RSS
Home
The quintessential summer drink
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
We HAVE THE BRITISH TO THANK for lots of things: khaki, Marmite, the Housemartins, and this little gem of a cocktail: the gin and tonic.
Back when the Brits were in India, the army of the East India Co. was trying to prevent from dying. Not from the heat, but from the malaria. They needed quinine, believed to stave off the mosquitos and prevent the disease, so a drink with tonic water (which contains quinine) was made.
But tonic is bitter, so why not add something to make it soothing and sweet? "Hey, we know! How about gin?" After all, if you're going to die from the heat or malaria, might as well be drunk.
We can thank the British for khaki, gin and tonics and The Housemartins*.
Thus was born the hot summer drink we love today. Sure our tonic is less bitter and we may add a bit more gin, but we still love it's thirst-quenching, light taste each hot summer day.
Make one!
- 2 oz. London dry gin
- Tonic water (from a fresh bottle)
- 1-2 ample wedges of lime
- Plenty of cold ice cubes
- Highball glass
Directions:
1) Chill the glass. You may want to fill it with ice, then empty it and refill, as some bartenders do with a martini glass.
2) Fill the glass with whole ice cubes. If you wish, take a wedge of lime and moisten the rim the glass with it.
3) Pour the gin over the ice, which should be cold enough that it crackles when the liquor hits it.
4) Fill glass almost to the top with tonic.
5) Squeeze one wedge of lime into the glass. Drop the squeezed lime into the drink as a garnish if you like; it’s not necessary, but can add a bit of extra flavor. Serve.
*Obviously loads more, like Paul Smith, Bangers and Mash, Radiohead, and David Beckham
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg)
- No. 01: Own your style
- No. 02: Fashion can be bough. Style one must possess
- No. 09: Avoid being called a douche
- No. 11: Khakis get better with age
- No. 12: No Bluetooth
- No. 17: Wear black
- No. 22: Ironic tee shirts
- No. 32: No Fu Manchus
- No. 44: Match your socks to your pants
- No. 55: Don't iron a crease into your khakis. And no cuffs.
- No. 76: Wear it with pride
- No. 87: Go with flat-front pants. Not pleated.
