How To Make Gin N Tonic

Where Did The Gin & Tonic Come From

How to Make a Gin and Tonic

The G& T actually started its life as a medicinal cure. Back in the 1850s as the British Crown took over the governance of India, British colonial officers faced a serious threat from mosquito-borne Malaria.

It was known that quinine a derivative of cinchona tree bark not only cured malaria, but also prevented it. The British troops were duly ordered to dose up with quinine to help fend-off the life-threatening illness.

The prescribed quinine powder was extremely bitter, so to make it more palatable, British officials started adding it to sugar and soda to create a tonic water which some bright spark soon realised tasted even better when mixed with gin and slice of lime… and so, the G& T was born!

Gin and tonics remained a traditional British staple throughout most of the 20th century, although by the 1980s they had gained a somewhat unfashionable and fusty image.

Why is gin so popular now?

Come the millennium, a whole new style of G& T hailing from Spain helped the drink reach a new generation of drinkers. The Spanish gin tonica is said to have originated in culinary capital, San Sebastian, where the local array of Michelin-starred chefs developed a penchant for mixing their after-work gin with lots of ice and tonic, in large-bowled, long-stemmed glasses, garnished with an array of botanicals.

And there a lot of those aficionados these days in 2018, Brits purchased over 66 million bottles of gin.

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Tonic Water Vs Tonic Syrup

Now that youve got your quality gin, its time to pick a quality tonic water or syrup.

Although the soda aisle in the local grocery store has plenty of tonic water made by big soda companies, these tend to be overly sweet, have an artificial taste, or a combination of the two.

In fact, I hated Gin and Tonics as a twenty-something until I was finally introduced to the high end tonic waters from Fever-Tree and Q Mixers. In addition to these well known craft brands, other high quality tonic waters are made by Fentimans, Regatta, and others.

Tonic syrup is a concentrate that you can mix with carbonated water to make your own tonic water. Tonic syrups can be much more economical because a small bottle of relatively inexpensive syrup can make many glasses of tonic. Also, using a syrup allows you to decide how strong or weak your tonic tastes.

There are a number of tonic syrups available in stores or on Amazon, and you can even make your own pretty easily with cinchona bark! Try the tonic syrups from Liber & Co, Jack Rudy Cocktail Co, or the craft syrups from Free Pour Jennys.

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Non & Tonic Nonalcoholic Gin And Tonic Recipe

For days when you want to skip the alcohol but still enjoy the flavour, there are dozens of options for non-alcoholic spirits on the market these days.

2 oz Lumette!
4 oz chilled craft tonic water
1 lemon wedge*

Method: Use the classic method for this, but garnish with a cucumber ribbon, in addition to the lemon.

Non-alcoholic spirits: Since Canadian-made Lumette! is an Alt-Gin made in a London Dry style, the classic formula works well here. Its widely available across Canada but, if you cant find it, try HP Juniper Classic Non-Alcoholic Gin or Ceders Crisp, an import weve come to appreciate.

Mixing A Classic Gin And Tonic

1Chill your serving glass. Place a short or narrow highball glass into the freezer about 20 minutes before you want to make the cocktail. The glass will become chilled so it keeps your gin and tonic cooler for longer.XResearch source

If you prefer a less sweet gin and tonic, consider serving the drink in a short, fat glass. This will give you a stronger gin flavor since you’ll use less tonic water.

2Fill the chilled glass with ice. Get out a handful of clear ice cubes. Place them in the chilled highball glass. The ice should come almost to the top of the glass. If you have time, consider making your own ice cubes using tonic water.XResearch sourceAdvertisement

3Pour the gin over the ice. Measure 2 fl oz of gin into the serving glass filled with ice. You can use a 2-ounce jigger or small measuring cup for accuracy. Use your favorite gin.XResearch source

4Add the tonic water. Measure 34 fl oz of chilled tonic water and slowly pour it into the glass. Try to choose a tonic water that contains real quinine instead of artificial flavoring. Pouring the tonic water slowly will help it keep its carbonation longer.XResearch source

5Stir the gin and tonic. Take a swizzle stick and gently stir the drink to mix the ingredients. Avoid stirring the drink too quickly or your cocktail may lose its carbonation.XResearch source

If you don’t have a swizzle stick, you can use a butter knife or long spoon.

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Red Chilli Lime & Coriander G& t

1 red chilliJuice of half a lime50ml gin125ml tonic water Coriander leaves to garnish

Slit the chilli lengthwise and scrape out and remove the seeds and pith. Slice and muddle gently in a glass. Add ice, lime juice and gin. Top with tonic and stir gently until chilled. Garnish with coriander leaves if using.

