The ever classic gin and tonic is a tasty, versatile and iconic cocktail with minimal ingredients. We break down how to make the perfect 3 part gin and tonic below.
History Of The G & T
Created in Holland in the 17th century as a form of medicine, Gin was referred to as Genever meaning Juniper. This was created by distilling the juniper with botanicals including star anise and coriander seed with malt spirit. By the middle of the century it had become a phenomenon with over 400 distilleries in Amsterdam alone!
During the war where the British were fighting on Dutch land, the English soldiers discovered the 'Dutch Courage', named so because the Dutch soldiers were all given a Gin ration to drink before battle. Bringing it back to Britain, it spread like wildfire and by 1720, an estimated quarter of all London households were making their own Gin.
In 1857 when Britain took governance of India, the Brits used a bitter tasting liquid called quinine extracted from cinchona bark to ward off malaria. It was made into a tonic by dissolving it in water and adding sugar to sweeten it. In order t further help with the taste, Gin was added to the mixture and the Gin and Tonic was Born.
(You would need 67 liters of Gin and tonic a day to have a dose of quinine strong enough to prevent malaria so don't skip your malaria pills on your next trip!)
Make The Perfect G & T:
Ingredients:
- Nikka Coffey Gin
- Tonic Water
- Fresh Lime Wedges
- Ice
Ratios:
The key to the perfect Gin and tonic is the ratio - 2:5 (2 parts gin, 5 parts tonic). This allows the coffey flavours of the gin to still come through the tonic.
Method:
- Chill Your Glasses for approximately 20 minutes prior to serving
- Add Ice cubes to the chilled glasses. pro tip: Try larger ice cubes as they provide less surface area for the ie to melt
- Add Nikka Coffey Gin and slice of lime. Pour over ice and squeeze one lime into glass
- Fill each glass with tonic and garnish with remaining slice of lime.