The Perfect Gin and Tonic (G&T) – Cocktail Secrets

Gin and tonic is not a classic cocktail, but almost every self-respecting bartender, and most people who do not own bar craft, knows what kind of drink it is and how to prepare it. This is because this cocktail entered the annals of history long before, in the middle of the last century, representatives of the bar industry from different countries gathered in Torcus (England) and founded the IBA (International Bartenders Association). And it was like this…

Pour ice into a glass, plop a glass of gin in it and season everything well with tonic is not difficult, no more difficult than chopping a couple of lemon slices in the same place later. Gin tonic is a very simple cocktail and that is why the choice of ingredients is very important. Such cocktails, akin to Screwdriver and Old Fashion, do not accept a cheap alcohol base and, moreover, mediocre fillers.

The history of G & T (Gin & Tonic) begins with the East India Trading Company and British colonial India, when British soldiers decided to mix tonic (at that time a drug for the prevention of malaria containing a large amount of quinine) with gin in order to improve the taste of the bitter “drugs”.

By the way, this was not the first time that quinine was used to treat malaria – it is known that it was first mentioned in 1631, when a malaria epidemic hit the swampy environs of Rome. However, the full-scale use of quinine did not begin until 1840. However, this has nothing to do with our gin and tonic, since its finest hour came immediately with the coming to power of Queen Victoria and the crowd of emigrants who rushed from Indian colonies to their native lands. In addition to the wealth of India, they took with them a love of army drink.

Ingredient selection

Gin

It is he who sets the main direction of the drink, so you need to choose very carefully. Unfortunately, there are not as many representatives of jenever in free sale in the post-Soviet space as we would like. Even fewer classic dry London gins. Perhaps the best option for a wide range of G & T lovers is Beefeater dry gin, the only representative of the London-made juniper delicacy. Gordon’s is highly undesirable as it doesn’t pair well with quinine and imparts a hint of alcohol.

In general, for our ideal gin and tonic, you can buy the less common Bombay Sapphire or the very rare Plymouth gin for Russia. But any gin that you consider your favorite will do, as experimentation cannot be avoided here. Be sure to try the Hendrick’s Gin Cocktail, which includes rose infusion and cucumber essence. A very original drink for an original G&T.

Tonic

As a rule, not love for Gin and tonic is born where the tonic was given the least attention. It is very difficult to find a genuine cinchona drink with an adequate taste. Undoubtedly, it will be Schweppes, but at least try to find imported Schweppes, ideally English – it is sold in 0,2 liter glass containers. Domestic Schweppes gives a very strong synthetic, cloyingly sweet and spoils the cocktail in the bud. Fortunately, there are foreign stores with delivery in the CIS. This is a great opportunity to taste the real G&T as it was originally intended.

If you can order on Amazon and similar sites, be sure to try the entire line of Fever-Tree tonics, which are prepared on the basis of real quinine. Those who like the bitterness of bitters will love the German Thomas Henry tonic, while the sweeter alternative is 1724 tonic. BTW and Jack Rudy, available for purchase on Amazon). He who hears, let him hear, and he who seeks, let him find!

Garnish

In the classic version, this is a lemon or lime, of course, lime is preferable. But the world did not converge on citrus fruits. Cucumber slices go well with the same Hendrick’s, all because the garnish in G & T should not only decorate the cocktail, but also enhance the taste of gin or set it off successfully. So, you can add a slice of orange to spicy gin, and a sprig of rosemary to the floral representatives of jenever. Below you will find several harmonious combinations of all three ingredients for each individual gin.

Ice

It is optimal to add large ice cubes, well frozen, whole. It is the square shape of the ice that ensures its optimal melting and the cocktail will be easy to drink at all stages.

Proportions

Here for an amateur. The most commonly mentioned ratio is 1:2, 1 serving of gin and 2 servings of tonic. Obviously, for lovers of stronger drinks, it is better to use a ratio of 1:1 or 2:3, for less strong drinks – 1:3.

Dishes deserve special attention. For proportions 1:1, 2:3, it is better to take low glasses (classic rocks will be appropriate). For a high tonic G&T, a tall collins or highball is best. Before preparing a cocktail, it is better to cool the glass.

A few harmonious combinations of G & T:

• Adnams Copper House Gin + Fever-Tree Indian Tonic + Lemon Peel Strip and Hibiscus Petals.
• Beefeater Gin + BTW Soda Syrup + Large Orange Slice.
• Beefeater 24 Gin + Fever-Tree Indian Tonic + Lemon Verbena.
• Bombay Sapphire Gin + Double Dutch Cucumber & Watermelon + Lemon Peel Strip.
• Bloom gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + halved strawberries.
• Caorunn gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + apple wedge.
• Death’s Door Gin + Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic + Sage Sprig.
• Ferdinand’s Saar gin + Dr Polidori Dry tonic + orange peel strip.
• Fillier’s Dry Gin 28 + Double Dutch Slimline tonic + rosemary sprig.
• Four Pillars gin + Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic + orange slice and rosemary sprig.
• Mare gin + Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic + mango wedges on a skewer.
• Hendrick’s gin + Schweppes tonic + a couple of cucumber slices.
• Martin Miller’s gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + pink grapefruit wedge and basil leaves.
• Makar Glasgow gin + Dr Polidori Cucumber tonic + green chili slices.
• Mason’s Yorkshire gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + strip of orange peel and cardamom seeds.
• Monkey 47 gin + Dr Polidori Dry tonic + lemon peel strip.
• Gin No.3 + tonic 1724 + curl of grapefruit peel and cardamom seeds.
• Napue gin + Thomas Henry tonic + cranberry and rosemary sprig.
• Gin Opihr + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + a small chili pod.
• Gin Plymouth + tonic 1724 + lemon zest.
• Shortcross gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + orange zest and sprig of mint.
• Sipsmith gin + Thomas Henry Dry tonic + lime wedge.
• St George Terroir gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + bay leaf.
• Tanqueray Gin + Thomas Henry Dry Tonic + Squeezed Lime Slice.
• Tanqueray No.TEN gin + Fever-Tree Indian tonic + large grapefruit slice.
• Tarquin’s Gin + Thomas Henry Elderflower Tonic + Dried Violet Petals.

Now you know how to prepare a true, perfect gin and tonic, a cocktail that captivated millions of hearts, a cocktail whose perfection lies in the details.

Cheers!