How To Make The Perfect Gin And Tonic

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The Gin and Tonic is a quintessential summer cocktail. At its simplest, this classic drink requires just two components. But choose high quality ingredients and finish with some thoughtful garnishing and you can make this simple gin cocktail truly extraordinary. Often regarded as just a warm weather drink, with a few tweaks, this refreshing G& T transitions easily to fall and winter happy hours.

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Gin And Tonic Glassware Options

Glassware for a G& T is all about personal preference. A classic presentation is in a tall Collins glass, or a stout double rocks glass. More modern options are a large balloon glass or perhaps a stemless wine glass.

Theres no right or wrong here, but different glass shapes will affect the drinking experience. A rounded, balloon glass will funnel the aromatics of the gin to your nose, which can make for a more flavorful drink. Large balloon glasses are also excellent for garnishing with a variety of botanicals to further emphasize the flavors and aromas of the gin.

A tall and narrow highball glass will preserve more of the carbonation, keeping your drink more effervescent for longer. Try a couple of different glasses with your favorite gin and see which works best for you.

What Is Tonic Water Made From

How to make the perfect gin and tonic | Time Out London

Modern tonic water begins like other soft drinks: A flavored syrup is mixed with carbonated water. Tonic syrup ingredients vary by brand. It commonly includes natural quinine , citrus peels or oils, and a sweetener . Other botanicals may include allspice, cinnamon, elderflower, gentian, ginger, lavender, and lemongrass.

Quinine is tonic water’s defining ingredient and the reason it glows under a black light. It is a natural alkaloid extracted from red or yellow cinchona bark . The cinchona tree is native to South Americaparticularly Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuadorwhere it is known as quinquina. In the 1600s, Europeans witnessed its use among indigenous people who made tea of the ground bark.

Quinine’s use helped fuel European colonialism and the slave trade. Dutch explorers introduced cinchona seeds to their colonies in Indonesia and Java in the 1800s later, it was introduced to parts of Africa. Cinchona trees continue to be cultivated in these areas for quinine use.

The British East India Company popularized the practice of adding water, sugar, and lime to so-called tonic water made with quinine. Gin was introduced to the mix, creating the first gin and tonic in the early 19th century.

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Why Does Gin Go Well With Tonic

Gin and tonic water actually pair well together and taste better mixed than they do individually. The ice in a G& T adds a clean cool crispness to the ginâs botanicals, and the bubbly tonic enhances the flavor by bringing out all the aromatics for both a lovely scent and taste. Theres actually proven science behind why gin and tonic tastes so good together!

Whats The Best Tonic To Use For Gin And Tonics

I prefer the tonic water sold in the smaller, single-serving bottles. The tonic will be fresh and you wont lose any fizz. A lot of people swear by Schweppes, but we cant say we have noticed a difference enough to specify on that one. We particularly enjoy the Fever Tree and Q tonics.

For a lower calorie cocktail, you can use light tonic. Light tonic doesnt have as much flavor as regular, but it does help to lower the calories. You can also water regular tonic down with a little seltzer water or club soda.

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Getting The Details Right

By now were all familiar with the history of the gin and tonic: first a product of necessity, the G& T made bitter and quinine-rich tonic water palatable with the addition of gin, ice and citrus. Despite its initial medicinal use, the G& T has since become a favourite of drinkers around the globe and is prized for its freshness and subtle complexity.

Its no wonder that, given its international popularity, the G& T has a number of different guises. When it comes to the eternal question of lemon versus lime, there are a few different takes on the matter. Those who argue for lime say the fruit, with its bright, punchy flavour, offers a boldness that lemon simply cant match. However, many purists argue that lemon is the only choice: as a more delicate fruit, it is less likely to overwhelm the bounty of a gins botanicals.

Gin And Tonic History

This is actually quite interesting

The Gin and Tonic was brought to India by the British East India Company in the early 19th century. Due to the tropical climate faced by India and the surrounding regions, malaria became a revolving issue for all who lived there. When it was discovered in the 1700s that quinine could be used to prevent the disease, people began to drink it in tonic water. Quinine, however, has a very bitter taste.

Fast-forward to the early 19th centurysoldiers thought to add a combination of water, sugar, lime, andGINto the Quinine to make it more tolerable. It was then that the gin and tonic came to be.

Thank you, malaria

just kidding. malaria is awful, horrible, miserable.

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How To Garnish A Classic Gin And Tonic

I like to serve my gin tonics in the style of a Spanish Gin & tonic. In a large wine glass with the following garnishes for flavor:

Lime wedges

Fill your glass with ice, all the way to the top.
Add your gin and the tonic water.
Squeeze two lime wedges into your cocktail and stir well to combine.
Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of mint if desired.

