Gin and tonic

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A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water poured over ice.<ref name="goodhousekeeping.com">Template:Cite web</ref> The ratio of gin to tonic varies according to taste, strength of the gin, other drink mixers being added, etc., with most recipes calling for a ratio between 1:1 and 1:3. It is usually garnished with a slice or wedge of lime. To preserve effervescence, the tonic can be poured down a bar spoon.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref> The ice cools the gin, dulling the effect of the alcohol in the mouth and making the drink more pleasant and refreshing to taste.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

It is commonly referred to as a G and T in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In countries such as Germany, Italy, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, it is called a Template:Nihongo. It is referred to as ginto in the Netherlands and GT in the Nordics.

Garnish and serving

Gin and tonic is traditionally garnished with a slice or wedge of lime, often slightly squeezed into the drink before being placed in the glass. In most parts of the world, lime remains the only usual garnish; however, lemon is often used as an alternative fruit. In the United Kingdom, the use of both lemon and lime together is known as an "Evans".<ref>Knoll, A & Smith, D (2013). The Craft of Gin. Hayward: White Mule Press. p.69. Template:ISBN.</ref> Although the origins of the use of lemons are unknown, their use dates back at least as far as the late 1930s.<ref>"Gin and Tonic as served at the Shepheard's in Cairo" Gilbey's Gin advert from Punch magazine, April 1938</ref> The use of lemon or lime is a debated issue<ref name="nytgarnish">Template:Cite news</ref> – some leading brands, such as Gordon's,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tanqueray,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Bombay Sapphire,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> recommend the use of lime in their gin.

The use of a balloon glass for serving gin has become popular, possibly through promotion by the Bombay Sapphire gin brand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The use of such a glass, with plenty of ice and a garnish tailored to the flavours of the gin, is sometimes said to allow the aromas of the drink to gather at its opening for the drinker to more easily appreciate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The use of assorted fruits, herbs, and vegetables, as garnish (reflecting the botanicals of the individual gin), is increasingly popular.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Besides the classic lime wheel or wedge, alternative garnishes can include orange peel, star anise, thyme, elderflower, a slice of ginger, pink grapefruit, rosemary, cucumber, mint, black peppercorns, strawberry and basil, strawberry syrup,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or chillies.<ref name="goodhousekeeping.com"/> Fruits such as kumquats or other citrus or cucumber<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> can be included.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The cocktail was created by British military officers in India during the 19th century. In India and other tropical regions, malaria was a persistent problem for Europeans, and during the 18th century the Scottish doctor George Cleghorn studied how quinine, a traditional cure for malaria, could be used to prevent the disease.<ref>The Malaria Site. Retrieved 18 August 2019.</ref><ref name="Cleghorn"/> Finding its bitter taste to be unpleasant, as early as 1825 British officers stationed in India took to adding quinine to a mixture of water, sugar, lime and gin in order to make the cure more palatable, thus creating the cocktail.<ref name="Cleghorn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Tonic water: sweet, bitter medicine. Retrieved 30 December 2009.</ref> The officers were already given a gin ration as part of their rations, and the sweet concoction made sense.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since it is no longer used as an antimalarial, tonic water today contains much less quinine, is usually sweetened, and is consequently much less bitter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A 2004 study found that after 12 hours, "considerable quantities (500 to 1,000 ml) of tonic water may, for a short period of time, lead to quinine plasma levels at the lower limit of therapeutic efficacy and may, in fact, cause transitory suppression of parasites". This method of consumption of quinine was impractical for malaria prophylaxis, as the amount of drug needed "cannot be maintained with even large amounts of tonic". The authors concluded that it is not an effective form of treatment for malaria.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Variations

Template:See also Mixers can include lime juice,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> lemon juice,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> orange juice and spiced simple syrup,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> grenadine,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> tea,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> etc.

A gin and tonic can also be mixed with a sorbet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Some gin-and-tonic inspired drinks also have champagne (e.g., the Parisian), vermouth and Campari (e.g. the Negroni Sbagliato),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> vermouth and bitters (e.g., the Posh G&T), super smokey whiskey (e.g., the Ol' Smokey), peach liqueur and grapefruit bitters (e.g., the Tonic Delight), mint bitters, and chocolate liqueur (e.g., the Guilty Pleasure), etc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In popular culture

In Top Gear and The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond were known to be quite fond of the drink, and drank them on camera a number of times, in one case causing controversy when Jeremy Clarkson appeared to drink one whilst behind the wheel of a car driving to the North Pole.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

James Bond specifies a recipe for a gin and tonic while in Kingston, Jamaica, in the book Dr. No. Unusually, it involves the juice of a whole lime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the BBC1 and Amazon Prime television series Fleabag, Fleabag and the Priest enjoy canned G&Ts from Marks and Spencer. The store reported a 24% increase in sales after the episodes aired.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Founded in 2010, International Gin & Tonic Day is celebrated worldwide on 19 October.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Images

Gin and tonic made with Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin and Schweppes Indian Tonic, garnished with slices of lime
A gin and tonic with ice and lemon wedge
Gin and tonic made from Estonian Crafter's Gin. The botanicals in the gin have turned the drink pink in colour
A Spanish gin tonic served in a balloon glass