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Looking to impress your friends at the next cocktail mixer? Serve up some gin and tonic. The Wine Merchant’s Jason Main and The Gin Room’s Natasha Bahrami offer their suggestions for perfect summertime pairings.
Consider Leopold’s Summer Gin Batch No. 4, containing juniper, blood orange, coriander, lemon myrtle, and the “immortal flower.” Each botanical is distilled separately to yield perfect infusion of each flavor and blend the distillates to create the desired gin; at 94 proof, it’s bright and refreshing. Pour 1.5 ounces in a balloon wineglass and add Boylan Heritage Tonic, ice, and a blood orange garnish—the perfect tipple on a hot summer’s day.
For something different, try Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin, a small-batch gin inspired by 3 Badge Mixology founder August Sebastiani’s Zio Valerio, a lover of gardening and Tuscan cooking. The botanicals—inspired by Uncle Val’s garden in Lucca, Italy—include juniper, cucumber, lemon, sage, and lavender, with an emphasis on the sage and juniper. Add Q Spectacular Tonic Water, which contains organic agave in place of cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and isn’t as sweet as other tonics. Garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh sage. The result: a dry herbal drink that goes well with bruschetta.
For a twist on summer tonic-based refreshers, try white port and tonic, a popular pairing in Portugal and Spain. Fill a Collins glass with ice, add 4 ounces of Fentimans Traditional Tonic Water, top with 2 ounces of Ramos-Pinto Lágrima white port, and garnish with an orange slice. Fentimans is made with cane sugar and milled quinine bark; it has a pronounced citrus note that offsets the sweetness of the port. The orange slice completes the flavor, making the resulting Portonic a refreshing hot-weather drink.
