Our love for a g&t is going nowhere and if you're a bit bored of a classic version, you've come to the right place.
Nowadays, thanks to everyone’s increased interest in the tipple, we’re becoming more vested in exploring quirky and unusual flavours, as well as creating fun gin-based cocktails.
And summer is the perfect time (and excuse) to hone in on our bartending skills…
For inspiration on how to jazz up your next tipple we spoke to six mixologists and drinks experts to find out what they love to do to add a summer twist to their gin and tonic.
1. Play about with garnishes
“The best way to spice up a G&T is to play around with garnishes,” says Michael Stringer, drinks expert and Managing Director of BlackLeaf events.
“A garnish can change the whole flavour profile of your drink and make it suitable for all season.”
While Michael’s wintry go-to garnishes are star anise and cinnamon, he loves pink grapefruit and lemon in the summer.
“Fill a large copa glass with plenty of ice and add 50ml of London Dry Gin, 200ml of tonic water (I prefer London Essence Co.) and garnish with a wedge of pink grapefruit and a lemon wheel. Easy!"
2. Think long-term
"I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ever had a moment of preparing a tall and refreshing glass of gin and tonic, but only to find that I'm all out of citrus fruits to jazz up the taste?," says Melanie Giandzi on the food & drink testing team here at Good Housekeeping.
"That's where these genius little cocktail elements by Linden Leaf come in handy. Available in a trio of lemon, lime and orange, these high quality garnish sprays for cocktails will give you an authentically fresh citrus flavour to your drink and the 20ml spray bottles will last for over 80 drinks."
3. Get green-fingered
If you love gin, you should be looking to your garden for inspiration, according to Portobello Road Gin’s ambassador, Paul Gillan.
“Fresh herbs, edible flowers and fruits all make wonderful garnishes and are easy to grown at home,” Paul told us. “For a more savoury serve, why not add rosemary, basil or thyme to your G&T? Aromatic and herbaceous, they can even be grown in the humblest of window boxes.”
4. Go bananas
“For our summer menu, I wanted to create a cocktail that instantly evokes the feeling of being on a Caribbean island,” says cocktail maestro Salvatore Calabrese from the Donovan Bar at Brown’s.
“We re-distilled gin with dried banana and cacao to create a subtle tropical essence then added a small amount of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto (a bergamot-infused aperitivo) with tonic water to give it a citrusy freshness.”
Sound too much for you? Try our DIY homemade pineapple and coconut gin instead. The tropical flavours are sure to make you feel as though you’re lying on a palm-fringed beach.
5. Add some elderflower
If you’re not wanting to go too crazy, you can’t beat a splash of elderflower cordial to a G&T.
“This is a super easy and quick way to add a summery twist to a gin and tonic,” says Scott McVittie from Skylight Rooftop bar. “I like to make a classic G&T, add a splash of elderflower cordial, then garnish with fresh cranberries.”
6. Lots and lots of ice
There’s nothing worse than a warm gin and tonic, so serve with lots of ice for the perfect temperature, says Ion Volosciuc from Devonshire Club.
“Always serve it with an ice block, and garnish it with grapefruit zest and fresh basil,” he says. “This makes a G&T even more refreshing on a hot day.”
Happy ginning!
Please drink responsibly.
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Vicky is our Food & Drink Director, where she oversees strategy and content across all of Hearst's brands, from recipe development to fun video franchises and everything in between.
With almost a decade's experience, Vicky was previously Editor of Delish UK, and Digital Food Editor of Good Housekeeping and she lives and breathes food content creation.
Outside of work, Vicky loves learning about wine, eating her way around the world, and hanging out with her dog Pickle.
Mel is the Senior Food & Drink Writer for Good Housekeeping UK, covering all the delicious new product launches that come her way, writing about food and drink topics, and curating gift guides for the best foodie products to buy. Alongside that, she can be found developing and creating cocktails for GH and holds her WSET Level 2 in Wine and Spirits. She was part of the Good Housekeeping Institute food testing team for over four years before moving over to the digital side, so knows a thing or two about great food products. You'll find her scouring the supermarket shelves in her spare time for new and exciting ingredients to experiment with in her kitchen.
