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By mixing real tonics — with the requisite quinine — with a few of today’s finest and most inventive gins, it’s still possible to capture the magic of the original colonial cooler.

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High Spirits : The Gin and Tonic Flies Again

Few cocktails evoke the spirit of summertime soaring quite like a well-mixed G&T.

By: Jefferey Lindenmuth
August/Sept 07 , Page 110

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Gin meets tonic. It’s a love story for the ages, as timeless and volatile as Howard Hughes and Ava Gardner: In the 1650s, gin is created as a medicine by a Dutch physician — the primary flavoring is juniper, which affords gin its distinctive pine-wreath taste. Centuries later, those empire-building Brits invent tonic water as a means of delivering quinine, an anti-malarial made from tree bark. To combat tonic water’s putrid taste, they add gin to it, throw in a lime to combat scurvy and voilà — necessity had become the mother of the gin and tonic.

Sadly, most modern-day tonic is little more than fizzy corn syrup, and gin’s prominence has long been under assault from the ubiquitous vodka and tonic. But by mixing real tonics — with the requisite quinine — with a few of today’s finest and most inventive gins, it’s still possible to capture the magic of the original colonial cooler. Behold the recipe for infinite (OK, nine) new takes on this warm-weather favorite.

{1} Bulldog London Dry Gin, $30

THRUST: 80 proof

Despite its timid strength, this dog has a bite thanks to a healthy dose of piney juniper on the nose. The palate packs rubbing alcohol and intense flavors of roses, lilacs and lilies (imagine a big smooch from the Queen Mum). A dry, earthy finish and lush mouthfeel underscore its good breeding. This is definitely one dog you should allow in the main cabin.

{2} Registered Distillery No. 209 Gin, $40

THRUST: 92 proof

This new distillery stands over the water on San Francisco’s Pier 50, where they combine Tuscan juniper and purified water in a copper still to create a flowery, vibrant gin. Bergamot orange peel provides vivid citrus flavors; herbal flavors of lemon thyme soon take the controls. When you can’t be bothered with slicing limes, this citrusy gin will do it all.

{3} Whitley Neill London Dry Gin, $29

THRUST: 84 proof

With traditional juniper meeting exotic South African Baobab fruit and Cape gooseberries, this is London gin in a pith helmet. Base notes of licorice precede aromas of cinnamon, clove and ginger, like a Christmas cookie without the crumbs. The sultry spiciness is layered with cassis, cocoa and lemon, leading to a long finish.

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