Gin and Tonic

Santa Fe Spirits: Wheeler’s G&T

(Gin and Tonic)

The G&T is another one of those drinks where London Dry style gin has reigned supreme far and wide.  Wheeler’s gin makes an excellent one however, and it’s really just the need to walk your inexperienced friends through this the experience of a craft gin that isn’t trying to be like Bombay Sapphire in a more fancy-schmancy bottle.

No look into a craft gin would be complete without a look at the Gin and Tonic.  Keeping with the mantra of garbage in = garbage out, we have gone to great normal lengths to ensure that we don’t corrupt the final product with one bad ingredient in a sea of otherwise awesome stuff.  The G & T need not be over-complicated, but it is important to remember to keep both hands on the wheel when making a proper one.

Now we’ll admit that we’ve violated that mantra in the past once or twice and have had one bad ingredient slum down an otherwise higher level drink, but we’re trying to minimize that happening in the future.  If you’d like to help, um ...send us booze (or whatever). 





So what we’re using is

Gin:  You need a gin that’s made well, but doesn’t necessarily have to be one particular style.  Anything from super-dry to very fragrant can work, as long as it’s something you like.  Mass produced gins have an advantage of being consistent year to year, but often lack depth, character, and sometimes they’re just crap.  Craft and micro distilled runs often have much more complexity, can be of stellar quality, but can sometimes vary from batch to batch.  We are once again using Wheeler's Gin from Santa Fe Spirits. 
Tonic Water:  First is first;  No High Fructse Corn Syrup.  That’s non-negotiable.  With its distinct flavor coming from Quinine extracted from the bark of the Cinchona tree, it was once drank to prevent malaria and tasted so bad, that gin was added as a mixer to make it go down easier.  While the U.S. government severely limits the amount of Quinine that can be in tonic water (because it can give you poor little babies a tummy ache), you can cross the border to get some Canadian stuff, or you can try making your own.  While it’s difficult to poison yourself with Quinine, it’s not impossible, so take care if you try to do this.
Lime:  Traditional G&T recipes often call for an actual squeeze of lime or lemon juice to go into the drink rather than just serve as a garnish.  We got these limes from some organic hippie-market, so we hope you’re happy.
Ice:  In your mixology adventures, you should always treat ice as an ingredient.  It’s important to realize that no matter what, it is gonna melt in there and become part of the thing.  So waters that a have funk to them (whether it’s the bad kind of the good kind of funk) should probably be avoided, as those elements will make its way into whatever you’re mixing.  We get to use NYC water, which is better than yours.












See Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy in the Stormy Orchard (a variation on the Dark n Stormy).

















Ta-daaaaa!