Calling out to the SDMB mixologists.
In the summer months I like a good G&T. Prefer Bombay Dry.
However I have noticed that the ones I make at home are never as good as the ones I purchase at the local pub that I go to once a week or so. Why is this ? how can I improve my home made ones ?
Thanks in advance.
Did you add lime? I found that could make a big difference.
I agree with the suggestion to throw some lime at it.
IME, the ratio of gin to tonic is the most important factor. There’s a sweet spot somewhere around 50:50.
Also, tonic waters vary. Do you know which tonic they use at your watering hole?
Double shot of gin over lots of ice, rub slice of lime around them rim and drop it in the glass, add tonic according to your personal taste. Use Schweppes or Fever Tree tonic.
Importantly it should be very cold. Chill your glass if you’re really going for perfection.
Different gins pair better with other slices (lemon, cucumber, orange, for eg), but Bombay works well with lime.
Tonic brand is obviously important as is lime. Another factor could be the carbonation level of the tonic. If your local uses tonic dispensed using a soda gun the tonic is a combination of the syrup, water source and carbonation. The carbonation level may be different than any bottled tonic you buy, plus the water source they use could have some minerals or something else that impacts the flavor.
I forget where I heard this…
Ice cubes made from frozen tonic wont water down your drink as they melt.
To find out for sure, maybe you could ask how they made it the next time you get one at the pub. Or, if possible, watch them make it. And I guess it’s also possible that it just seems to taste better at the club because it’s more fun to be at the club than at home, who knows.
Drinks at the bar always are better than drinks at home, IMO.
I attribute this to the drink being prepared and served by a cute bartender.
Not sure how you could mess up a G/T w/ lime, unless you forgot the gin…:rolleyes:
Was a longtime G/T drinker, until I decided there was no point in messing w/ the tonic. Of course, that might go some way towards explaining why I’ve decided its better for me to be sober these past 13 or so yrs…:smack:
Also, if you are diluting it with tonic, you really could use a cheaper gin.
I haven’t drank G&T’s in a while, but I remember that bartenders would always put in some Rose’s lime juice. Could that be the difference? Something else that’s generally under-appreciated is the type/shape of the ice cubes. You generally can’t get these at home unless you invest in a special machine.
Use a good-sized lime wedge — 1/4, 1/6, or 1/8 of the lime, depending on its size. Not a thin sliver or tiny 1/16 chunk. Squeeze it well to get most/all if its juice into the glass.
Pour the tonic and gin in a two to one ratio. One to one (50:50) is too strong; three to one is okay but is for lightweights.
Add a fair amount of ice (5-6 cubes for me) and stir.
Enjoy!
It won’t water down the tonic portion, but it will dilute the gin.
This is very important. The tonic should already be chilled. (Chilling the gin might be excessive–but I’d try it.) Even if you’re just pouring a soft drink, the ice is meant to keep it cold, not make it cold.
IME, a ‘weak’ gin and tonic is terrible. It wasn’t until I orerederd one one day and realized how bad tonic tastes on it’s own (at least to me) that I realized I should have just drank half or ordered a shorty.
Having said that, my guess (since I did it too) is you’re pouring your drink way to weak so instead of tasting like gin, it tastes like tonic, which is bitter and carbonated. But just a bit of it takes the sting out of a very strong drink. I can’t drink gin or vodka on the rocks, won’t even pretend like I can, but you can fill a glass up 3/4 of the way with ice and booze and top it off with tonic and I can guzzle it down pretty quickly.
Also, I much prefer drinking gin and tonics with a (little cocktail) straw. When I drink it straight from the glass, I can feel the alcohol burn quite a bit more.
Lastly, just to confirm, are you drinking the same gin at home and at the bar. Unlike vodka (especially in a mixer) there’s a difference in taste from one gin to the next. So if you’re drinking Bombay Dry or Beefeater at the bar and getting tanqueray at home, there’s a reason why it tastes so good at the bar and tastes like a pine tree at home.
There is a huge variation in tonic waters, as others have said. My husband and I are Schweppes snobs. Find out what your bar is using, and try that.
Yes!
I once made a vodka-tonic at home and it tasted off. I eventually figured out my gf had bought diet tonic water.
80 proof gin should freeze around -26.95° C or -16.51° F.
Add tonic cubes & wait.
I like Bombay Dry alright for GTs but usually keep it for martinis, especially dirty ones, and use Sapphire or Boodles instead. Also couldn’t agree more on the proper tonic water and it being cold and fresh, full of carbonation. And the ice, yeah, it’s worth bringing a bag home from the store rather than having to use that from a home icemaker. My G to T ratio is probably about 60/40.
Add a few splashes of bitters and thank me later.