Gin and tonic- an alcoholic cocktail, which contains two main ingredients (gin and tonic), as well as lime and ice (see photo). The ratio of the main ingredients differs depending on the recipe, but mostly it is 1: 1 or 1: 3.

The history of the emergence of this alcoholic drink is associated with British soldiers who were in India. In the 19th century, quinine tonic was very popular among them; it was given to soldiers so that they did not contract malaria. This drink tasted very bitter. To make it more palatable, the tonic began to be mixed with gin, which was also popular at the time. The lime, which the soldiers used to eat the drink, saved them from scurvy.

This cocktail was so liked by the British soldiers, and then by civilians, that the phrase "gin and tonic" began to be perceived not as a cocktail, but as a full-fledged independent drink.

Today, an alcoholic product called "gin and tonic" is also produced, although it has nothing to do with the traditional cocktail.

The factory drink is a drinking alcohol flavored with lemon and juniper. Such a product has no useful properties and negatively affects the liver.

Much less quinine is added to the modern tonic, and sweeteners are also added. “Gin and Tonic” is no longer a medicine, but just a delicious cocktail. He has a refreshing and tonic effect, it is recommended to drink it during the hot season.

Gin and tonic composition

This cocktail, as already mentioned, consists of an alcoholic drink of gin and a medicinal quinine tonic.

Gin is a strong drink that is obtained by distilling alcohol with an infusion of juniper berries. Sometimes gin is also called "juniper vodka". For making a cocktail you only need to buy good gin, since a low-quality one will have a less pronounced aroma, which will be reflected in the taste of the original product.

The tonic also plays an important role: the aroma and flavor of the cocktail depend on it. When choosing a tonic, you need to pay attention to its composition, in which natural quinine must be present... There are tonics that contain a flavoring agent that gives the drink an unpleasant aftertaste.

Before making a cocktail, always put the tonic in the refrigerator, as it will spoil the taste of gin and tonic when warm.

Traditionally, a glass with a cocktail is decorated with a slice of lime or lemon, citrus fruits with a light zest and a pleasant smell are chosen.

How to do it at home?

To prepare a classic gin and tonic, you will need 100 ml of gin, 200 ml of tonic, lemon or lime, ice. Ice is first put into a tall glass, gin is poured, then the specified amount of tonic is added, if desired, its amount can be increased to 300 ml. The glass is decorated with a lime wedge.

You can also make a gin and tonic using a different recipe. Unlike the previous one, in this case the cocktail glasses are pre-chilled... Use tall, thick-bottomed glasses. Then put ice on the bottom of the glass, pour 1 part of chilled gin, 1 part of tonic, add a little lime or lemon juice. Drink the cocktail immediately after preparation, while it is cold.

In order for the drink to turn out especially harmonious, you can use the cunning of the bartenders. First, they squeeze a little lime or lemon juice into the glass, and then rub the inner walls of the glass with the same slice: this way the drink becomes more aromatic.

How to drink?

The cocktail is drunk from tall chilled glasses. It is recommended to take a glass with thick walls so that the drink maintains the desired temperature longer.

Gin and tonic are served chilled, it is an excellent thirst quencher.

Gin and tonic is drunk in small sips through a straw.

Gin and tonic harm and contraindications

The drink can harm the body with individual intolerance to its components, as well as with excessive use. It is not recommended for children, pregnant and lactating women, people with chronic diseases.

Factory gin and tonic is a very dangerous product for the body. Regular use of it causes alcoholism, as well as liver damage.

Gin and tonic was created in British India in the 18th century. In order not to contract malaria and scurvy, the soldiers drank tonic as a medicine - a mixture of water, the bitter alkaloid quinine and lime.

The bitterness was removed by adding juniper vodka to the tonic. Over time, this cocktail has become more popular than each of the drinks taken separately.

What is gin and tonic

This is a low-alcohol cocktail consisting of strong grain alcohol with spicy herbs, tonic - bitter-sour invigorating soda, citrus fruits - lemon or lime, and ice.

Initially, drinking gin and tonic was invented as a medicine for malaria. Quinine makes the drink extremely bitter, so gin was added to soften this bitterness. The composition of the medical tonic included and still includes carbonated water and a large amount of quinine. In addition to them, sweeteners are added to the drinking option: sugar, corn syrup or synthetic sweeteners.

