Gin & Tonic

[Ethan Bentley]

I've noticed a couple of comments on the drink here and there but I think that the Gin and Tonic is worthy of his own thread.

The story goes that, when in the East, the British were rather susceptible to malaria. One possible way to fight this was to consume some bark of the Cinchona tree, commonly known as quinine. The bark was mixed with sweetened water by Peruvians to reduce the bark's very bitter taste.

Indian Tonic Water, patented by Erasmus Bond in London on May 28th in 1858, was another palatable way to consume the quinine. But still the Indian Tonic water wasn't the most pleasant and so another British favourite, Gin, was added.
The result, a classic drink.
Source: BBC

Also worth of note is the fact that the lemon, or lime, garnish contained Vitamin C and helped to fight scurvy. All rather medicinal in the end!


Despite the simplicity of the drink, many individuals have their own quirks and specifications for their gin and tonic and there is much debate as to:

Which Gin?
Which Tonic?
Quantities?
Old-Fashioned Glass or High-Ball?
Ice?
Garnish? Lemon, Lime, Cucumber
and what about variants such as the Pink Gin & Tonic?

 

[CigarMan]

One of my favorite drinks . . .

Gin - Tanqueray
Tonic - Schwepp's
Quantities - mostly eyeball it, but about 1/3 gin to 2/3 tonic
Glass - Old Fashioned Glass
Ice - Yes
Garnish - Lime
Variants - If it ain't broke, don't fix it . . .

 

[skillbilly]

CigarMan, I couldn't have said it better

 

[rumblefish]

I'll take it any which way as long as the gin is not overcome by the tonic. Two alternatives to CigarMan's standard:
:cheers1:

Which Gin- Hendricks
Which Tonic- Q
Quantities- 2:1
Old-Fashioned Glass or High Ball- Old Fashioned, to accommodate the garnish
Ice- Till the glass is full
Garnish- Cucumber

And

Which Gin- Gordon's
Which Tonic- Stirring's
Quantities- 2:1
Old-Fashioned Glass or High Ball- High Ball
Ice- Till the glass is full
Garnish- Lime

 

[LocktownDog]

The Hendricks with cuke is unbelievably good during extremely hot afternoons. I was a huge skeptic until I tried it. Still won't replace the original, but ...

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

This is interesting, since I've always found tonic really disgusting. It's funny that the gin was added to cut it, not vice versa.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

I'm with Cigarman except I use Gordon's gin; quintessentially British....and affordable when consumed in quantity! I still save the big bucks for the single malts.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Glad to see everyone knows their stuff.

I too am a fan of Gordon's, I prefer the export yellow stuff, as opposed to the green bottle stuff that we get in the UK. If I can find the 47.3% stuff, so much the better.

Hendricks had a big buzz here for the last couple of years, but i's died down a little now. They used to sponsor the Chap Olympics.

We did do a taste test once with Hendricks and three different garnishes;
Cucumber
Strawberries, a nice alternative but a bit of a meal.
Fresh Rose Petals

 

[CigarMan]

I'll have to try Gordon's on this next go round . . .I've heard good things from several people about it. . . .

I'm with Cigarman except I use Gordon's gin; quintessentially British....and affordable when consumed in quantity! I still save the big bucks for the single malts.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

I'll have to try Gordon's on this next go round . . .I've heard good things from several people about it. . . .

Definitely, the export is hard to get in the UK and there are various strengths, my preference is the 47.3% ABV, I think that's 100% proof.
It frustrating sometimes how many Gins are available in the US but not in the UK. I'm looking forward to my transatlantic trip in June though.