Honeyed Coffee Gin & Tonic Recipe
A gin and tonic darkened with chilled brewed coffee and softened with honey syrup — roasty, bittersweet and surprisingly bright.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 7%
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- Gin30 ml (1 oz)
- Brewed coffee45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Honey syrup15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Tonic water60 ml (2 oz)
How to Make It
- Brew the coffee ahead and let it cool completely.
- Fill a highball glass with ice and add the gin, coffee and honey syrup.
- Stir briefly, then top with tonic water.
- Give one gentle stir and garnish with a lemon peel.
Garnish
Lemon peel
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, there is roasted coffee in it, it drinks cool and easy and it is low in alcohol.
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.
- Honey syrup
- Three parts honey to one part warm water. Neat honey seizes up in a cold drink, which is why it gets loosened first. Heavier and more aromatic than simple syrup.
- 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
Part of the recent coffee-tonic wave, which pairs coffee's roast with quinine's bitterness; this version adds gin and honey.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Honeyed Coffee Gin & Tonic mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Honeyed Coffee Gin & Tonic?
- Roughly 7% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Honeyed Coffee 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 Honeyed Coffee Gin & Tonic hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Coffee in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.