How To Winterize Your Gin & Tonic
Vanagandr at the Longshoreman, photo by Lily Brown, MST Creative
Take the G and T from poolside to fireside with spirits and mixers that speak to the season
Just because we’re no longer flip-flopping around in shorts and tees doesn’t mean we have to give up our favorite summertime elixirs. If an ice cold G&T sipped on the patio is your jam in July, it can also be your go-to in January. The trick to making it more seasonal is to tweak it a bit, pouring gins with richer, more complex botanical blends, and adding winter citrus and other ingredients that are more friendly when it’s frigid. Try these four recipes, then use the bottle suggestions to mix up your own creative spins.
Gin is always in.
Vanagandr
Recipe courtesy of Brandon Torre, General Manager, The Longshoreman, Brooklyn, NY
Torre had a lot of ingredients floating around in his head that he wanted to use in a cocktail: white balsamic (to tie into the restaurant’s Italian culinary focus), rich and complex coffee tonic from Thomas Henry and Vanagandr Gin, a London Dry gin from Spain made from wheat in slow, fourteen-hour micro distillations. “After fine tuning some measurements and playing with acidity/sweetness, we finally came up with an amazing, yet different, Gin & Tonic,” he says. “Easy enough to go down in the heat of the summer, but bold enough to sip on during a cold night.”
1 ¾ oz. Vanagandr Gin
½ oz. rosemary demerara syrup (instructions follow)
½ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. white balsamic vinegar
3 oz. Thomas Henry Coffee Tonic
garnish: 2 lemon slices and charred rosemary sprig
Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until chilled. Pour into a large goblet or wine glass over ice, top with tonic, stir to combine, and garnish with lemon slices and charred rosemary sprig.
For the rosemary demerara syrup:
Combine ½ cup water, ½ cup demerara sugar and 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, let steep for 30 minutes and strain out solids. Store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to a week.
G&T at Copia, photo by Kelly Magyarics
Copia’s G&T
Recipe courtesy of The Restaurant at Copia at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa, CA
The bar team at the restaurant at Copia, the Napa offshoot of the CIA that’s open to the public, wanted to create a seasonal G&T to reflect the changing flavors and temps. Star anise, allspice, and cinnamon lend warming baking spices that nicely pair with the depth and complexity of Angostura Bitters. If available, they suggest substituting Fever Tree Aromatic Tonic Water (Mixer Carbonated Brand of the Year in the 2019 NY Interntational Spirits Competition) for the regular version and omitting the bitters; either way, an expressed orange peel adds a pop of tangy citrus.
2 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin
2-3 generous dashes Angostura Bitters
Fever Tree Tonic Water, or Aromatic Tonic Water (don’t forget to omit the bitters if using), to top
garnish: star anise pod, 4 allspice pods, cinnamon stick and orange peel
Build the drink in a large goblet, highball glass or wine glass over ice, topping with the tonic and garnish with the star anise, allspice, cinnamon and expressed orange peel.
Harry and Marv
Recipe courtesy of Alex Howell, Bar Manager, Easy Bistro, Chattanooga, TN
“To me, winter cocktails need to be richer and more warming to combat the cooler temperatures outside, but a Gin and Tonic still needs to be dry and refreshing,” Howell says. He turned to the rye-based gin from the California craft producer which he describes as funky, full of body, and able to easily stand up to mixers. He also wanted to feature a citrus that’s more seasonal than limes. “With grapefruits being at their peak in the winter it seemed a perfect fit between fresh grapefruit juice and the delicious Fentimans Pink Grapefruit tonic water.”
1 ½ oz. St. George Dry Rye Gin
½ oz. fresh grapefruit juice
garnish: orange and grapefruit peels
Add all ingredients except garnished to a highball glass, add ice and stir to combine. Garnish with expressed orange and grapefruit peels.
Fir, courtesy Olivia restaurant
Fir
Recipe courtesy of Olivia, Washington, D.C.
Olivia beverage director Tim Hayes wanted to add a holiday sipping Martini “that offers a nice balance of fruit and spice with lots of aromatics.” Below is a scaled-down version of the rosemary-hibiscus water, but it still makes an ample batch; it’s also lovely in a Champagne cocktail or wine spritzer or drunk on its own as a non-alcoholic refresher.
1 ½ oz. Wild Sardinia Gin
¾ oz. pomegranate juice
½ oz. rosemary-hibiscus water (instructions follow)
¼ oz. lemon juice
splash of Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water
garnish: rosemary sprig and (fig) brandy-soaked cranberries
Add first four ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, top with a splash of elderflower tonic, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and cranberries.
For the rosemary hibiscus water:
Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add ⅛ cup dried hibiscus flowers, ⅛ cup chopped rosemary leaves, and 3 lemon peel strips. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain out solids. While the mixture is still cooling, add ⅛ cup sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Photo by Kim Daniels via Unsplash
Other Gins To Try For Wintry Sips
● Gin Mare ($40, 42.7% ABV): 10 years ago, this Mediterranean gin—which skews on the more savory side thanks to olives, thyme, rosemary and basil in its distillation process—made a big splash overseas, and is now becoming a legitimate hit stateside. For those searching for something with a bit of umami flavor for less sugary concoctions, this is the one to reach for. Try it with citrus like grapefruit, yuzu, or Meyer lemon. It’s also naturally delicious with tomato water.
● Sipsmith VJOP Gin ($39.99): The acronym in this British spirit stands for “Very Junipery Over Proof Gin,” a reference to the fact that Master Distiller Jared Brown uses double the amount of juniper berries as Sipsmith’s regular London Dry Gin and ramps up the ABV to 57.7%. It all amounts to an offering with showy pine and cedar on the nose, a palate rich with juniper, spice and dark chocolate, and a long dry finish.
● Breckenridge Gin ($25, 45% ABV): This American-style gin from Colorado balances juniper with citrus and spicy undertones gleaned through maceration during distillation, and a floral undertone from botanical basket distillation. It won a gold medal in the 2019 NY International Spirits Competition.
● Corgi Spirits Earl Grey Gin ($30, 40% ABV): This craft gin from New Jersey, which won silver in the 2019 NYISC, is made by infusing the spirit with Earl Grey tea along with bergamot citrus peel. Sip it neat or mix it with tonic and a touch of honey.
● Nouaison Gin ($50, 45% ABV): This gin is the latest release from the G’Vine family of French spirits. Distilled from grapes, it is aromatic, smooth, and round with a complex and spicy profile that makes it a worthy changeup from red wine.