I honestly don’t know where to begin; but my love affair with the gin and tonic is undeniable.  It is the drink I can always fall back on.  I know it’s always going to be good and satisfying when it’s been a rough day or a long week.  I was unaware I even liked gin when I first started drinking it, which sounds much sketchier than it actually is.  At one of my favorite college bars, Good Time Charlie’s, my favorite drink to order was the Purple Rain Fishbowl: a 64oz mason jar of long island iced tea with gin that we would all split, except for my one friend and partner in crime, who couldn’t stand the taste of gin.  She made me realize the reason I loved the Purple Rain was because of the christmas tree liquor in the the drink.

After that, I began to seek out drinks with gin, and time and time again, I continued to order to the basic gin and tonic.  Simple, and clean, there is nothing not to like about a good ol’ G & T (unless of course you don’t like gin, which is truly sad and unfortunate).  Once I began exploring different kinds of gin, I had the best gin mentor a girl could ask for and he happens to be a 70 year-old man.  A good family friend, who is more like an uncle than a friend, also shares my love for the herbal-flavored liquor.  He was more than happy to share his favorite’s with me, even though we still disagree whether Hendrick’s or Bombay Sapphire is better.  This is how I can firmly claim that I have the palette of a 70 year old man when it comes to liquor; he introduced me Hendrick’s gin, extra dirty gin martinis, and good scotch and I loved them all, but more about that another time.

Back to gin and tonics.  Keep it simple, that’s what I think of when I think of a good gin and tonic:  insultingly simple, but dangerously addicitng.  While we don’t agree on what gin is best, every cocktail and gin lover has their own favorite.  Bombay Sapphire is my tried and true, but I love trying new and unusual gins.  Less well-known than Bombay Sapphire or Hendrick’s is Death’s Door Gin, made from juniper berries picked on Washington Island, Wisconsin with a very even flavor that is wonderful in a gin and tonic.  Another favorite discovery of mine is The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, made in Islay, Scotland and flavored only with the botanicals found on the island, which I read about in Bon Appetite and then happened to stumble upon on the liquor store shelf.  I like to use Death’s Door or The Botanist when I want a more mild mannered gin and tonic and I go for the Sapphire when I feel like a Christmas tree in a glass; it just depends on my mood.

Gin and Tonic | makes 1 drink

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 1 oz Bradley’s Kina Tonic
• 1 dash of cardamom bitters, optional
• Soda or seltzer water
• 1 lime wedge

Fill an old fashion glass with ice and pour the gin over the ice.  If using the Kina tonic, add tonic to the glass.  Also, if you choose to add bitters, do so before adding the soda (or tonic water).  Cardamom bitters has the flavor molecule limonene, so it enhances the natural citrus flavors of the gin, as well as the lime wedge.  Aromatic bitters will also enhance the flavor of the gin and tonic, but be sure to not have a heavy hand when adding the bitters, because they can be over powering.  I recommend Scrappy’s Bitters, which can be found at Total Wine and More. Then fill the glass with seltzer water.  If you do not have Kina Tonic, no worries!  A couple of my favorite tonic waters are Q Tonic and Fever Tree Tonic, both are small batch tonics that can be found at most grocery stores.  If you are using a tonic water, simple fill the old fashion glass with the tonic water after adding the gin.  Garnish with a lime wedge and serve!  I like my gin and tonics with a lot of citrus, so I like to add a little extra lime juice.  Simple and delicious!