The Perfect Serve - G&T the Curio Way
Sipping perfection “ how to make the best g&t
It's a familiar story “ the quinine, malaria, the British Empire and a deceptively simple recipe “gin, tonic and lemon. But that historical heavyweight and national treasure “ the g&t “ has become tricksy and aloof as we've developed ever more sophisticated gins and ever more demanding palates. So what does constitute the perfect g&t?
Here at Curio Spirits, let's just say our gin-pertise' and quaffing qualifications make us rather well positioned to give you our top tips for the perfect malaria-busting tipple.
And here they are:
- The glass. Make it a wine glass. The bigger and wider the better the taste as most of your tasting will be done through your nose anyway.
- Make it all freezing. From tonic to glass, gin to, ah ice “ everything should be as cold as possible, just pop your glasses in the freezer for 15 “ 20 mins before quaffing.
- Stand firmly outside the box for your garnish. Too many of us slap in a squeeze of lemon or lime and leave it at that. Doh! Gins can be savoury, floral or dry. Our own is light and breezy, with hints of wild botanicals straight off the Cornish coast, as well as the subtle seaside taste of samphire. Experiment: try us with complementary savoury flavours such as basil, thyme, rosemary or a cherry tomato. Alternatively, bring out the florals with cucumber or grapefruit. Hey “why not mix and match? It's all down to personal taste. If you want throw in a curve ball “ try a twist or two of black pepper.
- The ratios for gin to tonic are often quoted as a 1:2 or a 1:3. Curio's Rock Samphire Gin is light and therefore can even be drunk straight with ice. If you want to make the pleasure last longer, then a 1: 2 ratio of gin to tonic would work best.
- Make the tonic the best it could possibly be. There are some lovely tonics out there on the market “ go for the best in individual glass bottles, so the fizz is fresh. Alternatively, a more cheaper brand in individual cans would do.
- To squeeze or not to squeeze? Curio is definitely not for squeezing. The wringing of lemons was originally used to hide the more bitter taste of cheaper gins. We've nothing to cover up, in fact, the exact opposite “ let the gin sing and just place your citrus into the glass to infuse.
- Pick the moment, the place and savour a cocktail that's been around since the 19th century. These days however, the g&t as it once was, is no more. We have more complex recipes, distilling techniques, palates and botanicals, not to mention tonics. And that complexity needs to be celebrated not smothered. Relax. It's g&t o'clock.