Gin & Tonic! How do you like it?

Raymond Tilney said:
Tom,
I think it would be true to say that whilst I really enjoy GnT I am not really that keen on Gin.
I have also tried to get to grips with Martini’s but never really enjoyed them.
I suspect that by the time I have an artisan gin with a chosen tonic with some garnish over iceballs it is a long cocktail rather than a spirit with mixer?
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A mixed drink rather than a long cocktail, if one enjoys pedantry in these matters, which I certainly do!
I very much enjoy in hot weather a Java Fizz, which is a G&T with the juice of a lime added.
I'm trying to think of a mixer I actually enjoy. Freshly squeezed orange juice is pretty nice, except curiously with Campari, which needs Britvic.
Even the best colas, lemonades and ginger beers are spoiled for me by the addition of booze, but I think I might enjoy a gin and orange in the next day or three, it's been decades!
 
Yesterday I picked up a bottle of UKIYO Tokyo Dry. It’s built on a classic London Dry base but infused with Japanese botanicals like mikan, sakura, yuzu and sansho. Mixed with my usual Schweppes Slimline it did taste surprisingly sweet. The mikan brings soft mandarin fruit, the sakura adds a perfumed almost candied note and even the sansho seems to mellow rather than spice things up. It all leans towards the sweet end of the spectrum. I can see it suiting someone who likes their gin with lemonade but I still prefer the bitter edge of Indian tonic. That yuzu note though is bright and sharp & a real highlight- something I’ve never come across in a wine. I'll try it with a full fat tonic later this evening and see it it improves it.
 
PhilWilkins said:
I picked up a bottle of UKIYO Tokyo Dry.
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As a follow-up to my earlier post, I tried the UKIYO Tokyo Dry with Fever Tree Premium Indian tonic yesterday - it was the only cold full fat tonic had in a 150ml tin. Definitely a better match than the Slimline. The fuller, slightly sweeter tonic softened the overall profile and made the drink feel more balanced although it did mute some of the more delicate botanicals - the mikan and sakura in particular were harder to pick out. That said the yuzu still shone through with a bright almost zesty sharpness that really lifts the finish. The juniper is very subtle. It’s a distinctive gin that still leans sweet and floral overall but the Indian tonic gives it more structure and weight. I’m not sure it’ll become a go-to for me but it’s interesting especially for those curious about Japanese botanicals in a gin context.
 
PhilWilkins said:
As a follow-up to my earlier post, I tried the UKIYO Tokyo Dry with Fever Tree Premium Indian tonic yesterday - it was the only cold full fat tonic had in a 150ml tin. Definitely a better match than the Slimline. The fuller, slightly sweeter tonic softened the overall profile and made the drink feel more balanced although it did mute some of the more delicate botanicals - the mikan and sakura in particular were harder to pick out. That said the yuzu still shone through with a bright almost zesty sharpness that really lifts the finish. The juniper is very subtle. It’s a distinctive gin that still leans sweet and floral overall but the Indian tonic gives it more structure and weight. I’m not sure it’ll become a go-to for me but it’s interesting especially for those curious about Japanese botanicals in a gin context.
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I bought this for Debbi as a part of her Christmas present.
Have yet to find a tonic to go with it.
Any suggestions?
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I’ve not tried that Ki No Bi (is that some sort of odd Japanese Star Wars gin reference Ray?) but looking at the botanicals like green tea/slightly spiced kinome/bamboo I’d be tempted to skip a bitter tonic no matter how much I like the ultra clean Slimline. A good/premium soda water will let those those delicate flavours come through more cleanly from small bottles/tins although soda waters can vary quite a bit in texture/fizz so it’s worth trying a few.
 
Thom Blach said:
I'm surprised you can tolerate the artificial sweeteners, Phil.
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Haha - fair comment! It’s worth adding though that compared to something like Pepsi Max/Diet Lemonade/CocoCola etc, Indian Tonic Water uses far less sweetener/sugar overall. It’s more about softening the quinine’s bitter bite rather than sweetening the whole drink meaning the artificial stuff certainly isn’t front and centre flavour wise - unless you’re really hunting for it of course.

I totally get that sweeteners aren’t for everyone and I’ve heard they may affect the taste of a drink. But in an icy cold G&T with the right gin, I really don’t mind them. Even less so with a fussy garnish to mask things further! Or maybe I’ve just trained my palate to make peace with it.

