Gin and Tonic Recipes

The gin and tonic may seem like a simple mixed drink -- a couple of ounces of gin over ice in a highball glass, topped with sparkling tonic water and a squeeze of lime (and, if you take our recommendation, a dash of bitters). It’s a go-to when you're in an unfamiliar bar. Fortunately, bartenders are examining the drink with fresh eyes and discovering a world ripe for exploration.

Yes, you could call it medicine

"The British Royal Navy put together the first gin and tonic," says author and bartender Toby Cecchini (he's credited with popularizing the Cosmopolitan in the late 1980s). During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the British navy was the most powerful in the world, but its expansion into the Southern Hemisphere came at a cost: malaria. As they colonized South America, British sailors learned of cinchona, an exceedingly bitter bark used by Quechua Indians as a medicine and a source for quinine. It is, to this day, one of the best anti-malarial agents available. To make the bark palatable, the British boiled it (as they did everything) into a brown, syrupy reduction, blended with spices and sugar, and tossed it into their daily gin ration. (Well, the officers did. The sailors got rum.)

The sparkling tonic on store shelves today was almost unknown in North America until after World War II (though it was already popular in the Caribbean). It's clear because the essence of quinine is clarified and sweetened with sugar (or high-fructose corn syrup). Gone are the spices and the dark richness of the cinchona bark. Fortunately, several bartenders are rediscovering tonic syrup and making their own. You can recreate Cecchini's personal recipe (below) or buy an excellent premade syrup -- we like Tomr's Tonic -- online or in a growing number of Whole Foods outlets.

Haute homebrew

"I worked on this recipe for quite a while until I hit on the perfect batch," says Tomr's creator Tom Richter. His blend of cinchona, sugar and organic herbs, spices and citrus is vibrant and bright. Mixed with gin and sparkling water, it's sublime. The light orange-amber color may come as a surprise initially, but one sip and you'll likely be converted. "A lot of first-time customers say, 'I don't really like gin and tonics, but I really like this drink," says Richter. In addition, he says cinchona grown in different parts of the world impart distinctly different flavor profiles, opening up the possibility of terroir-influenced G&Ts.

Meanwhile, in Spain, bartenders are taking gin and tonics in other new directions. In much the same way the martini morphed into a broad collection of tini-suffixed drinks in the 1990s, Spanish mixologists are offering up G&T variants (commonly called "gintonics"), enhancing the botanicals already found in the liquor by adding a dash of spice, like cardamom or cinnamon, garnishing with fresh herbs and serving the whole thing in a large "copa" glass (similar to an oversized brandy or wine glass) with lots of ice. The Spanish insist this tradition opens up the drink, encouraging ice, tonic, gin and spices to more elegantly intermingle.

"Every brand, every bar in Spain has created its own G&T perfect serve, differentiated by the type of glass, garnish, tonic and serving method," says Audrey Fort of France's EuroWineGate, which produces G'Vine gin. Fort is scheduled to co-present a seminar called Reconsidering the Gin & Tonic at 2012's Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. "In a nutshell, the G&T is a real lifestyle in Spain, and has become highly regarded in other countries."

If you choose to stick with traditional tonic water, opt for small bottles (Fever Tree and Q Tonic are popular options), as tonic in large plastic bottles can go flat and even sour. Don't like gin? No problem. Instead of substituting plain old vodka, consider using an aromatic, earthy spirit like pisco, sochu or even blanco tequila. No sense letting all that amazing tonic go to waste.

The Perfect Gin and Tonic

2 oz. London Dry or Plymouth Gin
1 oz. Tomr's Tonic (or your own tonic syrup)
Perrier or Pellegrino (lime-flavored works nicely)
2 dashes bitters (lemon, Angostura or Hella Bitter Citrus)
Fresh lime wedge

In a large rounded glass filled with cube ice, add gin and tonic syrup. Stir with a bar spoon until well mixed. Add sparkling water and stir briefly. Top with two dashes of bitters and a lime wedge.

For Toby Cecchini's Improved Gin and Tonic, muddle four lime wedges at the bottom of the glass with the tonic syrup, and include them in the drink as you would a Mojito.

Toby Cecchini's Quinine Syrup

(presented during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, sponsored by Perrier)
4 cups water
1/4 cup cinchona bark (available online), powdered in a coffee grinder
1/4 cup citric acid
3 limes (zest only)
3 lemons (zest only)
2 Seville or sour oranges (zest only)
1 pomelo (zest only)
1 cup chopped lemongrass (4 stalks)
9 allspice berries
6 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried lavender
Rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water)

Simmer all ingredients, except simple syrup, together in a saucepan on low heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain through cheesecloth. Measure the remaining liquid in a measuring cup and add an equal amount of simple syrup. Combine and let stand for several hours for sediment to settle. Rack (pour carefully) into clean, sealable bottles. Tonic syrup should last several weeks refrigerated.

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