Gin and Tonic

Its beginning to be gin and tonic season. What is your favorite way of making it? what is the best tonic water to buy? I am looking for something that is the least bitter. thx.

And I'd be interested in rec's for brand of gin! I love gin and tonic when I have it out but have be disappointed in what I make at home. Maybe it's the gin, maybe it's the tonic?

On the tonic side, I've noticed a new brand of mixers and carbonated water in a local store: Klarbrunn. The company's home is (coincidentally?) Watertown, Wisconsin.

The tonic water is priced lower than Schweppe's and Canfield's. I picked some up yesterday. One thing I like about it already is that it is not overcarbonated like the Jewel store brand of tonic water, which is only safe to open in the sink with a towel on hand to wipe up all the spray.

(Searching after posting, I found that mhays mentioned Klarbrunn's raspberry-flavored sparkling water in a pop/soda tasting notes post in 2010).

For gin recommendations, check What's your favorite gin? (if any)

Three's some discussion of tonic waters here although it's important to note that Drinks Over Dearborn no longer has a physical store.

Katie wrote:On the tonic side, I've noticed a new brand of mixers and carbonated water in a local store: Klarbrunn. The company's home is (coincidentally?) Watertown, Wisconsin.

The tonic water is priced lower than Schweppe's and Canfield's. I picked some up yesterday. One thing I like about it already is that it is not overcarbonated like the Jewel store brand of tonic water, which is only safe to open in the sink with a towel on hand to wipe up all the spray.

(Searching after posting, I found that mhays mentioned Klarbrunn's raspberry-flavored sparkling water in a pop/soda tasting notes post in 2010).

Klarbrunn has been around for a while, but I didn't know that they made tonic and club soda. Thanks for the tip.

I've become quite a fan of tonic syrups lately, they allow me to really dial in the flavour I want.
My favourite: http://www.jackrudycocktailco.com/

Where do you buy the Klarbrunn? I did not dare ask about gin as I started that topic some time ago. I still have the same bottle of Tanqueray. Hoping to make gin and tonics with it but do not want a very bitter tonic.

Fever Tree makes a selection of different tonics--I tried a couple of new ones at NRA yesterday and was impressed--not too sweet, good balance of herbaciousness, citrus and bite (I particularly enjoyed the new Mediterranean flavor). They also make a lower calorie tonic that is not artificially sweetened and was still very nice. I like that they're available in small bottles since I never use up the larger ones before they go flat. Available at Binny's and I'm sure most of the other boutique liquor stores around town.

Q Tonic is pretty good as well although I found it to be sweeter than Fever Tree. I've found it on sale frequently at Whole Foods.

The GP wrote:For gin recommendations, check What's your favorite gin? (if any)

That is a thread well worth investigating, but I would definitely emphasize some advice ronnie provides early in that thread:

ronnie_suburban wrote:North Shore #6, Miller's and Hendricks are all at top the of my list but flavor profiles with these and all gins vary widely, so it really depends on the application. Best to experiment as much as possible.

There are many uses for gin and flavor profiles do, indeed, vary extremely widely. What might work in a gin and tonic might not work at all in another concoction.

toria wrote:Where do you buy the Klarbrunn?

Try calling Whole Foods.

boudreaulicious wrote:Fever Tree makes a selection of different tonics--I tried a couple of new ones at NRA yesterday and was impressed--not too sweet, good balance of herbaciousness, citrus and bite (I particularly enjoyed the new Mediterranean flavor). They also make a lower calorie tonic that is not artificially sweetened and was still very nice. I like that they're available in small bottles since I never use up the larger ones before they go flat. Available at Binny's and I'm sure most of the other boutique liquor stores around town.

+1 on this. Fever Tree is my favourite of the three readily available "boutique" tonic waters (Fever Tree, Q, Fentimans). On a side note, I also REALLY like their ginger beer.

If you want a cake to go with your drink try this.

http://www.thekitchn.com/look-gin-and-tonic-cake-170728

toria wrote:Where do you buy the Klarbrunn? I did not dare ask about gin as I started that topic some time ago. I still have the same bottle of Tanqueray. Hoping to make gin and tonics with it but do not want a very bitter tonic.

I got it at Garden Fresh Market. I am going to look for it at other stores and post back on where I find it.

toria wrote:If you want a cake to go with your drink try this.
http://www.thekitchn.com/look-gin-and-tonic-cake-170728

That looks good! I'm going to give it a try. As with candies, I prefer fruity options (especially those with citrus flavors) to chocolatey options.

Gypsy Boy wrote:There are many uses for gin and flavor profiles do, indeed, vary extremely widely. What might work in a gin and tonic might not work at all in another concoction.

Further, different tonics may work better with different gins. Then there's the whole issue of garnishes! Lime, lemon, cucumber, green apple...

I think the moral of the story is buying and drinking as much gin as possible

retzie wrote:green apple

What the...

How have I never heard of this? I must try this, ASAP! I'm thinking muddling some in & straining, then adding a slice for garnish.

Tonight I may try the Leopold Brothers variation that subs Tart Cherry for lime, the "Michigan & Tonic:"

Michigan and Tonic
1 1/2 oz. Leopold's Gin (I'll just use whatever)
3/4 oz. Leopold Bros. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur
ice filled glass
Tonic

Vitesse98 wrote:Tonight I may try the Leopold Brothers variation that subs Tart Cherry for lime, the "Michigan & Tonic:"

Michigan and Tonic
1 1/2 oz. Leopold's Gin (I'll just use whatever)
3/4 oz. Leopold Bros. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur
ice filled glass
Tonic

The Leopold Bros gin is worth seeking out (Binny's has it, as do some of the trendier small shops). It's easily my favorite American gin, a great balance of juniper and unique citrus notes (like pomelo). My only qualm is that it's a relatively benign 80 proof, however they recently rolled out a Navy Strength version (114 proof) that I'm hoping tastes just as good...I'm told it should be available in IL in the next few weeks.

