Gin & Tonic Cocktail Recipe
Gin lengthened with tonic water over ice. Crisp, botanical and endlessly customisable.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 12%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Tonic water150 ml (5.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass with plenty of ice.
- Add gin.
- Top slowly with tonic water.
- Stir once and garnish.
Garnish
Lime wedge or cucumber
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Tonic water
- Carbonated water made bitter by quinine — that is what separates it from soda. Sugar content varies up to twofold between brands, and that directly sets how sweet the drink lands.
The Story
Born in British colonial India, where tonic's quinine helped ward off malaria.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Gin & Tonic mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Gin & Tonic?
- Roughly 12% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Gin & Tonic be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Gin & Tonic hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.