Everything You Need to know about Gin (and Tonic)

For the last few years, gin has been the in thing – in fact, 2016 was dubbed ‘the year of gin’ after UK sales soared by 16%. Gone are the days of the gin bottle being kept on a dusty shelf next to the sweet sherry (sorry, sherry lovers), the botanical spirit is having its moment in the sun and we thoroughly approve of it being the nation’s tipple of choice.

Whilst there are numerous mixers that do the delicate flavours of gin justice, nothing beats gin’s trusty sidekick – tonic water. This summer, we’re celebrating this perfect pair at the London House Tonic Terrace, mixing our favourite gins with some truly splendid Fever-Tree tonic waters, and complimentary garnishes. Fever-Tree will be putting on a series of G&T masterclasses at London House, where you can learn lots about gin (whilst drinking G&Ts) but to get you started, we’re going to answer some of the most burning questions about the perfect blend that is the G&T.

What Goes into a Bottle of Gin?

There seems to be some confusion about exactly what goes into a bottle of gin. Several of the most Googled questions about Gin are ‘is gin made from potatoes?’ and ‘is gin just flavoured vodka?’ the answer to both of these questions is a resounding no! Whilst vodka is predominantly made from potatoes, gin is made from grain, and flavourings are added through re-distillation (either through steeping or vapour infusion). Traditionally, gin should be flavoured with juniper berries (The word gin comes from the Dutch word for juniper – jenever). Other botanical flavourings that gin might include are lemon; angelica; orange; lavender; cardamom and cassia bark amongst others. As long as juniper is included, it’s up to the distillery which other botanicals are used which is why there are so many different gin flavour profiles.

In recent years, gin distilleries have been experimenting much more with flavours – steering away from traditional juniper and towards rhubarb; Parma violet; orange, elderflower; and spiced apple. Many of these aren’t gin, they are gin liqueurs which combine distilled gin with fruits or herbs and are then sweetened to reduce the bitter taste.

Was Gin Banned in the UK?

Gin was first imported to the UK in the late 1600s from the Netherlands, and it has a rather unsavoury past, which is best illustrated by William Hogarth’s painting ‘Gin Lane’. The inhabitants of London’s fictional Gin Lane are all, let’s say, a little squiffy and not all that well-to-do. The painting was used to help pass the Gin Act of 1751 which didn’t completely ban the drinking of gin, but it did shut down all unlicensed gin shops in the UK in an attempt to curtail the consumption of spirits. Instead, beer drinking was encouraged (both gin and beer drinkers are catered for at London House!)

What is Bathtub Gin?

If you peruse the aisles of your local supermarket, you’ll probably come across some fancy bottles of bathtub gin. Thankfully, this stuff isn’t brewed in bathtubs, but it does lend a nod towards that unsavoury past we mentioned earlier. Bathtub gin is a product of the underground alcohol production that took place during the American Prohibition era (whilst gin wasn’t banned in the UK, it most certainly was in the USA!) Cheap grain alcohol, which was often denatured because distilled alcohol was illegal to sell or make, was steeped with juniper berries and other flavourings for days in a tub. It tasted awful, and speakeasy bartenders had to get very creative with mixers and cocktails to make Bathtub gin even a little bit palatable. Needless to say, the bathtub gin you can pick up in shops today, is not the same stuff!

Where does Gin and Tonic Originate?

So far, we’ve seen gin travel through the Netherlands, the British Isles, and the United States. But where was gin first mixed with tonic? In fact, this cocktail was first concocted in a completely different country and era – 19^th century India. The British army in India gave out regular rations of gin to officers in the British East India Company. These officers took tonic water, which contains quinine, to ward off malaria carrying mosquitoes. Incidentally, quinine is the same stuff that makes your glass of G&T light up under fluorescents in bars and clubs. The bitter taste of tonic water wasn’t exactly the soldiers’ cup of tea, so, to make the medicine go down, they started mixing it with their gin rations and voila, the G&T was born.

What’s the right glass for a G&T?

Choosing the right glass is nearly as important as choosing the right ingredients. Traditionally, a G&T should be served in a highball glass, but more recently the balloon glass, or the Copa De Balon, has become a popular choice for gin-based cocktails and gin liqueurs. This large, round glass hails from Spain, and the Spanish version of Gin-Tonic which contains lots of ice and a garnish that matches the specific gin’s botanicals. The balloon shape helps the aroma of the drink to gather, so that the drinker enjoys a more rounded experience. At the Tonic Terrace, London House will be serving their G&Ts in Fever-Tree Copa De Balon glasses to ensure you get the best out of your botanicals! 

What’s the Right Garnish for a Gin and Tonic?

Should we be using a wedge of lime, a squeeze of lemon, or a slice of cucumber? Lime is probably the most traditional of all the garnishes, but lemon has also been used to garnish the G&T since the 1930s.  If you want to keep things traditional, we suggest a wedge of lime, squeezed slightly to allow the flavour to disperse into the gin. However, there are so many different gins to try, with so many different flavour profiles, that sticking solely to lime would be a crime! Some of our favourite garnishes, which you can sample at our Tonic Terrace this summer include rosemary; sage; lemon thyme; and basil. Different garnishes will be available at the terrace for you to get creative and jazz up your G&T – look out for Fever-Tree’s garnish tags for guidance from the experts.

G&T really does have a fascinating history, but for us the most important thing is that it tastes delicious. If you’re a gin aficionado like us, then head down to London House in Battersea and sample the delights of our Tonic Terrace, where different gins have been perfectly matched to Fever-Tree tonics and garnishes. Remember, if you want to learn more about Gin & Tonic from the experts at Fever-Tree, book your ticket for a masterclass at London House’s Tonic Terrace this summer.

BOOK YOUR TICKET HERE