By the way, I’ve got a new gin called HYKE Gin ‘Saved Grape’ (it comes in a recycled aluminium bottle). I’m working on a note, and so far the Slimline doesn’t pair well with it at all!
 
HYKE Gin ‘Saved Grape’ might come in a tin bottle that looks like it belongs in a camping kit but what’s inside is far more civilised. Made from rescued table grapes with the usual botanicals and picked up for just £14/70cl in a sale. The grape spirit gives it a rounded feel, almost vermouth-like in texture and there’s no jangle of harsh botanicals or sugar. Just a light, clean finish with a nip of orange peel and the faintest grip of grape skin.

In a G&T it brings soft citrus/touch of spice/rounded vermouth-like texture but only if you pair it with a proper tonic like full fat Indian tonic water (depending on the brand you choose). The ultra clean low fat Indian makes it taste like bathwater (I don’t know why). It’s not a showy gin but it’s clean, calm and quietly classy and for the money frankly brilliant. 40%vol 89pts - depending on your mixer/blend ratio which makes a score ridiculous, so how about a ‘not bad but would only repurchase at £14, not £28’?
 
In my limited wanderings through gins over the last decade I've come to the conclusion that if I can taste anything much beyond juniper I dislike it. This can be anything from the soapy-citrus of Bombay Sapphire (in fact any fruit at all) through spices to overly herbal aromatics (I can occasionally tolerate the latter). I also like tonic water and prefer it as plain and dry as possible. Thirdly I like juniper a lot but find to get a good juniper hit I end up with an unpalatably strong drink. So now I use bog standard Tanqueray/ Plymouth/ Tarquin's basic gin, Fevertree normal tonic, one slice of lime and, horrors of horrors, a drop or two of juniper essence. Also, and I've only a very subjective opinion on this, I shake the lime, gin and juniper together with ice, strain into the glass, add the tonic carefully then put the ice in which seems to keep the fizz better.
 
Extensive article on Gins in the Guardian (free) today: The best gins for G&Ts, martinis and negronis, from our taste test of 50

I quite fancy trying the Bullards Coastal gin, with samphire. The idea of a salty gin has never occurred to me before. Lots of unusual ones referenced in the article.

Not sure about the "sustainable" word that is so often used now. Bullards sell a bottle for life £45 and then refill pouches which are £40. With that price differential I doubt many would bother. The author wonders why more manufacturers don't do it. The answer I surmise is consumers are only convinced by significant savings.
 
Good grief!!!! So this Guardian reporter reckons the thin, non-complex but yes, accessible Gordon’s Special Dry is the best London Dry gin on test for a G&T? I am astonished. Absolutely, utterly, genuinely floored. I’m always handed a Gordon’s and tonic when I visit the olds and of course I smile and drink what I’m given, but really? Out of all the gins out there that’s the one they crown? It’s functional, yes, but it’s about as emotionally stirring as a lukewarm cuppa. No depth, no grip, no real citrus lift or spice. Just a flat vaguely perfumed vehicle for tonic water. Let’s not forget they dropped the ABV to a paltry 37.5% in the UK years ago for tax reasons. So what used to be a bold, juniper-led benchmark just quietly fizzled into mediocrity. That move, for me, marked the beginning of the brand’s long decline from iconic to irrelevant. Honestly, I’m still trying to process it. That said, the Bullards Coastal does sound intriguing. I’ve never tried a salty gin but samphire could really add some cut and interest to a G&T (depending on the tonic!). As for the “sustainable” refill idea I’m all for it in principle but with only a fiver difference from the full bottle I doubt many will bite. Thanks to AJ for the link - even if I’m now slightly traumatised by the results.
 
Yes, I agree Phil. I posted it because the Bullards was a new one on me and so was the limited Edition Emma Watson one. I've ordered a couple of bottles of each. The Bullards is intriguing. I use foraged samphire a lot on my menus (including lat night) and a salty, minerally kick could work very well with a quality gin.

Gordons is still popular because it's well known and often on offer. It's hopeless but better than Bombay Sapphire in its current iteration. BS is capable of spoiling a good G&T.
 
