Description

A classic gin and tonic (also known as a G&T) balances gin’s vibrant flavor with bittersweet, effervescent tonic water, a carbonated soft drink flavored with quinine. Quinine (a bitter-flavored powder derived from cinchona bark) was originally used as a fever remedy and treatment for malaria. Too bitter to take on its own, the powder was paired with sugar and soda water to help it go down easier.

As with many two-ingredient cocktails, a gin and tonic can be bright and zesty, light and refreshing, or sweet and bitter—all depending on the quality of its ingredients. Some tonic water brands are very sweet while others are dry with a more pronounced bitterness. When it comes to gin, most are flavored with juniper, coriander and citrus. However, you can also run into gin flavored with florals, fruits, herbs and spices of all sorts.