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Gin and tonic

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Gin and tonic cocktail
Cocktail
Gin and tonic with lime wedge
TypeMixed drink
Base spirit
ServedPoured over ice cubes (on the rocks)
Standard garnishA slice or wedge of lime
Standard drinkwareHighball glass or rocks glass
Commonly used ingredientsGin and tonic water, according to taste
PreparationIn a glass filled with ice cubes, add gin and tonic.

A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water poured over ice. It is usually garnished with a slice or wedge of lime. The amount of gin varies according to taste. Suggested ratios of gin-to-tonic are 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 2:3.[1][2][3]

In some countries, gin and tonic is marketed pre-mixed in single-serving cans.[4] In the United States, most bars will substitute soda water (from a soda gun) for the tonic;[1] to get a real gin and tonic, mixologist Dale DeGroff recommends specifying bottled tonic.[1] Alternatively, one can add tonic syrup to soda water.[5]

It is commonly referred to as a "G and T" in the UK, USA, Canada and Ireland.[6] Some brands will replace the word "gin" with their own brand or initial in recipes. For instance, "Sapphire and Tonic" for Bombay Sapphire,[7] "Hendrick's and Tonic" for Hendrick's Gin (garnished with cucumber to further distinguish it),[8] or "T&T" for Tanqueray.[9][10]

In some parts of the world (e.g., German countries, France, Korea, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Belgium), it is called "Gin Tonic".

Garnish

Gin and tonic is traditionally garnished with a slice or wedge of lime, often slightly squeezed into the drink before being placed in the glass. In most parts of the world lime remains the only usual garnish; however, in the United Kingdom it has become common to use lemon as an alternative fruit, use of both fruit together is known as an "Evans".[11] Although the origins of the use of lemons are unknown, their use dates back at least as far as the late 1930s. [12] In addition lemons are often more readily available, and cheaper to purchase, than limes. The use of lemon or lime is a hotly debated issue [13] and whilst many brands, such as Gordon's[14], Tanqueray[15] and Bombay Sapphire[16] recommend the use of lime other industry experts such as the Master Distiller of Beefeater and the founder of Fevertree Tonic Water prefer lemon.[13]

History

This cocktail was introduced by the army of the British East India Company in India.

In India and other tropical regions, malaria was a persistent problem. In the 1700s it was discovered that quinine could be used to treat the disease, although the bitter taste was unpleasant. British officers in India in the early 19th century took to adding a mixture of water, sugar, lime and gin to the quinine in order to make the drink more palatable.[17] Since it is no longer used as an antimalarial, tonic water today contains much less quinine, is usually sweetened, and is consequently much less bitter.[18]

Because of its historical connection with warm climates, gin and tonic is a popular cocktail during the warmer months.[19]

Gin Tónica

A Spanish Gin Tónica served in a balloon glass.

In Spain, a variation on the drink called Gin Tónica has become popular. This differs from a traditional gin and tonic as it is served in balloon glass [20] or coupe glass with plenty of ice and a garnish tailored to the flavours of the gin. The drink could be fruit-based but the use of herbs and vegetables, reflecting the gins botanicals, are increasingly popular.[21] The balloon glass is used because the aromas of the drink can gather at its opening for the drinker to more easily appreciate.[22]

The popularity of this variation of the gin and tonic has led to the establishment of Gin Tónica bars, in which customers can choose their preferred gin, tonic, and garnish from a menu.[23]

The transgalactic nature of the gin and tonic is discussed in Douglas Adams' novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe:[24]

It is a curious fact, and one to which no one knows quite how much importance to attach, that something like 85% of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, or gee-N'N-T'N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian "chinanto/mnigs" which is ordinary water served at slightly above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan "tzjin-anthony-ks" which kills cows at a hundred paces; and in fact the one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that the names sound the same, is that they were all invented and named before the worlds concerned made contact with any other worlds.

James Bond specifies a recipe of how to make a gin and tonic whilst in Kingston, Jamaica in the book Dr. No. Unusually it involves the juice of a whole lime.[25]

In the movie The Year of Living Dangerously, Colonel Henderson complains when his gin and tonic is served with ice, explaining that only Americans drink it like that.

Ian Gillan mentions the cocktail in the song "Sleeping On The Job": "Ultrasonic, gin and tonic, sleeping on the job".

Oasis also mention the cocktail in their song Supersonic: "I'm feeling supersonic, give me gin and tonic".

On the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother, character Barney Stinson played by Neil Patrick Harris is often heard ordering a gin and tonic. On one occasion where he serves as a bartender, the audience learns that he does not know what the drink consists of.

In the 1973 single, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel, one of the drinkers at the bar was "Making love to his Tonic and Gin."

In the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Gin and tonic is shown to be the protagonist's drink of choice.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Jon Bonné (8 February 2006). "Secrets to a perfect gin and tonic". MSNBC. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  2. ^ Herbst, Sharon (1998). The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide. New York: Broadway Books. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-7679-0197-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Regan, Gary (2003). The Joy of Mixology. New York: Clarkson Potter. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-609-60884-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Greenall's Gin & Tonic 250ml product information". Tesco.com. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  5. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904007304576498850877686860.html
  6. ^ "G and T". Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford University Press. 6 December 2010.
  7. ^ Bombaysapphire.com
  8. ^ Hendrick's Curiositorium
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ Knoll, A & Smith, D (2013). The Craft of Gin. Hayward: White Mule Press. p.69. ISBN 978-0-983-63896-4.
  12. ^ "Gin and Tonic as served at the Shepheard's in Cairo" Gilbey's Gin advert from Punch Magazine, April 1938
  13. ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/22/dining/lemonlime.html?_r=0
  14. ^ Recommendation from Gordon's (a market leading brand in the United Kingdom) may be found on their UK website.
  15. ^ Use of lime is advice on the Tanqueray website, here.
  16. ^ Recommendation from Bombay Sapphire (a popular UK brand) may be found on their UK website.
  17. ^ Tonic water: sweet, bitter medicine, The Free Library. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  18. ^ Burkhart, Jeff (2010). "Do you know where your New Year's cocktail comes from?". National Geographic Assignment. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  19. ^ "The History of Gin (and Tonic)". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  20. ^ "Bombay Pushes Gin-trend with glassware". www.thedrinksbusiness.com. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  21. ^ "The 8 Great Gins of London Gin Club". http://londoncocktailscholars.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "World Gin Day Gin Tonica Tasting". SummerFruitCup.com. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  23. ^ "Spain's Gin And Tonica Bars". foodrepublic.com. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  24. ^ "On the Deeper Meaning of 'Gin and Tonic'". theginisin.com. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  25. ^ "The James Bond Gin & Tonic". tjbd.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
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