How do you Gin and Tonic?
Oct 16, 2023
Gin and Tonic Day lands on Thursday 19th October this year. This simple cocktail is more popular than ever and for good reason.
Let’s start by ensuring we’re all on the same page. Gin is a spirit with the predominant flavour of Juniper. It’s made by taking a strong flavourless base spirit (a 96% flavourless alcohol known as Highly Rectified Spirit or Neutral Grain Spirit) and adding the flavour of Juniper and other herbs and botanicals, usually through a pot still. If you want to dig in and read more about Gin and how it’s made, click here. Tonic water is a carbonated beverage with bitterness from quinine that best pairs with citrus and botanical flavours found in spirits like gin.
We recommend experimenting with ratios of 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4 parts Gin to Tonic Water. To ensure the most enjoyable drinks possible use chilled tonic water and lots of ice as the lower temperature will help to maintain the carbonation of the drink for longer. You can also look beyond the Gin & Tonic formula, adding modifiers like liqueurs of bitters as you can see below in Kate’s G&T recipe. You can choose between a highball glass or a large Copa glass (or a large wine glass) or a rocks glass depending on the look you want. The Copa glass is great for accentuating the aromas of beautiful garnishes.
Finally experiment with different Gin, tonic and garnish combinations and encourage your guests to do the same!
With all that said we spoke to the Diageo Bar Academy team and found out their favourite ways to drink and Gin and Tonic, maybe you’ll find your new favourite recipe.
Make sure to try out all our combo suggestions, and if you come up with any of your own, please share and tag us!
Kelsey Smith – New South Wales and ACT Brand Ambassador
Kelsey’s G&T
45ml Tanqueray No. TEN
150 ml Dry tonic water
Garnish: Pink Grapefruit slice and cracked black pepper
Cubed Ice
Copa Glass
Approx. 1.67 Std Drinks
David Brosnan – Queensland and Northern Territory Brand Ambassador
David’s G&T
45 ml Tanqueray No. TEN
150 ml Indian tonic water
Garnish: Pink grapefruit wedge squeezed into the drink
Cubed Ice
Highball Glass
Approx. 1.67 Std Drinks
Tracy Gardner – Victoria and Tasmania Brand Ambassador
Tracy’s G&T
45ml Tanqueray
150 ml Mediterranean tonic
Garnish: Olive
Cubed Ice
Highball Glass
Approx. 1.42 Std Drinks
Kate McGraw Trade Advocacy Manager and World Class Brand Ambassador
Kates G&T
30ml Aviation Gin
5ml Maraschino Liqueur
90ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
Garnish: Lemon wedge squeezed into the drink
Cubed Ice
Rocks Glass
Approx.1.13 Std Drinks
Nick Veale Diageo Bar Academy Training Manager
Nick’s G&T (Gin & Sonic)
45 ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
100 ml Light Tonic Water
50 ml Soda Water
Garnish: Orange Zest
Cubed Ice
Highball Glass
Approx. 1.42 Std Drinks
Food pairing:
Tanqueray London Dry + Tonic is one of the world’s greatest aperitifs. This means it can work with a range of savoury foods, including cured meats, richer patés and terrines. The botanicals used in Tanqueray mean the serve holds up to a range of bolder and fuller-bodied entree dishes, including salted cod croquettes and shellfish like mussels, oysters, and prawns.
Tanqueray No.TEN and Tonic can be served with a number of cuisines, due to its citrus heart.
The citrus combination means the serve pairs easily with dishes from Mexico, South East Asia, as well as grilled or raw seafood. Ceviches, papaya salads and crab dishes all work phenomenally with the full-bodied, quenching and lively Tanqueray No.TEN and tonic serve.
Aviation Gin is complimented with citrus, spice and herbaceous foods which accentuate and complement the floral notes of the gin. Try it with lighter seafood such as scallops or mussels or with a pork Bahn Mi. If you’ve already had your mains try it with cinnamon scrolls or citrus cakes.
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