Mixing it up with gin

Portobello Road

“I think people are still of the mind-set of adding too much citrus juice, whether this be a large squeeze of lime or lemon, to this wonderful beverage.

“As we know gin and tonic are both made from parts of plants. Now that we are using premium quality gins and premium tonic waters these citrus juices can mask some of these delicate flavours and something more subtle is often the answer. We suggest a twist of pink grapefruit for Portobello Road gin and tonics, this brings out some of the citrus notes and the elegant sweetness of the liquorice.”

– Jake Burger, director,

Portobello Road Gin.

Blackwoods

• Bhetland Storm

50ml Blackwoods gin

3 cucumber slices

15ml rosemary syrup

10ml lime juice

25ml tonic

Splash of soda

Rosemary sprig

Lime wedge

Cubed ice

Method

Muddle the cucumber, rosemary syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with cubed ice. Add Blackwoods gin and shake. Strain into a highball glass, add tonic and top with soda. Garnish with rosemary sprig and lime wedge.

“It’s important to get the basics right before experimenting. A classic gin and tonic is a very clean, fresh serve, but it’s also surprisingly easy to serve badly, or at least indifferently. Operators need to be careful with flavoured tonic waters when stocking multiple gin brands, ensuring that the flavours complement rather than compete with the botanicals.”

– Dan Bolton, managing director, Hi-Spirits.

Whitley Neill

• King Solomon’s Cooler

1 ½ shots of Whitley Neill gin

2 shots of pressed English apple juice

Traditional lemonade

Glass: Highball

Method

Squeeze one wedge of lemon and one wedge of lime into a tall glass. Add ice, gin and apple juice. Top up with lemonade.

– James Wright,
head of spirits and agency brands,
Halewood International.

Gordon Castle

“We advise serving Gordon Castle gin with Fever-Tree tonic and garnishing with mint and a slice of lemon and lime.

“We think it’s important to experience the essence of the serve, where possible, first hand. For example, when introducing mint as an accompaniment to our gin, which isn’t a standard serve, we encourage outlets to have fresh mint and even lavender plants on the bar so customers can connect with the botanicals used in the ingredients.

“We like to encourage this sort of interaction with our unique blend of botanicals to everyone who works with our gin – even our distributors come and walk round the Gordon Castle walled garden to breathe in the herbs and plants used in the gin as they grow.”

– Angus Gordon Lennox, Gordon Castle Gin.