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What’s the perfect Gin and Tonic recipe? The answer is: however you like it! But if you’re not sure, here’s our G&T recipe and you’re going to love it!
If you’re reading this, you might be wondering: what’s the perfect gin and tonic recipe? Or more to the point: what’s the perfect Gin and Tonic ratio?
You’re here looking for specific measurements, we get it. But the truth is: the perfect Gin and Tonic Recipe doesn’t exist.
The perfect Gin and Tonic recipe depends on your taste. You might like equal measures of Gin to Tonic Water or you might like much more Tonic Water than Gin. You might prefer a sprig of mint rather than Lemon as a garnish.
These options are acceptable versions of a G&T. But the point is, you make the perfect Gin and Tonic recipe based on your taste.
Here’s a quick look at our Gin and Tonic recipe:
- Get the right glass.
- Add Your Ice.
- Add Your Gin.
- Add Your Tonic.
- Add Your Garnish.
- Drink it!
But let’s get into a little more detail.
The Popularity of Gin
The Gin and Tonic is a traditional cocktail that has become a staple in British culture. Over the last few years, its popularity has soared.
In fact, it’s become so popular that experts believe that yearly Gin sales may soon rise to £3 billion.
And the surge in the popularity of Gin is noticeable. The number of different varieties and brands that are now available is staggering.
Flavoured Gin Liqueurs are now a big thing too. Flavours are as wide and varied as they are wild and wonderful.
And the Tonic Water also has a variety of different flavours available now too. What a time to be alive!
But our ultimate G&T recipe will feature only classic Gin and Tonic Water flavours.
Right, back to our perfect Gin and Tonic recipe.
The first thing we need to do is find the right glass.
Choosing the Right Gin and Tonic Glass
Picking the right glass for the perfect Gin and Tonic is important because you want your G&T to look the part.
It’ll set the mood and make your cocktail all the more appetizing.
But what is the best glass for a G&T? Like most things, different people have different preferences.
Some prefer a balloon glass like this City Gin Balloon Glass:
Others prefer a Hi-Ball cocktail glass:
However, we recommend a tumbler:
Now that we have our glass, let’s move on to the next step of our Gin and Tonic recipe: Ice.
Add Ice
Ice is a key feature for most cocktails. Gin experts say the more ice the better because it keeps the glass colder for longer and the ice melts at a slower rate.
Bombay Sapphire Senior Ambassador, Sam Carter, states: “The colder the drink, the less dilution and more flavour there is.”
We agree and recommend three ice cubes per G&T.
Add Your Gin
Now it’s time to add the Gin!
Pour 50ml (which is 1.6oz) of Gin over your ice.
But which Gin should you use? Great question.
The answer is: it depends on you, your criteria and your habits.
Some people will favour a particular brand over everything else.
Other people, will buy the best Gin available given a reasonable price.
Some people will buy whatever Gin is on offer at the time of buying.
Others like to adventurous and will buy new gins or gins they’ve never tried before.
If you have a favourite Gin brand you stick to, use that. But if you’re stuck on Gin’s and prices and are wondering which to get, then take a look at our list below:
Add Your Tonic Water
Next, it’s time to add your Tonic Water.
But what’s the best Tonic Water to use? Again, that all depends on what you like the best.
Here are a few great brands of Tonic Water that are fantastic for a G&T:
But we recommend:
What is the Perfect Gin and Tonic Ratio?
The most important part about making the perfect Gin and Tonic is getting the mix right. But what is the perfect Gin to Tonic Water ratio?
We’re going to sound like a broken record here, but it depends on your taste.
Some people prefer a 1:1 ratio, meaning that you split the Gin and tonic water 50/50. So if you use 50ml /1.6oz of Gin, you use 50ml / 1.6oz of Tonic Water.
This goes up all the way to a 1:4 ratio (for your 50ml / 1.6oz of Gin, you would use 200ml / 6.7oz of Tonic Water).
However, the most common recommendation (and our personal preference) is a 1:3 ratio. We use 50ml / 1.6oz of Gin and 150ml / 5oz of Tonic Water.
And Your Garnish
Garnish is also a hot topic when discussing the Gin and Tonic recipes.
Traditionally, it’s thought that Lemon is the most favourable garnish for a Gin and Tonic.
Tony Conigliaro, a drink expert from Schweppes believes, “A thickly cut lemon slice works well to bring out the citrus notes already present in the gin without overpowering the other flavours.”
Others believe it’s better to use the peel of the Lemon to bring out the existing citrus flavours. And some prefer alternate methods of enhancing their G&T’s.
Anything from Lime wedges to a sprig of Mint to give the drink a summer freshness is fair game.
But the people at Hendricks Gin suggest a different garnish that’s a bit ‘out there’ for most to consider. In their own Gin and Tonic recipe, they consider the best garnish to actually be Cucumber.
It’s not a garnish most would consider for a cocktail, but boy does it work! It’s different and gives the drink an enhanced freshness that other garnishes do not.
Despite that, we’re sticking with tradition for our perfect Gin and Tonic recipe. We recommend using a slice of lemon to garnish your G&T.
So, What’s Your Perfect Gin and Tonic Recipe?
Let me break down our perfect Gin and Tonic recipe:
Ingredients
- 50ml / 1.6oz Hendricks Gin.
- 150ml / 5oz Fevertree Tonic Water.
- 1 slice of Lemon.
- 3 ice cubes.
Recipe
- Add Ice, Gin and Tonic Water to a High-Ball Cocktail Glass.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon.
- Drink.
- Enjoy.
- Repeat. Multiple times.
Want More Cocktail Ideas?
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Happy mixing!
