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Loading...A Gin & Tonic is a clean, strong, erudite drink made with just two ingredients and a garnish: gin, tonic water and a wedge of lime. One of the most foundational cocktails to know and love, it is timeless and timely for any occasion. In the ABCs of drinking, a G&T easily takes a top three position to know, but to really explore and impress the next bartender with your order, spend time nurturing your own palate to discern which plethora of gins, tonics and garnishes are right for you.
Bar Tools
- Tall glass
- Jigger
- Stirrer
To serve: Collins glass or a rocks glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 4 oz tonic water
- Ice
Garnish: lime wheels (or alternate garnishes)
How To Make
Fill a tall glass with ice and pour gin over. Pour tonic water until full. Stir gently. Add lime garnish.
Nutritional Facts & ABV
- ABV: 12%
- Calories: 180
- Carbohydrates: 10.8 grams
- Sugar: 10.8 grams
Best Tonic Waters for Gin and Tonic
Any seasoned G & T drinker has their go-to tonic waters. Some of the most popular are:
History
While the list of positive things the 19th-century British Empire contributed to global society is not enough to favorably tip the balance of its colonial legacy, it was an era that brought us toothbrushes, chocolate bars, vaccines, and yes, even the Gin & Tonic. British officers were bereft over the fact that malaria was taking its constituents into feverish death on the Indian continent, and started experimenting with various ways to consume quinine which was thought to be a cure. Combining quinine with tonic water proved to do very little to curb its bitter taste, and soon, gin rations were mixed with sugar and lime. Today a G&T contains little quinine, but many would argue that despite its high ABV, it still has medicinal qualities.
FAQs
What are the most popular brands of gin for a gin and tonic?
Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin and Hendricks are top choices for a gin and tonic, but any seasoned G&T drinker has their custom go-tos.
Does a G&T have quinine today?
Tonic water does still contain quinine, yes, though it is no longer recommended by the World Health Organization as the best prevention for malaria due to its considerable side-effects (namely heart-related issues). To see if your tonic water contains any quinine, you can shine it under a blacklight and the compounds fluorescent qualities will glow.
Quinine is a chemical compound first extracted from the bark of a Peruvian cinchona (or “fever”) tree in the 1820s. Its exact molecular structure is C20H24N2O2.
