The BEST gin and tonic cocktails to make

Nothing signals summer more than the classic gin and tonic. The invigorating refreshment of quinine – a bitter beacon against the sweetness/sourness of tonic water, which is always made with cane sugar (never high fructose corn syrup). Why cane sugar? First, the high fructose stuff is cloying and sweet. Cane sugar has depth and patience, along with a haunting sweetness; one that is neither too sweet nor too sour and definitely not out of balance. The gin and tonic is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s a metaphor for relaxation. Here are 5 ways to make them all yourself.

Photo by Eaters Collective via Unsplash

Far to the east

• 2 ounces. Oven-roasted lemonade (halve lemons, sprinkle with white balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon “sugar in the raw,” then roast at 300 degrees for two hours, cool and juice, then add cane sugar to taste)
• 3 ounces. botanical gin like Barr Hill, made with raw honey and local Vermont grains
• 1 oz. Cane sugar tonic water (of your choice, but always made with cane sugar)
• 5 drops of celery bitters
• Roasted lemon slices

Prepare the oven-roasted lemonade as described above. Fill a Collins glass: ¾ full with ice. Add the gin. Top with the oven-toasted lemonade. Top up with tonic water. Sprinkle with the celery bitters. Garnish with a slice of roasted lemon. Surcharge.

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The next variant of Gin Tonic is a brilliant gin from Spain that is botanically quite refreshing – due to the herbs collected – and the addition of lemon peel in the glass takes this cocktail to a whole new level. Since the earlier cocktail contained lemon juice that was first roasted, this cocktail relies on both lemon oil rubbed into the walls of the cocktail glass and a few threads of saffron – combined with cane sugar, simple syrup, tonic bitters and a good-sized splash of Stiegl Grapefruit Radler, a wonderful grapefruit beer from Germany. I don’t see it used much in cocktails and I wonder why not?

The intellectualist

• 2 ounces. Mahon Gin (from Spain)
• 1 oz. Royal Rose Saffron Simple Syrup
• 4 oz. Stiegl Grapefruit Radler
• 4-6 drops of tonic bitters
• Lemon peel (no pulp!)

Rub the inside of a Collins glass with the lemon peel. Add ice and let cool. In the meantime, fill a cocktail glass ¾ full with ice and mix the Mahon gin with the Royal Rose simple syrup. Strain over Collins glass and ice. Drizzle with tonic bitters. Top with the Stiegl grapefruit shandy. Surcharge. So easy!

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Another simple twist on the classic uses ingredients that I’m pretty sure are available in your supermarket.

The optimistic panda

• 3 ounces. botanical gin, such as St. George Rye Gin
• 2 ounces. Lemongrass Infused Simple Syrup – Just Cane Sugar!*
• 3 ounces. Tonic water made from cane sugar
• Dash of sherry (Fino style)

*Crush lemongrass with the side of your chef’s knife, add 1:1 simple syrup (cane sugar to boiling water, stir well) and leave in the fridge overnight

Preparation: Pour into a pair of coupe glasses, pre-chill with ice and set aside to cool. In a cocktail mixing glass: fill ¾ with ice. Add the botanical gin and lemongrass simple syrup. attention. Strain into the coupes. Top up with tonic water. Serve with a small strip of lemongrass on top and a bar spoon of sherry.

If you love the refreshing properties of a gin and tonic in the summer heat to whet your appetite or quench your thirst, this Indian-influenced sip is for you!

Chai Masala Gin and Tonic

• 1 oz. Chai tea blend (reconstituted in 3 ounces botanical gin, such as Caorunn gin from Scotland)
• A pinch of cardamom and clove powder
• 3 ounces. Cane sugar tonic of your choice

In a Collins glass ¾ filled with ice: Add the tea and gin mixture. Top up with tonic water made from cane sugar. Serve with brilliance and zeal!

Ah, wise man. My favorite ingredient for the G&T is this leaf – a haunting reminder of fall that easily translates into the experience of a cocktail with the addition of Fruitations cranberry syrup.

Related: 5 Great Ways to Use Fresh Herbs in Your Craft Cocktails

Pro Tip: Roast the sage by lighting it over a fireproof surface and collecting the smoke in an upside-down Boston shaker.

Tonic with smoked sage and cranberry and gin

• Sage leaf
• Boston shaker (well chilled to catch the smoke)
• 2 ounces. Fruitations cranberry soda and cocktail syrup
• 3 ounces. Bulldog Gin
• 3 orange peels (soaked in cane sugar for a month before using)
• 6 ounces. Tonic water made from cane sugar

Fire roast sage leaves and capture the smoke in your Boston shaker. Turn over briefly and fill ¾ full with ice. Meanwhile, rub the inside of two old-fashioned double glasses with the orange peels and place them in the bottom of the glass. Add ice to the glass. Pour the Bulldog Gin into the Boston shaker filled with sage smoke and ice. Add the fruitation syrup. Seal and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into double Old Fashioned glasses. Top up with tonic water made from cane sugar. Garnish with a toasted sage leaf.