It’s time for a gin & tonic celebration – right in time for World G&T Day on 19th October!
While the African bush may set the perfect scene for a gin & tonic, the drink can certainly be enjoyed in any urban setting.
With just two ingredients, one may be rushed to getting their first serve in hand. But striving for the “Perfect G&T” really requires closer attention to the gin to tonic ratio and a possible garnish element to bring out the best flavours of the gin.
Our suggested perfect G&T serves are:
50 ml Elephant London Dry + 150 ml premium tonic + slice of apple
50 ml Elephant Sloe Gin + 150 ml premium tonic + orange twist
50 ml Elephant Strength Gin + 150 ml premium tonic
There’s a few things to watch out for to craft a perfectly refreshing G&T:
Great gin, great tonic. With just two ingredients, you can’t hide the quality. As you already know which great-tasting gin to use, there comes the debate on tonic. There are great premium natural tonics with multiple flavour profiles, quinine and sugar levels and a difference in carbonation. Some prefer more, some less – carbonation, flavour and amount of tonic in the gin that is. So buy it, test it, try it! Our suggestion though is to go for the smaller < 200ml bottles as they guarantee a certain freshness and the most carbonated tonic every time you mix it.
Glass. Smaller highballs might simply not give you enough space for all ingredients and enough ice; and some argue balloons are better for smelling the aromas and more wine-fashion experience. We’ve developed our own bespoke glassware, wider and bigger highballs that allow us to use big chunks of ice and guarantees more aromas to be released while drinking. You can buy them in our online shop!
Gin and tonic ratio. Some tonics have strong flavour-profiles and run the risk of overpowering (and over-diluting) the gin. Depending on the desired strength of alcohol, the suggested ratio varies from 1:2 to 1:3. We tend to make them a double with 50ml of Elephant Dry Gin, Elephant Sloe Gin or Elephant Strength Gin and a 150ml of tonic.
How much ice. The common misconception is that the more ice you use, the more the drink gets diluted. However the truth is the more ice there is, the less it will melt due to lower temperature, so be generous! The colder it is, the slower the fizz will be released from the tonic as well. Extra tips: 1. keep the tonic in the fridge, 2. freeze your glasses and 3. use large ice cubes over smaller as they melt more slowly!
Garnish. Lime and lemon have now been replaced with a whole array of garnishes; from pepper to mango. But before you add anything exotic to your drink – or throw cucumber at anything gin-related – please remember this simple rule: the gin & tonic garnish is meant to bring out the notes of the gin you are using, so choosing botanicals that work well with the natural gin’s flavour profile is ideal. We use a lot of apples from the orchards surrounding our distillery in Elephant Gin and therefore believe that a slice of apple makes it a perfect serve with our London Dry Gin. Our Sloe Gin goes perfectly with an orange twist, and the Strength – with juniper berries. All, of course, with premium tonic!
