#2: Gin & Tonic

On Wednesday I made another Gin classic... and one of the most refreshing drinks around - floral while bitter but with a fresh brightness to it (thanks to the lime).

According to the BBC, the gin and tonics "were -like Gin itself- originally developed as a medicine. In this case to help fight malaria. When the British were in the East they became susceptible to malaria and eventually found out that quinine (an ingredient in Tonic Water) was useful for getting rid of the disease. Well, as you would probably expect, drinking Tonic Water by itself is pretty nasty (unless you've acquired a taste for it) and they had problems getting the British in the East to drink it.

Along comes our friend Gin to be mixed with the Tonic Water, which not only made drinking it much more pleasant, but also created an excellent drink that would be remembered from then on, even if its relationship to the disease was forgotten. So, as you can see, Gin and Tonic Water came about due to medicinal reasons, then caught on later for thier more pleasurable aspects.

On a minor note, the Lime (served in any GOOD Gin and Tonic) being a citrus fruit (and therefore containing Vitamin C) helps to prevent scurvy. Usually the limes are not the dominant ingredient of Gin and Tonic, so they won't actually get rid of scurvy if you've already got it - unless you drink A LOT of Gin and Tonics of course".

I like my drinks strong so here is the recipe I used:

2 oz Bluecoat Gin
2oz Fever Tree Tonic
2 Lime wedges

• Bluecoat Gin is called an American Dry Gin, I nice poke against the British... There is no such thing as an American Dry Gin (the style is actually called London Dry Gin) but in true American Fashion, we love to take things and claim them as ours. This is one of Shannon and my favorite Gins.
• Fever Tree, an artisanal mixer company, makes several different carbonated drink mixers such as Ginger Ale, Soda Water and of course Tonic. In a recent (unofficial) taste test done by some friends in the industry, found that Fever Tree was the best Tonic out there... When making your own G&T's don't bother with the store brand tonics - go high end - you won't regret it. Instead of just bitterness, you get a delicious, flavorful drink with hints of bitterness.
• As the BBC stated previously any good Gin & Tonic includes lime, I like my drinks with a lot of citrus, so I add two wedges for good measure...

To make the drink, I fill a rocks glass about 3/4 of the way with ice. I then squeeze the two lime wedges over the ice, and drop them in to the glass. The gin is next, and I give it a little stir to ensure the lime juice mixes in. I then add the tonic and give another quick stir. Don't stir too much as the stirring kills the carbonation in the tonic. The drink is done, now its time to kick back in your recliner and enjoy!!!

#1: Persian Cucumber Gin Rickey

So the first drink that Shannon and I chose to make was a Gin Rickey - we found some Persian cucumbers at the store today, so we decided to incorporate them. The drink is known to be one of the most refreshing cocktails, and in our opinion the cucumber adds even more refreshment.

Alright - technical stuff... The recipe we used is as follows:

2 oz Tanqueray Gin

1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

.25 oz Agave Nectar (simple syrup can be used)

1 Persian cucumber

Club Soda

I mixed the Gin, Lime juice and Agave nectar together and set it aside. I then sliced the cucumber, added it, some ice and a bit of the liquid mixture in a shaker and muddled the cucumber. After muddling, I filled the shaker with ice and poured in the rest of the liquid. A quick shake, and I poured the entire contents of the shaker into a highball glass, topped off with ice and a splash of club soda.

Now that that is all said and done, lets get into why we chose each ingredient.

• First the alcohol - Tanqueray is a fantastic gin and probably the best selling one in the U.S. I chose it for the drink tonight because, besides being delicious, it was the closest bottle of gin to me.
• Fresh lime juice - don't bother with the bottled lime juice, no matter how many times it says "real" on the packaging. Your cocktails will ALWAYS come out better with freshly squeezed lime juice.
• Agave Nectar - still relatively new on the home cocktail market, I discovered this stuff while working on the Spirits desk at Safeway. The brand I use is Tres Agaves. Healthier for you than the simple syrup (sugar water), it adds a bit of fruitiness & floral notes to the drink (they are slight, but in my opinion, there). I have also heard its ok for diabetics to drink... don't quote me, but that's what I've heard. Simple syrup is an alternative that is perfectly good to use. Also note that typically a Gin Rickey does not include a sweetener (agave nectar/simple syrup) but we think it adds a lot and really compliments the cucumber. In fact for a slightly sweeter drink (which is just as delicious) just add a half ounce instead of a quarter.
• Cucumber, as I said above, adds a refreshment quality that you really can't get anywhere else. Plus, you can consider it a serving of fruits & vegetables (well, at least I do). We chose the Persian variety because we had never used them before.
  

Introducing 300cocktails

Hello! Welcome to 300cocktails! Over the next year Shannon and I will be making, drinking and blogging about every cocktail we make. Our goal is to have made 300 different cocktails by Sept. 1st 2010, and hopefully 400 by the end of 2010. Our posts will include where we got the drink idea from, the recipe we used, and our notes of the experience along with photos. Drink suggestions are always welcome, just leave a comment.

Cheers!