The modern gin revival in the UK only really kicked off from the late 1990s/early 2000s (so it’s still fairly new) after decades dominated by big brands like Gordon’s and Beefeater. Back then strict licensing laws made it tough for small distillers to get going. Hendrick’s appeared in 1999 and changed the game. It wasn’t a small craft distillery - it came from William Grant & Sons - but it felt fresh, with its cucumber and rose petal botanicals and quirky packaging. It opened the door to new ideas about what gin could be. Then in just 2009, Sipsmith won the right to operate a small still in London which really paved the way for the craft gin boom that followed, bringing experimentation and a wave of regional styles.

At the same time, many classic gins - including Gordon’s - dropped their alcohol content from around 40% to the legal minimum of 37.5% in the UK and EU. That change, driven partly by regulation and partly by commercial decisions made these gins feel thinner, lighter, and less intense than before. The lower ABV means less body, less warmth and often less flavour, which contributes to the functional but uninspiring reputation some of these older brands now carry. This context helps explain why the rise of bolder, stronger, more characterful gins felt like such a breath of fresh air and for once, nothing to do with global warming.

So it’s a bit odd that The Guardian’s 2025 tasting still calls Hendrick’s the “most unusual gin.” (as is the Gordon’s Dry the best London Dry gin on their test)". Sure... Hendricks was unusual back in 1999 but today it’s more of a classic oddity than a boundary-pusher. As AJ noted in the thread, Bullards Coastal was new to him too and he’s keen to try it alongside that Emma Watson family French edition (which does sound interesting) - but goes the article goes on to point out that *her* 'Best coastal gin' is the Edinburgh Gin Seaside which I've posted previously their 'classic' is one to add to my goto blends now. I suspect Gordon’s remains popular mainly because it’s familiar and often on offer not because it’s anything special in the glass. Give me something in a similar style and price point like Greenall’s any day over Gordon's.
 
Apologies in advance for the photography to @PhilWilkins
But a couple of tweaks to the usual Hendrick’s&Tonic regime.
London Essence instead of the usual Britvic in a bottle.
Debbi’s home grown cucumber! Replacing the Waitrose Midi ones from Spain.
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Edit to add:
This was more than a bit clunky.
Even for me a bit too far away from the core GnT.
The seeds in the homegrown cucumber were annoying and the skin was quite sour.
Perhaps just a sliver next time.
 
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Has anyone tried the TWS Gin High Strength? It seems quite reasonably priced at £24/70cl with its 50%ABV (oddly in between the 'normal' 40% & 'Navy' 57%) made through a third party?
 
PhilWilkins said:
Has anyone tried the TWS Gin High Strength? It seems quite reasonably priced at £24/70cl with its 50%ABV (oddly in between the 'normal' 40% & 'Navy' 57%) made through a third party?
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I tried it Phil,
IIRC @Thom Blach is a fan and hence me giving it a whirl.
I think it best for those who would like their Gins strong and straight.
I found it a bit coarse and not as enjoyable as the Four Pillars, Plymouth or Old Raj Navy strength versions.
 
I like it very much- I'd call it straightforward(for me very much a gin virtue) rather than coarse. It's not as good as the outstanding Plymouth version, certainly, but it's a good bit less expensive even after the latest price hike, which however does take it into a region in which one might as well trade up.
On reflection I like my gin drinks to give me a good whack on the head rather than a gentle caress and I suspect Ray's preference is diametrically opposed!
 
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Which Plymouth gin are you both referring to? The standard or the Navy Strength? I’ve always had a soft spot for both although I haven’t bought a bottle in years. Not quite sure why as I really enjoyed them. Back then I wasn’t exploring different tonics like I do now, and I drank far fewer spirits overall.
 
I recently had the Plymouth Navy Gin (57%) with Fever Tree full fat tonic. Tasting the gin on its own resulted in me thinking of Lavender and Rosemary herb tones of the kind one might experience in a lavatorial air freshener, but the tonic calmed it down a lot and it was surprisingly smooth.
 
PhilWilkins said:
Which Plymouth gin are you both referring to? The standard or the Navy Strength? I’ve always had a soft spot for both although I haven’t bought a bottle in years. Not quite sure why as I really enjoyed them. Back then I wasn’t exploring different tonics like I do now, and I drank far fewer spirits overall.
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The Navy. VVG, as is the 'normal'.
 
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