A gin and tonic has been a staple for bartenders over the years. By far one of the most popular drinks during happy hour, a gin and tonic doesn’t require many ingredients to make but can be garnished with an assortment of fruits and spices to add a bit of a kick to this classic drink. Break out the lemon wedges and tonic water this summer because we’re about to show you how to make the perfect gin and tonic for your next gathering.
Our Perfect Recipe
You can add whichever twist best suits your tastes, but this is the classic recipe that we like to turn to time and time again.
What You’ll Need
- 3-4 ice cubes
- 3 oz of gin
- 4 oz of tonic water
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
- 1 lime wedge
- 1 tall, narrow glass
Steps
- Ready your glass and add your ice cubes. You’ll want the ice to nearly reach the top.
- Add in your gin, tonic water, and lime juice. Stir well.
- Garnish with your lime wedge.
- Serve.
In a pinch, substituting tonic water with club or seltzer water sounds like a good idea but you should refrain from doing this. Tonic water has a sweetener that makes it both bitter and savory, a timeless addition to the gin and tonic. Club soda is carbonated water with added minerals and lacks the sweetness in taste. Seltzer water is purely carbonated water with no minerals and even though you can purchase seltzer water in a variety of flavors, you shouldn’t swap out tonic water for these two. Ultimately, true fans of the beverage will be able to spot the difference and your end product will suffer.
Twists To Try
There are a few other ways that you can add your own spin to this drink, however. Some people like to garnish their gin and tonic with cucumber instead of lime and others will add an orange wedge to garnish.
There are other recipes out there that suggest you make your own tonic water ice cubes to prevent the melted ice from diluting the drink. You can make these cubes just as easily as regular ice cubes, but you’ll use tonic water instead of tap.
Regardless of how you like to twist your gin and tonic, this classic recipe will make you the hit of the party this summer. Try mixing things up with an orange wedge instead of lime, just make sure you let your guests know ahead of time!
