Gin&Tonic – history and original recipe

It may seem incredible, but Gin&Tonic was born as a medicinal prescription! Who would suspect this origin behind one of the most iconic and beloved cocktails in the world of modern mixology?

Gin&Tonic history

In the 18th century, Scottish physician George Cleghorn discovered that quinine could cure malaria. Quinine is a compound synthesized from the bark of cinchona trees and was used as a medicine in countries where these trees were present.

Over the next century, British soldiers stationed in India drank gin diluted with tonic water to get their daily dose of quinine to ward off malaria.

Tonic water is in fact a carbonated drink that has a bitter aftertaste. It is one of the most used drinks for mixing cocktails, and is essentially made up of a variable combination of carbonated water, quinine and sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

“The Gin and Tonic has saved more English lives and minds than all the doctors in the Empire,” Winston Churchill once said.

And thanks to this statement by Churchill, the Gin and Tonic increased its popularity enormously during the 1900s. We are not afraid of being contradicted in claiming that it is certainly one of the ten most popular cocktails in the world!

Gin&Tonic preparation

Even if it is a simple cocktail, like all well-made drinks, you need to be very careful in its preparation, find the right balance between sweet and bitter and avoid it producing that annoying "syrupy" sensation in the mouth.

Well, get yourself a Highball, the tall cylindrical glass, some excellent gin and some quality tonic water. Follow the proportions in the recipe below and… you're done!

Gin&Tonic Ingredients:

1 part Gin

4 parts Tonic Water

1 lime slice (for garnish)

Ice

Preparation: fill the glass with ice. Pour the gin over the ice using a measuring cup. Pour the tonic water until the glass is full. Mix well and delicately to prevent the tonic from losing effervescence. Garnish with a lime wedge.

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