5 Things to Avoid in a Gin and Tonic
1. The wrong ratio
The right ratio of gin to tonic is subjective, but essential. Ratios of 1:4 or 1:3 are the norm, but you might like your G&T a little stronger (1:2) or a little weaker (1:5). There is not right or wrong, it’s really just about experimenting and finding out what tastes best for you. By the way, the great thing about measuring your ingredients is that once you’ve found your perfect ratio, you can easily reproduce it. So don’t be afraid of measuring; the times when it was frowned upon to measure the quantity of spirits with a jigger (measuring cup) are long gone.
2. Old, badly stored ice cubes.
Although ice cubes are made of water and therefore have an almost infinite shelf life in theory, they quickly take on the odours of other food in the freezer. By the way, the larger the ice cubes, the slower they melt, so you avoid unnecessarily watering down your drink. For this reason, crushed ice is less suitable than large, solid ice cubes without a cavity.
3. Tonic water that does not go with the gin
Ideally, gin and tonic water should complement each other. That is, they go together, and the tonic underlines the nuances of the chosen gin. And yes, not all tonics are the same. The numerous tonic waters on the market differ, sometimes significantly, in their flavour.
4. “Bad” gin
OK, good and bad is relative and highly subjective. What we can say with certainty though, is that there are large differences in quality between the many different types of gin available today. Not all of them have the complex, balanced aromatics that we prefer, and price isn’t necessarily a reliable indicator. There are many great products made with love – you just have to find them. Go and find your Darlings!
A quick example calculation:
You can buy gin in the supermarket from 5.29 euros for a 0.7 litre bottle. At first glance, this seems like a pretty fair price. But let’s take a look behind the facade… This 5.29 euro retail price includes 0.84 euros in VAT and 3.40 euros in state spirits tax (assuming 37.5% vol.). That leaves just 1 euro. This not only pays for the gin and its production, but also for the bottle, the packaging, the transport and, last but not least, the retailer’s margin. In short, only a few cents remain for the gin itself.
5. Additives purely for the sake of visual appeal
It has become increasingly popular to upgrade G&Ts with pretty garnishes. While there is nothing wrong with that per se, one should bear in mind that many of these can also give off flavour components. So, keep this in mind and make sure that your garnish complements the taste of your drink and be cautious with garnishes such as rosemary, lemon, cucumber, pepper and co. And if you’ not quite sure: less is usually more.
Disclaimer: please don’t understand these suggestions as an attempt at dictating the one and only way to enjoy a gin and tonic. They are merely meant as food for thought. For some of you all of this might be old news, but others might benefit from our tips and tricks. Cheers to that!
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Author: Siegfried Rheinland Dry Gin …more