The Perfect G&T: So Easy to Make and So Easy to Screw Up

It was not my intent to let so much time elapse between posts, but two things happened that played havoc with my schedule: I went to Boston, and while I was there I broke a toe.

Until the last event occurred, it was a wonderful visit with my family who had gathered to celebrate my son’s new house. We got in plenty of sightseeing in that iconic town, ate well, and laughed a lot. And I was delighted at the end of each day when my son The Professor served up ice cold Gin and Tonics, the quintessential summer cocktail.

Gin and Tonics were the ritual late afternoon summer drink of my parents and when I was old enough, I too learned to enjoy the refreshing zing of a G&T. But somewhere along the way, I misplaced my love for that drink and got totally absorbed in the wine thing. And while a chilled Sauvignon Blanc is indeed splendid on a hot summer afternoon, nothing but nothing hits the spot like a Gin and Tonic.

The Professor was serving Hendricks gin with Schweppes tonic, garnished with a wedge of lime. Hendricks is a lovely gin made in Scotland and is notable for its floral nose. Hendricks has toned down the typical juniper taste of most gins and what you taste instead is the infusion of rose petals and cucumber. The Wall Street Journal declared Hendricks the “Best Gin in the World” in 2003, and in the last few years Hendricks has become an urban legend of sorts. But it’s a little pricey: My favorite local liquor store, Ojai Beverage Company, sells a 750 ml bottle for $35. Hendricks is really hot right now even though it is apparently be too floral for some. (One surly mixologist on Chowhound.com declared, “Hendricks tastes like perfume from CVS!”)

Still, Ojai Beverage Company can barely keep Hendrick’s in stock and on my last visit they were out, so they steered me toward a limited edition London dry gin that they think is superb and is priced remarkably well: Broker’s. Never heard of it, says I. But Broker’s has an impressive pedigree, having thoroughly trounced Hendrick’s in the 2010 Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York. And, get this, it was only $22 for a 750 ml bottle!

Broker’s has a stronger juniper taste than Hendrick’s but it’s softened with citrus and cassia, making it very smooth. One spirits expert said: “A classic old-style gin with no apologies. A retro type of gin of the kind before the sissified lighter gins started being blended.”

Some advice from the experts: since tonic water is so pronounced in a G&T, use the best you can find. And use single-serving bottles, not the giant-sized bottles that go flat quickly. Don’t use so much tonic that you can’t taste the gin. Keep your favorite gin in the freezer and your favorite tonic water in the refrigerator. Room temperature gin and tonic water poured over ice cubes just doesn't cut it.

Back at home, I started making G&Ts with Broker’s and Fever-Tree Indian tonic water, garnished with mint from the garden. In the evenings, I just plop down in the welcome shade of the back patio, elevate the foot with the broken toe on an ottoman, and sip an ice cold Gin and Tonic.

My Perfect G&T

Ice cubes (Try using tonic water ice cubes: Fill an empty ice cube tray with tonic water and freeze.)

2 Ounces Broker’s gin, chilled

1 6.8-ounce bottle of Fever-Tree tonic water, chilled

Fill a tall, narrow, chilled glass with ice cubes. Pour the gin over the ice, then fill the glass almost to the top with tonic water. Garnish with a wedge of lime or a sprig of fresh mint (wash with fresh water first). If you’re using Hendrick’s gin, garnish with a long wedge of cucumber to complement the flavor of the gin.