Binny's Home Bartender: Fever Tree Gin and Tonic
Fever Tree Gin & Tonic
The Gin and Tonic has come a long way from its humble beginnings and so have Gin and Tonic. Gin has had an accelerated evolution in style and origin in recent years from its Dutch and British roots to the use of botanicals that distillers at Bols or Plymouth never dreamed of; and some of these new wave Gins are positively thrilling. That’s saying a lot since Gin has always been a mélange of exotic ingredients from near and far.
The tonic water renaissance is equally exciting. In the days of the British Empire, it was a literal tonic, a medicine of quinine powder, sugar, and water to help stave off malaria. Soon Gin and a wedge of lime were added to stave off the blazing Indian sun, birthing one of the world’s simplest and greatest cocktails. As the need for quinine as an antimalarial softened so did tonic water. A nadir of quality and character followed leaving G&T lovers awash in a sea of insipid and overly sweet choices. Enter Fever Tree with their astonishing array of assertive and eminently mixable Tonics. We love them all from the aromatic Mediterranean Tonic, redolent of the maquis, what wine lovers might call garrigue, to the focused specialties featuring cucumber and citrus.
Given all of that you would be forgiven for expecting an elaborate new wave G&T recipe like the Spanish love so dearly, served in a balloon goblet and loaded with fruit and herb garnishes. We do appreciate that approach but when you have a complex Gin, say Tanqueray 10, a few lumps of clear ice, a juicy lime, and Fever Tree’s powerfully quinine driven Indian Tonic, why would you mess with perfection?
This is what the G&T was meant to be from London to Gibraltar to Mumbai to sweltering late summer Chicago; simple to make, complexly layered, ultimately quenching and loaded with character. Mercifully, the colonial era is largely over but may the sun never set on the Gin and Tonic!
Fever Tree Gin & Tonic
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 oz. Tanqueray No Ten Gin
- 4 oz. Fever Tree Indian Tonic
- Wedge of lime (or lemon if you prefer)
SIMPLE STEPS:
- Fill a highball or wine glass with ice, add Gin.
- Top with Tonic, stir gently.
- Garnish with lime. (If you like a citrusy explosion of flavor, run the lime around the rim of the glass, squeeze the juice into the drink then drop in the whole wedge. If you prefer a more subtle accent, just drop it in as is.)