How To Drink Tonic Water

Tonic water is most often used in alcoholic mixed drinks, but it’s also enjoyable on its own when poured over ice. As a nonalcoholic drink, a splash of lime juice gives it a nice boost with the tart citrus balancing the tonic’s bitterness. Tonic’s dry profile makes it an excellent dinner drink and a palate cleanser you can sip between bites or courses.

While it’s famously mixed with gin, other liquors work well with tonic water. Vodka is nearly as popular, and Irish whiskey is a favorite among whiskey styles. Tonic can also be mixed with fortified wines and, for drinkers who really enjoy a bitter drink, with bitter spirits such as Aperol and Campari for the ultimate apéritif. In mixed drinks, tonic often appears in simple recipes with just a few ingredients. It pairs very well with citrus juices and berries and is an excellent alternative to sweeter sodas in some cocktail recipes.

Nonalcoholic tonic drinks are increasingly more popular. In coffee shops, floating a shot of espresso on top of a glass of tonic is common. It can also be mixed with cold brew coffee for a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up. For a sweet, floral touch, mix tonic water with an herb-infused syrup such as lavender.

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How To Make A Gin And Tonic

A gin and tonic is a perfect Highball-style drink for a warm summer day, or any day when you are in the mood for a classic, refreshing cocktail. You may be surprised to learn that the history behind this drink involves a literal life-and-death situation. In the early nineteenth century, the army of the British East India Company discovered that quinine could prevent malaria, but the taste was bitter and unpalatable. The soldiers mixed it with water, gin, sugar, and lime, and the rest is history. To quote Winston Churchill, The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmens lives than all the doctors in the Empire.

How To Make The Best Gin And Tonic

How To Make a Gin and Tonic

The gin and tonic just might be the easiest cocktail of all. It’s a two-ingredient drinkmade from a combination of, you guessed it, gin and tonicwith a simple but essential citrus garnish. But as with every recipe with minimal components, the quality of each element is extremely important. Here we’re sharing our classic recipe for making a gin and tonic and explaining the elements of the drink. Use this basic formula to test drive some different gins, find the tonic that pairs best with your favorite gin and decide what glass, how much ice you like, and how you’ll garnish your G& T.

It’s sometimes called the gin tonic, in the UK it’s often referred to as a G& T. Whatever name you give it, the gin and tonic is a classic cocktail and a mixed drink that doesn’t require a cocktail shaker, muddling spoon, or other mixology equipment. It doesn’t even require a special glass like a does. It’s a refreshing cold drink on a hot summer night, when a more boozy cocktail would be too much. In fact, there are those who assert the G& T is a summer drink but there are othersmany others, actuallywho believe this classic is a refreshing sip any time of the year.

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The Rise Of The Garnish

Until recent years, the only garnish question from most British bartenders was:

Do you want ice and a slice?

At which point youd usually either get a sad bit of pickled lemon floating on top of your G& T – or not, depending on your answer.

Now, in great part due to the Spanish penchant for the Copa glass and extravagant garnishes, the tide has turned. In many bars, youre not only offered a bewildering choice of gins, but also an amazing range of garnishes to choose from. This choice and the effort that goes into making the modern G& T is a very good thing.

Some Garnishes To Consider

Remember this is your drink and theres actually no right answer. Choose what you love. And if you love how your G& T looks with all manner of additions, go for it!

Lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit

Most gins have a citrus botanical . You can use one of these as a garnish to enhance the flavour. While a slice of lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit can overwhelm the gin, the peel can add just enough citrus to make a key difference. Having said that, if you love your citrus, dont let us tell you not to add a slice!

This is the one botanical that must be present if a drink is to call itself gin. If you love the taste, why not add a few berries to bring out the juniper in your G& T? The downside is that if youre not using a straw, the odd stray berry can make its way into your mouth which is a step too far even for juniper fiends.

Peppercorns

Again, many gins use peppercorns as an important botanical and they can give your G& T a nice kick. Youll often find them paired with strawberries. Again, peppercorns can be annoying if youre not a straw user – you definitely want them to stay in the glass.

Star anise

Star anise looks beautiful in a G& T and adds a touch of sweet spiciness similar to liquorice. Watch out that it doesnt take over the whole drink though. Many of our York Gin Old Tom fans love adding star anise to bring out the flavour thats already present in the gin, and they take great photos too.

Strawberry and raspberry

Rhubarb

Rosemary

Pink Raspberry & Lime Gin And Tonic

Handful of ripe raspberries 50ml gin125ml tonic Fresh lime

Muddle the raspberries very lightly. Add lots of ice to to your shaker or glass along with the muddled raspberries, gin, tonic and a few good squeezes of juice from the lime. Stir or shake for 30 seconds, until the juice from the raspberries has mingled well with the gin/tonic mixture and the drink is chilled. Garnish with fresh raspberries and a slice of lime. You could use pink gin for this recipe if desired.