In mass production at distilleries, rectified ethyl alcohol with juniper and is added to the cocktail. In such cocktails, against the background of the tonic, the alcoholic aftertaste is not so strongly felt, and the drink itself is inexpensive. But it is much more interesting to make a cocktail at home.

Composition and proportions

To make a good cocktail, you need to select quality ingredients in advance for mixing. The most important components of the drink are gin and tonic; the correct choice of both alcohol base and soda is extremely important for a cocktail. The best choice would be British Beefeater, or if not, Hendrick's (Scottish version with Bulgarian rose and cucumber extracts), Plymouth Gin (cardamom, orange) or Bombay Sapphire (almonds, coriander, violet and angelica roots).

Alcohol of the Gordon’s brand does not work well with quinine in the tonic: when mixed, you will clearly feel an alcoholic taste, and the bitterness will only become stronger.

But if you are not a sophisticated connoisseur of the shades of alcoholic aroma, any kind of such alcohol will do for a start. As an experiment, you can take the Dutch jenever - this is one of the recognized types of gin. Non-classical, but original and pleasant option.

Tonic is an extremely important drink for a cocktail. Imported European Schweppes (best British) or American Evervess and. It is better not to use Russian-made drinks of the same name: they have a too strong and harsh synthetic taste.

There are no uniform requirements for the cocktail recipe, the components are mixed depending on the client's taste in several ratios: the proportions are most often 1: 2 (1 part gin, 2 parts tonic). In less strong cocktails, a ratio of 1: 3 is recommended, and in stronger ones - 1: 1 or 2: 3.

How to do it at home

The classic recipe for the Gin and Tonic cocktail includes the following ingredients:

• 100 ml tonic;
• 50 ml gin;
• 2 thin slices of lemon or lime;
• 100 g ice.

The tonic is prepared in tall, thick-bottomed cocktail glasses (highballs). Take such a glass and fill it a third with ice. Then slowly pour in the gin. After half a minute, the ice will crackle, which means it's time to add the tonic. Pour it in, then squeeze the juice of the lime wedge into a glass, and put the second on the edge of the vessel for decoration.

For stronger lovers, there is another way to make a gin and tonic: at home, you need to take 150 ml of one and the other drink for it, as well as 2 lime wedges.

It is prepared in the same way as the classic one, but without ice. In this case, the drink turns out to be strong and bitter. To soften its taste, shake the toner bottle several times and let the gas escape. Due to its high strength, this cocktail option should not be consumed too often.

For those who are used to drinking the drink in one gulp, you can prepare a shot:

• 20 ml gin;
• 40 ml tonic;
• a few drops of lemon or lime juice.

You need to mix such a short cocktail in a small glass for.

The original Hendrick's Scottish gin with cucumber extract can also be mixed according to a special recipe:

• 50 ml of Hendrick's gin;
• 100 ml tonic;
• ice cubes;
• cucumber.

Cut a cucumber into thin slices, fill the glass evenly with cucumber and ice cubes to the top. Then pour in the gin and almost to the brim with the tonic. Shake the glass slightly before drinking.

How to drink neat and diluted

There are more than just tonic cocktails that are blended according to the standard recipe. You can drink gin in 3 more ways:

1. In its purest form. In this case, gin chilled to + 4 ... + 6 ° C is served before meals. In its pure form, gin produces a cold, metallic sensation on the tongue. It awakens appetite well and cheers up. Citrus fruits, olives and even pickled onions can be used as a snack.
2. Dilute with soft drinks. To do this, it must be mixed with other drinks: juices and nectars (preferably orange, lemon, you can take grapefruit juice), plain soda water, soda or cola. There are no exact proportions when diluting the drink, so the drinker adjusts the strength of the drink at his own discretion.
3. Dilute with alcohol. This option is closer to cocktails. Gin goes well with other types of alcohol: both weak - or liqueur, and with small portions of vodka. It is best to mix them in equal parts, and in the case of spirits, add a little more gin.

Harm and contraindications

Any alcohol causes harm to the body, regardless of the proportions, strength and volume of alcohol consumed. The main factor affecting the degree of harm is age: a less robust teenager's body reacts to alcohol much faster and takes longer to recover, even if the external symptoms of intoxication have already passed. Moreover, they even cause addiction, and the volume of cocktails drunk will be higher due to the low degree.

