Gartending: G & T

 

How do you make a Gin and Tonic more exciting?

Well, the first thing you should do is consult a mixologist.

What is a mixologist?

A mixologist is a chef/liquid-scientist who loves intoxicating beverages.

But what does this have to do with Gin and Tonic cocktails?

Well, Klaus, the soused gnome, loves the classic version of the G & T cocktail.  But he likes to twist them up a bit with Meyer lemons and Hendrick’s Gin.  His tonic is absolutely the most important ingredient other than the Gin.  Why?  Commercially produced tonic water is mostly corn syrup sweetener.  And how can you make a cocktail taste more like the real thing?

You should use better tonic water.

Fortunately, we have Q-Tonic water at our disposal.  If you have a Williams-Sonoma store nearby, you can buy this essential ingredient to a Gin and Tonic.

I also believe that the Gin is important, otherwise don’t call it a G&T. And because Klaus is insistent on the Gin, he prefers Hendrick’s in his twisted G&T cocktail.  But what is the ingredient that twists his G&T?  It’s the Meyer lemon and fresh mint picked still warm from the sun- instead of lime.  Most people just assume that a G&T has lime, but Klaus, the soused gnome likes his G&T’s with muddled Meyer lemon and mint.

What you get is a crisp, fresh- refreshing gartending cocktail.

The mint is growing smaller and more powerful on these days of waning sun and the daily heat-up.  I like to utilize mint more and more on these days because I really like to think of the summer when winter rolls around in my cocktails.

Just as I look forward to the first shoots of mint to poke their way up out of the frozen ground.

The new mint is as essential as the seasons themselves.

 

Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic, Twisted Gartender-Gnome Style

(Klaus gave permission, don’t worry)

Ingredients  (to obliterate the sensibilities of two of your closest friends)

Hendrick’s Gin

Q-Tonic Water

Fresh Kentucky Colonel Spearmint

Meyer Lemons

 

Preparation:

Muddle Kentucky Colonel Spearmint with about ½ of a Meyer lemon in slices in a Boston Shaker (that’s a cocktail shaker made of insulated metal with a glass that fits right inside of it for shaking)

Add 4 oz of Hendrick’s Gin to the mint, Meyer lemon muddle

Add a handful of ice

Shake Shake Shake

Pour into a tall glass with fresh ice

Top with about two ounces of Q-Tonic Water- more or less as desired anyway!

Garnish with fresh mint and sip until relaxed

 

Yum