In Search of Gin & Tonic Perfection

A few years ago, I did a series of experiments to find the perfect form of the Gin & Tonic. I considered four gins, three tonics, nine garnishes, four glassware shapes, and various temperature options. The results surprised me in a few different ways.

I conducted these taste tests at the behest of Jim Meehan for his book The Bartender’s Pantry that came out this June, and the results are published therein. The book includes the results, but in this post I’d like to share the longer explanation of my experiments.

Gins

I chose four popular brands of gin: Beefeater, Tanqueray, Aviation, and Hendrick’s. The first two were chosen as classic London Dry style gins at proofs around 47% ABV. Beefeater has since lowered the ABV of the gin in America to 40% ABV, which is a true shame, so I wouldn’t guarantee the same results with it today. (Also note that Tanqueray is usually sold at a lower proof outside of the USA.) The other two gins are lower in proof and less juniper-forward, with Aviation expressing lots of vanilla-like sarsaparilla and Hendrick’s with essences of rose and cucumber.

I tested all four gins in G&Ts individually, but found the classic gins and the modern gins functioned about the same in the drink – Aviation and Hendrick’s tasted best with the same set of conditions, and so did Tanqueray and Beefeater. So I can simply speak about classic vs modern gins going forward.

I selected these gins because they’re widely available and fit into archetypes, not because they’re necessarily the best gins for a G&T. I think most gins will work in the drink.

Tonics

The tonics I used are Fever Tree (sweetened with sugar) and Q Tonic (sweetened with agave), and I rejected Schweppes, as it is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup in the US. Bartenders whom I otherwise respect have claimed it’s not so bad or can be corrected by adding a dash of bitters, but they are wrong. I used refrigerated tonic water in all my experiments.

When I conducted taste tests, I was surprised to find that Q and Fever Tree tonic acted the same in the cocktail, as they have wildly different bodies; the sugar in the Fever Tree adding much more weight than Q’s agave. You may prefer one tonic over the other as your ideal tonic for that reason; I like them both.

The Ratio Matters Most

The most surprising results in my taste tests were that the ratio of gin to tonic mattered the most in making the best G&T (I always thought of the drink as pretty forgiving), and that lower ABV, modern-style gins required more tonic than classic, higher-ABV gins.

For classic gins, I found that one part gin to 2.5 parts tonic was ideal, whereas for Hendrick’s and Aviation one part gin to three parts tonic worked best. The pairing was more about the right flavor combination than a consistent ABV in the final drink.

However, the resulting G&Ts using modern gins at this ratio are not only lower in overall ABV, but also will contain more sweetener. This matters, it turns out, when it comes to our choice of garnish.

Garnish and the Grapefruit Issue

I tried a ridiculous nine garnish options: lime juice, lime peel, lime wheel, lemon juice, lemon peel, lemon wheel, grapefruit juice, grapefruit peel, and grapefruit half-wheel. In no case did I prefer lemon – the peel reminds me of furniture polish and lemon juice added sweetness without much acidity or complexity.

My garnish preferences largely came down to whether the drink could tolerate sweetness from grapefruit juice. The classic gins (with less tonic) worked great with the grapefruit, but not so much in the modern ones.

Though the grapefruit provided the best flavor pairing for the classic gins, it tends to make the whole drink taste like grapefruit and I won’t blame you for sticking with the traditional lime juice or lime wheel. The lime wheel (if you press it against the glass, not just set it on top) adds both the brightness from the peel oils and a touch of not-sweet-yet-softening juice, so that’s a solid go-to for any G&T.

I prefer garnish to be left in the glass with the ice, and not floating on the top.

Glassware, Ice, and Temperature

For the glass and ice size, I like the larger surface area of the rocks glass, and the all-purpose wine glass (the cheap kind that is meant to work for either red or white). I dislike the giant stemmed goblet glass used in a Spanish-style Gin & Tonic, mostly because all the condensation on the bowl of the glass drips onto your hand when drinking it. I don’t like how a Collins encourages separation of juice in the glass, and how the ice seems to rise up and poke you in the face more.

I like big chunks of ice, as small cubes block the surface of the glass while chunks allow more of the zesty bubbles to tickle my nose.

For temperature, I didn’t think the drink was improved with either the gin or the glass stored in the freezer – both made the drink seem weightier and less crisp (to me the true ideal of a well-made Gin and Tonic), but I thought that gin stored in the refrigerator was a nice improvement over the same at room temperature.

Overall, the choice of tonic brand, the ratio of gin to tonic, and keeping the tonic refrigerated are the most important factors in making a tasty G&T. All the rest is micromanagement toward increasing deliciousness.

Camper English’s Preferred Gin & Tonic

G&T with classic London Dry style gin, such as Tanqueray

1 part refrigerated gin

2.5 parts refrigerated Fever Tree Tonic or Q Tonic

Garnish (in descending order of preference): grapefruit peel, lime juice, grapefruit slice, or lime slice.

G&T with Modern Style gin such as Hendrick’s or Aviation

1 part refrigerated gin

3 parts refrigerated Fever Tree Tonic or Q Tonic

Garnish (in descending order of preference): lime wheel, lime juice, grapefruit peel

Add garnish to bottom of rocks glass (or all-purpose wine glass, or Collins glass if you insist). Add large chunks of ice and press down to release some juice/oils from garnish. Add refrigerated gin and refrigerated tonic and give it a swirl. Drink from the glass, not from a straw.

CocktailsCamper EnglishNovember 29, 2024gin, tonicComment