Hey readers – both of you - it’s Gin O’Clock! Want to see what the Cool Kids in my ‘hood are drinking?
Behold, I bring you the Perfect Gin and Tonic. This recipe is compliments of my neighbor. He was born in Great Britain, so he knows a thing or two about gin. Warning: If you ever drink with my neighbor, PACE YOURSELF, because these drinks? They will kick your ASS. He calls this the Perfect recipe. I have been known to request that he make them “less than perfect,” which, loosely translated, means, “please, I am getting drunk so would you use less gin.” He always replies, “you can just drink half of it.” (AS IF!)
PAUL’S PERFECT GIN AND TONIC
Ingredients
- One highball glass
- 7 ice cubes (not 6 or 8 )
- 2 oz. Bombay Sapphire or Bombay gin (seriously, people, life is too short for cheap gin. Adjust your tax withholdings on your paycheck to increase your net pay if this is going to be an issue for you. I am not kidding.)
- Schweppes Tonic Water (again, insist on the brand name here. Don’t come around with the generic crap because my neighbor will throw you out. He allows me to use Diet Schweppes, but only reluctantly.)
- Fresh lime (don’t even think about using bottled lime juice)
Method
- Place ice cubes in glass.
- Pour carefully-measured gin over ice. (2 oz. = 1/4 cup.)
- Fill glass to top with tonic water. (One of those little bottles of Schweppes will make approx. 2 PG&Ts.)
- Rub wedge of lime around the rim of the glass, then squeeze into glass.
- Stir.
- Drink.
- Repeat steps 1-6.
- Repeat step 7.
- Repeat step 8.
- Stumble home.
Filed under: gin, recipe Tagged: | gin, gin and tonic, recipe, tonic
You wrote about Gin. Now you have THREE readers. I should also think your neighbor and I would get along famously !
OH. YUM.
This is so not a post I needed to see right now while I’m “working”.
DAMMIT.
Come on, Maggie. You know you want one! Go ahead, just one…
In my life I’ve had half a dozen mixed drinks. I think I need to branch out. This sounds yum.
I was a Sapphire & Tonic drinker for years – until I was introduced to Martin Miller’s Gin. Trust me on this one… for an amazing G&T, pick up a bottle of Martin Miller’s 80 proof gin and mix it with a specialty tonic. Some new quality tonic waters have entered the market (Fever Tree or Q).
Mix these together, add a squeeze of lime, and welcome in the summertime!
Cheers.
Is it wrong that I am suddenly craving a G & T at 8:30 in the morning?
I’m the neighbor and I should place credit where credit is due – the lime on the rim and using Bombay Saphire are Meg’s lucky husband’s mods.
Also, a small correction – the perfect G&T includes the 2 oz Bombay and 5 oz Schweppes tonic (half a 10oz bottle). With that amount of liquid, the 7 ice cubes perfectly fills the perfect G&T glass. The important ratio is the 2-5 for G to T. You may have to use more or less ice for inferior glasses.
This is the recipe for the perfect G&T – any modification makes it less than perfect. You are on top of Everest and a step in any direction is a step down. Don’t even think about Canada Dry tonic. ….though I have to admit that I do like a Q gin G&T, and the tonic options Susan M. mentioned are intriguing – hmmm, a Q gin and Q tonic?
Thanks for weighing in, Neighbor Paul! While this is indeed a time-tested, perfect recipe, I am thinking we may have to branch out. At a minimum, let’s figure out where to get us some of that tonic that Susan was talking about.
Also, other worthy gins – Hendricks (it’s juniper-y) and Plymouth. I haven’t tried Q. I’ll be over Friday at 5 for that.
I do like Plymouth Gin !! The Q tonic is hard to find. It’s pricey too.
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I’ve been meaning to read this but always forget. I made a point of it today. Now I do believe I have to stop at a liquor store on the way home.
Or now.
Foolery – do follow the recipe exactly and don’t skimp on ingredients. Do buy the good gin. Please. I promise it’ll be worth it. Cheers x 1,000!
This is so far from the perfect G&T it’s not even funny.
Firstly, Schweppes is pub tonic. The only tonic worth using in a G&T is Fever Tree. And Bombay Sapphire isn’t really gin, it’s a light pretend version for children. Lastly, the bona fide G&T is made with lemon, not lime.
Try Tanqueray Ten if you’re looking for the definitive classic gin or Sipsmith if you’re into bespoke small batch gins.
Your neighbour’s proportions are about right, though I’d say it’s worth chilling the glass with ice before you even start to put any ingredients in there to ensure that every last sip is perfectly cold.
C Moniker! But it sure looks tasty, doesn’t it? And I assure you, it more than cures whatever ails you. Re tonic? I *wish* our bars served Schweppes. I also wish we could get Fever Tree nearby. Alas, we are 0 for 2. Re the gin, Tanquery Ten? Really? OK, I’ll give it a try. I don’t know that we have access to Sipsmith either. Where are you located? Other favorites are Hendricks (served with cucumber slices, not lime), Q (with Q tonic, if you can find it), or Plymouth. But Sapphire is readily available and suits us “children” just fine. The chilled glass? I neglected to mention that our neighbor often does chill his glasses, and I agree, it’s better that way, as is any martini in a chilled glass.
I think we are singing from the same hymnal here, though perhaps different denominations, different key signatures maybe. Can we be friends?
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