A G&T – or gin and tonic – is one of the simplest and enduring classic cocktails; however, what’s not as straight-forward is the ratio of gin to tonic. So how much gin goes into a gin and tonic? We’d say there’s no one-fits-answer for everyone. Read on to discover more about ratios and how much gin should really go into a gin and tonic.
In short, the general answer is 1:3 – so one part gin to three parts tonic water. This is a good amount of tonic water to bring out the best of the botanicals in the gin without diluting it too much. But it’s not an exact chemistry experiment; it’s about your taste preferences. If you’ve not had a G&T before, you might take more to a 1:4 ratio, making it a slightly less alcoholic drink to ease you into the taste of the gin.
On the flip side, if you’re here because you’re an experienced gin drinker and familiar with the botanicals in your gin or want to be adventurous and go for something a little stronger, try a 1:2 ratio. Your gin will absolutely sing!
Pre-chill your glass in the freezer if time permits. 15–20 minutes is ideal and adding in this “pre” step goes a long way to adding a chill factor to keep your G&T cooler for longer. You can use many different glass types for this. We’ve covered it in detail in an earlier blog post here. Our favourite glass, however, is probably a stemless tulip shape like the Plumm European Tulip Crystal Gin Glasses on our online store, which holds plenty of ice and allows the aromas of the cocktail to gather in the slightly narrowed top of the glass.
ICE
There’s nearly no such thing as too big when it comes to ice (okay, maybe a tennis ball size is too far, the glass will usually indicate the limit!). But the idea behind this is the larger the surface area of the ice chunk, the slower melt. This provides you with rapid cooling of your drink with the slowest ice melt to keep your G&T from tasting too watered down.
Usually, standard ice cube trays are too small to do this job effectively. Try our Megacube Ice Block Tray from our Gin Shop!
Choose a quality craft gin and take a moment to read the included botanicals as gin can taste wildly different to the next – it's one of the beauties about this type of spirit! There’s a gin for every taste. If you’re not yet a Garden Street Gin Club subscriber, or perhaps you’re a long-time subscriber and know all our previously featured gins, our Gin Shop has our favourites from past boxes all curated by us, so you know no matter what you prefer, they are all going to stand up to the job.
Measuring your gin here is key. Sometimes a happy pourer can add too much gin (yes, it pains us to say sometimes too much can spoil a good thing). If you’ve never used a jigger before, hear our praises and trust us when we say this simple tool takes all the guess work out of the maths and measuring. You just pour then tip into your glass. Try our Garden Street Jigger here.
Now pour in your desired ratio of tonic water as suggested above. Unsure about the best match for your gin? We have a myriad of tonic waters available for sale, too! You can click on one that appeals to you and read if the description sounds like a good pairing. Look for flavours that complement your gin botanicals or go for a dry tonic.
GARNISH
You can garnish your cocktail with a herb, fresh or dried citrus, or a slice of cucumber, although this list is not exhaustive – pair an ingredient featured in your gin’s botanicals and you can pull yourself off as a pro cocktail maker even if you’re not yet! We have various dehydrated fruits available to purchase, which make the perfect accompaniment to have on hand when all your limes have gone brown and rock hard in the fruit bowl (whoops!).
You can use a swizzle stick, or for something easily accessible, a butter knife will do in a pinch, too! The goal here is not to vigorously stir or else the tonic may lose some carbonation.
Now place on an awesome coaster, such as our favourite Garden Street cork coasters, and enjoy!
Try gins you won't find anywhere else, perfectly paired with tonics, garnish and other treats. For a complete distillery experience shipped straight to your door, a Garden Street Gin Club Subscription is the perfect gift that keeps giving every month!
LEARN MORE
This gin is a nod to you, our members. We’ve tasted hundreds of delicious Australian gins over the years and every year our tasting panel has the (really terrible) job of choosing their 12 favourite gins to share with you. It’s tough competition and they’re a very picky bunch!
Twelve months ago, we floated the idea of making something exclusively for our members; something one off and never to be repeated. It needed to be something for the collectors to add to their gin shelves and moreover, we had to make a product we were proud to share, and one delicious enough to get past our tasting panel!