Navy Strength gin? I thought that was only a rum thing.

To be honest, I've avoided a lot of domestic boutique gins, since it doesn't seem worth the extra money when I'm more than happy with, say, Broker's. Unless we're talking a specialty product like Ransom Old Tom, in which case it's OK. But maybe I'll give Leo's a shot. How does it compare to North Shore No. 11?

Vitesse98 wrote:Navy Strength gin? I thought that was only a rum thing.

To be honest, I've avoided a lot of domestic boutique gins, since it doesn't seem worth the extra money when I'm more than happy with, say, Broker's. Unless we're talking a specialty product like Ransom Old Tom, in which case it's OK. But maybe I'll give Leo's a shot. How does it compare to North Shore No. 11?

I like the North Shore products, but don't tend to keep them on my bar...generally find them too floral/herbal (their Mighty Gin, an overproof version of 6, would be the exception, if they sold it at retail). I'd say Leopold's is closer to their 6 (where I get a lot of citrus, lemon mostly, and clove-like spice) than the 11, but Leopold's has 'greener' spice (coriander/cardamom) beneath the juniper and rounder citrus (pomelo & orange).

I confess I'm not a fan of the really aromatic gins, particularly Tanqueray, and prefer Beefeater's (or even Gordon's), although if you've got a strongly herbal gin, tonic is a better thing to mix with than vermouth. Hendrick's is excellent, but softer than I like with tonic. I like g&t as a very tall, fairly weak refresher, so I want the gin to have some bite.

I enjoy tonic's flavor and often drink it straight. We go through it fast enough in the summer that I look for bargains and I've been agreeably surprised by Safeway's Refreshe brand tonic. It's the main thing I still shop at Dominick's for.

Spotted Karlbrunn mixers at DiCarlo's on Route 60 in Mundelein, across the street from Garden Fresh, and I'm glad to find them there, since after my last visit I decided to swear off that Garden Fresh for a while.

Does anyone put their gin in the fridge or freezer before making drinks? Is this advisable for g and t?

toria wrote:Does anyone put their gin in the fridge or freezer before making drinks? Is this advisable for g and t?

No. If you're using extremely cheap/harsh spirits, this may deaden some of the flavor, but generally it's not advisable to put a bottle of spirits in the freezer. This is particularly true for bottles sealed with corks, as the cork may shrink leading to evaporation of the alcohol.

Josh Noel ran a short piece describing some of the barrel-aged gins on the market last week. The barrel-aged offering from Few sounds really, really good.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 4170.story

danimalarkey wrote:The barrel-aged offering from Few sounds really, really good.

I tried a sip or two at FEW. It was very good, but not like any other gin I've ever tried.

kl1191 wrote:

toria wrote:Does anyone put their gin in the fridge or freezer before making drinks? Is this advisable for g and t?

No. If you're using extremely cheap/harsh spirits, this may deaden some of the flavor, but generally it's not advisable to put a bottle of spirits in the freezer. This is particularly true for bottles sealed with corks, as the cork may shrink leading to evaporation of the alcohol.

Although on a very warm day, I prefer that both the gin and the tonic be chilled, so the drink doesn't get watered down by melted ice quite so quickly.

kl1191 wrote:

toria wrote:Does anyone put their gin in the fridge or freezer before making drinks? Is this advisable for g and t?

No. If you're using extremely cheap/harsh spirits, this may deaden some of the flavor, but generally it's not advisable to put a bottle of spirits in the freezer. This is particularly true for bottles sealed with corks, as the cork may shrink leading to evaporation of the alcohol.

Assuming it's a screw-on cap, why is it "not advisable"?

Gypsy Boy wrote:

kl1191 wrote:

toria wrote:Does anyone put their gin in the fridge or freezer before making drinks? Is this advisable for g and t?

No. If you're using extremely cheap/harsh spirits, this may deaden some of the flavor, but generally it's not advisable to put a bottle of spirits in the freezer. This is particularly true for bottles sealed with corks, as the cork may shrink leading to evaporation of the alcohol.

Assuming it's a screw-on cap, why is it "not advisable"?

I'm not a fan of freezing liquors because I want them to melt the ice a little bit, maybe not as much in a G&T, but if I'm going to use that same gin for martinis, negronis, or anything else along those lines.

Gypsy Boy wrote:

kl1191 wrote:

toria wrote:Does anyone put their gin in the fridge or freezer before making drinks? Is this advisable for g and t?

No. If you're using extremely cheap/harsh spirits, this may deaden some of the flavor, but generally it's not advisable to put a bottle of spirits in the freezer. This is particularly true for bottles sealed with corks, as the cork may shrink leading to evaporation of the alcohol.

Assuming it's a screw-on cap, why is it "not advisable"?

As mentioned, it will deaden the flavor of the spirit...I guess for a certain subset of the population (of spirits and imbibers, both) this could be seen a favorable result, however I tend to want my drink to enhance the flavor of the spirit, not cover it up.

While it's unlikely to be a problem with straight spirits (stored in a commercial freezer), there's also the potential that the liquid may freeze, causing the bottle to explode.