As the temperatures rise, so does my desire for one particular cocktail. This cocktail is refreshing, bright and fully customizable to one’s vibe and mood. It is a lunchtime cocktail, perfectly paired with a salad, or it can be a dinnertime cocktail to sip with your barbecued salmon.
I am, of course, talking about the gin and tonic, the answer to the question, “What if a perfect summer day was in a glass?” This cocktail, while simple in build, has a world of flavor combinations to explore, so let’s dive into this classic and learn how to make the perfect gin and tonic for you.
Find your gin-spiration
When a cocktail has minimal ingredients, each one matters greatly. You must understand what kind of gin is right for you.
Gin is a spirit that starts neutral when distilled and gets its flavor and character through the infusion of botanicals. You can use any combination of botanicals to make gin, but to be classified as a gin, your spirit must contain juniper, which imparts a signature piney, floral, spiced flavor. Because gin can contain so many different flavors, choosing the right style for you can be difficult. I classify gin on a spectrum of noisy to quiet—a noisy gin is one with many flavors all singing together at once, and a quiet gin focuses on a few carefully selected flavors together in gentle harmony.
Suppose you are put off by the intense juniper flavor, feeling that most gins taste too much like a pine tree. You will want to steer away from drier styles of gin. A London dry gin generally has fewer botanicals, and juniper is the star of the show, whereas some other gins bring other, bolder flavors to the front to sing over the juniper. Monkey 47 gin, for example, uses 47 different botanicals, all designed to balance the bold flavor of juniper. There are a ton of gins to try, but the key is to find the one that sings a song that gets stuck in your head.
Measure your treasure
“A big don’t for me is free-pouring your gin for your gin and tonic,” said Daniel Vezina, general manager at Von Bismarck. “Free-pouring leads to inconsistencies in the balance of your cocktails.”
Because you have carefully selected your gin, it’s essential not to let it overwhelm the cocktail. A great cocktail is about balancing flavor, and since this cocktail only contains two main ingredients, you must let them sing in harmony. A 1:3 ratio of gin to tonic is a great starting point for building a well-balanced drink.
Tonic: not just for malaria
The Amazonian cinchona tree’s bark contains the alkaloid quinine, a compound that was the only malaria treatment for more than 300 years. Quinine is also the fundamental ingredient of almost all tonic waters. This floral and bitter flavor is the key to cutting through and complementing the flavors of gin.
Gone are the dark ages, when only one plastic bottle of sickly sweet tonic was on store shelves. These days, most grocery stores carry multiple kinds. Indian tonic will be your classic, high-quinine-flavored variety; the name refers to its origin in British colonial India, where it was used to help combat malaria. Then there’s the world of wild and interesting tonics that exist these days: elderflower tonic, grapefruit tonic, cucumber tonic and so many others.
The key to selecting the right one for you is to know the gin you are using. If the gin is dry and quiet, maybe go for a bold, interesting tonic with lots of flavors. A classic, simple tonic may be your best bet if the gin is complicated and noisy. And sometimes just a glass of tonic water over ice is a perfect afternoon sipper, even without the gin.
Garnish, garnish, garnish
No one likes a naked gin and tonic; you need a little pop of garnish flavor to tie the drink together. The traditional lime wedge is perfect to add a little citrus tartness to your drink, but what if you chose a bright, citrus-forward gin or tonic water?
I love backyard botanicals for my gin and tonics: rosemary, thyme and arugula, which are easy to grow in Northern Nevada and delicious as garnishes. Want to blow minds at your next cocktail party? Use thinly sliced radishes as a garnish. The bold, peppery flavor pairs well with most gin and tonics.
A great gin and tonic is like a great salad—with bold, harmonious flavors, perfect for a summer day. So, when someone asks, “Why have you had three gin and tonics at lunch?” say, “I’m just drinking my salad today.”