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How to Make the World's Greatest
Gin and Tonic
How tough could it be? Gin, tonic, ice. Yet when was the last time you enjoyed a truly great gin and tonic at a bar? One of the most popular and refreshing gin drinks ever conceived is almost always satisfactory, but often fails to impress. Here are some tips for crafting the perfect G&T every time.
As with any libation, the keys are ingredient selection and careful preparation. Remember, it's all in the details.
Gin selection
There are only two colours of bottle that gin should come in: green and blue. As in Tanqueray Green and Bombay Sapphire Blue.
The Queen Mum (a Gordon's fan) and I will always disagree on this point. With all due respect to her, we'll agree to disagree, her and I. Tanqueray has a few specialties too, all of which are wonderful variations on its original London Dry: Ten, Rampur, and if you can find a bottle, a no longer available bottling called Malacca.
Having chosen your green or blue bottle of gin, your next selection is tonic
Of the widely available brands, the one that stands above the rest is Schweppes. So many tonics fall apart when mixed. The carbonation blows out of the drink before you've had a chance to enjoy the first sip. When carefully tended, Schweppes seems to hold its own in this regard.
So what does a good lime look like, then?
First, most of a lime's essence is found in the rind. Look for a lime that is shiny and smoother in exterior appearance, and vibrant green in colour. Darker limes that are bumpy and dull are comparatively lacking in essence and tend to be less juicy.
Last but not least, ice
According to Playboy's Bar Guide, ice can be a few degrees below freezing (such as when kept in an ice bucket) or it can be a dozen degrees colder than that. The latter will serve you best. Get your ice from the freezer, not from the bucket.
A note on glassware
A tall, Collins-style cocktail glass is preferred to the shorter, old fashioned tumbler. The tall glass will keep your gin and tonic colder longer and keep the carbonation where it belongs. A thin rim will facilitate the tasting of all the flavours that make up your masterpiece.
Building your gin and tonic
Equally important to the above selections is the task of combining your ingredients in the right way. The idea here is to mate the ingredients gently.
Put three ice cubes into your Collins glass. Remember, this is your G&T (or you're making it for someone close to you), so don't use a sad, slender sliver of lime like you see at the bar. One lime will yield six slices for our purposes. Don't hang it on the side of the glass either. Holding your lime slice between finger and thumb and deep in the glass, squeeze, coating your ice with both the lime's juice and essence, then drop your squeezed lime atop the ice.
Next, drizzle your ounce and a half measure of gin, making sure that every last drop strikes the lime slice resting in the glass. Then, slowly pour your tonic down the side of the glass so as not to lose that important carbonation.
Finally, using a plastic or preferably glass stir stick or spoon, gently massage all the ingredients together (three slow circles around the ice in the glass; no more).
Serve, behold, and enjoy!
