We love a good gin and tonic, well to be fair, who doesn’t? As part of our new ‘Tried and Tested’ series we will be giving a run-down of our favourite drinks and this week we are looking at our favourite gin mixers! After years of running our portable gin bar, we have had the pleasure of trying a huge amount of different gins, mixers and garnishes. Coming up with our five favourites wasn’t easy, but after some very scientific and meticulous research, which may or may not have involved making and trying a lot of gin drinks, we can happily report we made it. Here are our five favourite gin mixers:
5. Sipsmith VJOP Gin and Beebolin Juniper Tonic with a coriander flower and lemon zest
As you can imagine, there are many tonics that made it on to our list of favourite gin mixers – although it isn’t the only way you can enjoy a drop of the good stuff. The natural botanicals in the gin you choose and how you pair that with the flavour of tonic can make a really noticeable impact on the overall flavour of your drink. Taking this a step further and pairing it the perfect garnish will ensure that your gin mixer becomes a multi-sensory experience, igniting your tastebuds and the olfactory nerve in unison… With flavours of Bulgarian coriander seed and lemon peel in the Sipsmith VJOP Gin, the continuity of this flavour is carried through with the choice of a coriander flower and lemon zest garnish.
4. Warner’s Honeybee Gin and Ginger Ale with honeycomb and a lemon wheel
If the mixer isn’t tonic, then it will most likely be ginger ale. Ginger ale and gin are a match made in heaven and one that deserves sharing. The type of ginger ale you go for here isn’t of huge importance as the overriding flavour in all ginger ales is, no surprise here, ginger. However, it is best to avoid one any that are packed full of sugar and e-numbers. The Honeybee Gin from Warner’s is what really sets this drink off and makes it so sumptuously sweet and inviting. Add a slice of honeycomb and a lemon wheel to perfectly accompany the ginger and you have yourself an all-round sweet and spicy crowd pleaser.
3. Mr Kamms Gin and Beebolin Dry Spruce Tonic with a barley stalk and citrus geranium leaf
The tonic returns for our number 3 favourite, as we said before, the type of tonic you go for makes all the difference and we highly recommend the Beebolin range. A Scandinavian range of tonics, each one is infused with different Scandinavian flavours such as spruce and sea buckthorn. The spruce gives this tonic a dry and fresh pine flavour with a light citrus note that is further emphasised by the citrus geranium leaf garnish and marries perfectly with Mr Kamms Gin.
2. Portobello Road Gin with Mediterranean Tonic garnished with a slice of grapefruit and a sprig of fresh rosemary
Featuring botanicals that include coriander seed, angelica root, orange peel, and gassia bark, Portobello Road Gin is, in our humble opinion, one of London’s finest gins. The botanicals infused into this gin during distillation are the perfect match for a Mediterranean tonic, and when matched with a slice of pink grapefruit and fresh rosemary the result is something special.
1. Elephant Gin and Indian Tonic with a slice of apple and ginger
Our final favourite gin mixer is a classic. Indian tonic water and an eleph-excellent gin that takes its name from the African botanicals it uses to form its delicious and exotic flavour. This gin and tonic is all about the apples, Elephant Gin is distilled with apples and the addition fo the apple and ginger garnish is the finishing touch that ensures that if you are an apple fan, then you are going to think this is app-solutely amazing (ok, we will stop now).
