture. If it looks like rocks but the texture is uneven it won’t give you the best tasting juices.
Gin and Tonic glassware options
Glassware on G&T are individual preferences. Typically presented in tall Collins glass and stubby double rock glass. Modern alternatives include balloon glass as well as stemless wine bottles in various shapes and sizes. Different glass shapes affect your drinking experience and not just your drinking experience itself. A round balloon glass funnels aromas of the Gin into the nose and gives it an even more delicious flavor. Large balloon glasses are also great to garnish with botanicals to highlight the taste of the gins. Highball glasses retain the carbonation, which helps the drinks ebb a little more.
Garnish thoughtfully
Finally, the garnish is the finishing touch for your perfect G&T. Garnishes are another way to help add seasonal flavors to drinks, making them easier to enjoy at a holiday event.
Juniper berries bring a unique flair!
If you love gin, you probably love juniper berries. Throw a handful in your drink for a little color and thematic enhancement.
Add fun garnishes that pair with the gin.
Take a minute to learn about what botanicals the gin is made with. Peppercorns or every stripe work well. Flowers, citrus wedges and peels are great.
More classic cocktails
Gin Cocktails
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Tom Collins
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Poet’s Dream
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These mojitos are the ultimate Classic! Here’s another list of the best cocktails from our favorite classics that are available for drinking now. Last updated: April 22, 2020. Last modified August 28, 2020.
Use stemmed glass and not highballs
It is Spanish tradition to serve gin with stems using any glass of any kind. Traditionally, it has been served in Highball glasses. Serve in stemmed glass for two purposes! Get this: Gin and Tonic Cup.
Variations
As with any typical cocktail there are several variations for g and t. Any kind of herb or fruit can be mixed with G&T, or combined with other liqueurs or drinks. I’ve got a few suggestions.
Directions
Stack the ice cubes into a large glass bowl and ice at the bottom. Put gin and lime juice on the ice. Use long-neck swish. Garnish the lime slice immediately.
Why is gin and tonic so good?
Molecules in tonic or gin water naturally attract and create aggregate that can be carried out through your nasal and ear canals. … Gin molecules can be attached to certain proteins and tonic molecules can be connected to certain proteins.
What goes well with gin and tonic?
Here are the munchies which are great with gin and the tonic. . Seafood is never wasted. The G&T has the best flavour for seafood lovers. … Cucumber sandwich. The sex of the sex is a form of a sex. Yeasts. … Pate. Lamb curry. … Strong cheeses. . Popcorns. = = = = = = = = = = = = Fudge.