Cheers to Gin and Tonic Day! 🍸

Oct 18, 2024

Cheers to Gin and Tonic Day! 🍸

Get ready to raise your glasses because this month is all about celebrating the timeless classic: the Gin and Tonic! Whether you’re a seasoned bartender or just getting started in your career, there’s something truly special about this serve.

We’re going to break it down and share some interesting twists on the classic recipe coming straight to you from our team of experts, the Diageo Brand Ambassador and Diageo Bar Academy team.

So, sit back, relax, and let’s toast to the delightful world of Gin and Tonics!

Before we start pouring anything it’s important to remember that we’re talking about a 2-ingredient drink here. Its simplicity means that there is nowhere to hide, low quality ingredients and bad technique will come through in the final drink.


Our guests are better educated than ever before, which combined with the current cost of living pressure means that now more than ever to satisfy our guests, all our drinks but especially simple ones like Gin and Tonic need to be perfectly executed.

With that in mind here at the 6 key steps to a perfect (and memorable) Gin and Tonic

  1. Start with a high-quality, juniper-forward Gin. Gin is the backbone of any G&T and juniper is (or at least is supposed to be) the most prominent characteristic of Gin. Selecting a Gin that brings Juniper to the table is a must, in our opinion. Gordon’s and Tanqueray are both classics for a reason and fit the bill here, but if you’re a fan of citrus and delicate florals, give Tanqueray No TEN a try, you won’t regret it! Tanqueray No TEN starts off on the same botanical base as Tanqueray but with the addition of its citrus heart (a separate small batch distillation of whole grapefruit, oranges and limes) along with added camomile. 
  2. Choose a high-quality tonic water. This is readily available these days, with bigger brands on the shelves at your local supermarket and plenty of smaller brands being sold in your local boutique bottle shop. Experiment here but make sure that whatever you use is ice cold. This will help keep fizz in your drink for longer and slow the dilution from melting ice.
  3. Think about your ratios. This comes down to personal preference but aiming for 1 part Gin to 3 parts Tonic is a good starting point. You can adjust this depending on how pronounced the flavours in the Gin/ Tonic water are.
  4. A great garnish will add visual appeal but should be carefully selected to either compliment or contrast with the characteristics of the Gin. Woody herbs are great with citrusy Gin. Classic Juniper forward gin does well with citrus garnishes like lime, lemon or grapefruit. A delicate gin could be overpowered by a garnish, so remember that you can always skip the garnish completely or compliment it with a delicate cucumber or raspberry.
  5. Glassware. The world is your oyster here, so experiment and find your preference. That said, we’d avoid using tired, old, undersized rocks glasses. Choose a glass that holds plenty of ice, allows for your preferred ratio of Gin: Tonic whilst leaving a good wash line and ideally provides some visual appeal.
  6. Use good ice and lots of it! You can’t over-chill a G&T and the more ice is in the glass the slower it will melt. Solid ice cubes (as opposed to hollow ones) will also melt more slowly. If your ice machine makes hollow ice cubes, take a look at the control panel as this is usually a setting that can be adjusted. You could also give your ice machine technician a call for some help. Fixing this will improve every cocktail that you make so it's worth the effort.

With that in mind, we spoke to our team to get their (current) favourite way to drink a G&T

Kate McGraw – Diageo National Advocacy Manager

60 ml Gordons 0.0   
180 ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic water
Garnish: Rosemary Sprig 
Approx 0 Std Drink

I love that Gordon’s 0.0 allows me to have a drink without drinking.

Simone Sanna – Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassador for Western Australia and South Australia

30 ml Tanqueray No TEN
Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water
Garnish: Pink Grapefruit slice 
Approx 1.1 Std Drink

Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. This serve is a classic for a reason.

Tracy Gardner - Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassador for Victoria and Tasmania

30 ml Tanqueray London Dry 
90 ml Raspberry Fever Tree tonic water
Garnish: Lime wedge.
Approx 1 Std Drink

I think of this as a poor man’s Flora Dora.

Jesus Grillet: Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassador Queensland and Northern Territory
30 ml Tanqueray London Dry 
90 ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic
Garnish: Lemon Slice
Approx 1 Std Drinks
The extra citrus notes from the Mediterranean tonic give this classic combo something a little extra.

Kelsey Blacksmith: Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassador for New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

30 ml Aviation 
90 ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic 
Garnish: Orange slice and a lavender flower. Crack of black pepper optional
Approx 1 Std Drink

I’m enjoying Aviation Gin at the moment, and this combination highlights its floral characteristics.

Nat Ng: Diageo Bar Academy Trainer

30 ml Tanqueray No. TEN 
5 ml Fino Sherry
90 ml Strangelove Light Tonic Water 
Garnish: Pink Grapefruit Slice
Approx 1.2 Std Drinks
 #ShreddingForSummer

Nick Veale – Diageo Bar Academy Training Manager

45 ml Tanqueray London Dry 
10 ml Amaro 
150 ml Fever Tree Light Indian Tonic Water
Garnish: Dehydrated Lime Wheel
Approx 1.6 Std Drinks
I’ve always found Tonic water a little sweet, so a touch of Amaro and a low-sugar tonic water balances things nicely. Feel free to experiment with different Amaro here.

What’s your favourite Gin and Tonic? Tag us on socials with your favourite recipe or if you give one of these a try.
Instagram: @diageobarac
Facebook: Diageo Bar Academy
 


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