Factory-made ready-made cocktails, which can be bought in the supermarket, hit the body systems much harder. They contain not only the listed ingredients, but also chemical enhancers of taste and aroma, sweeteners, dyes and preservatives. The combination of sugar and alcohol increases the harm: alcohol increases the concentration of sugar, and sugar facilitates the absorption of alcohol into the blood.

Of the internal organs, the liver, kidneys and stomach are the most affected. The liver has to process ethanol, its breakdown products and all the chemicals that make up the drink. A large amount of ethanol with frequent use of gin and tonic does not have time to be processed in the liver and accumulates in it, which leads to cirrhosis. The same thing happens with the kidneys.

Alcohol, especially if you drink it on an empty stomach, suffers from the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum. Frequent drinking is fraught with gastritis and can lead to ulcers, the advanced stages of which can only be treated with surgery.

The higher the quality of the alcohol and the more natural the ingredients, the less harmful effects on human health. Therefore, a drink made at home with the right gin tonic is relatively safe. However, you always need to remember about a sense of proportion and take care of your own health.

The gin and tonic drink appeared on the shelves of our stores relatively recently - in 2000. An unusual low-alcohol cocktail immediately attracted the attention of young people and instantly gained popularity for its pleasant mint flavor and puffing gazes.

But few of the lovers of cute tin cans wondered if Gin Tonic is so harmless and can everyone use it? What effect does this popular low-alcohol cocktail have on the body?

Factory Gin Tonic Poses Health Risks

This drink was originally created to combat malaria and scurvy among British soldiers in the 18th century. During the military West Indies campaign, the British military leaders faced a large-scale problem. The soldiers began a global infection with malaria, and soon scurvy joined the organisms weakened by the infection.

In those dark times, there was only one way to defeat an unpleasant disease - to use quinine. Doctors made a tincture from quinine, which was given the name "Tonic". The bitter and repulsive liquid did not suit the taste of the soldiers, and they all refused to accept it.

The history of the creation of Gin and Tonic began during the West Indian campaign.

Shrewd healers came up with a way to make people drink a bitter, but necessary medicine - they began to mix the gin, the most popular in those days, into the tonic. This alcoholic innovation was to the taste, and the problem with malaria and scurvy was resolved. The soldiers found the best snack for the new medicine - they began to eat it with lemons and limes.

After the end of the military campaign, the invented medicine remained a favorite drink, migrating from the battlefields to peaceful cities. Soon it began to be perceived as an independent cocktail, and not as a medicinal liquid.

Modern alcoholic drink gin tonic

Although you can find a low-alcohol drink under the same name in stores, it can only be classified as a traditional healing cocktail. If a classic drink contains gin + tonic (one part) and lemon / lime + ice (one or three parts), then the composition of the factory cocktail includes the following ingredients:

• quinine;
• caffeine;
• preservatives;
• carbon dioxide;
• sweeteners;
• ethanol;
• flavors;
• flavor enhancers;
• aroma stimulants;
• chemical additives.

If we ask modern physicians what a gin and tonic is, we will get an unambiguous answer - this is a slow death. Some of the chemical additives of the popular canned cocktail are dangerous carcinogens, gradually destroying internal organs and incapacitating all indicators of the body.

The composition of the factory Gin-Tonic is far from the true cocktail recipe.

One can of Gin-Tonic drunk is equivalent to 4-5 cups of the strongest coffee, a few lumps of sugar and 50-60 gr. vodka of average quality.

Some of the additives that make up the modern quinine cocktail are banned in some European countries. Studies have shown that they often cause the growth of malignant cells and lead to cancer.

Why is a factory cocktail dangerous?

Passion for the popular drink, which glitters temptingly on the shelves of the markets, leads to dire consequences. To begin with, the favorite release of a cocktail in cans aggravates the negative effect of carcinogenic components on the body.

This material is not intended for storage of alcohol-containing products! Plus, according to the technology, sugar is also included in the drink. The mixture of sugar and alcohol becomes truly hellish in its negative effects.... What is suffering?

Liver... The unfortunate body has to deal with the processing of not only ethanol, but also sugar, which complicates its work. With the regular use of the factory Gin-Tonic, the liver does not withstand the load and fails. The consequences are sad and tragic, up to the failure of the organ and the development of cirrhosis.

The chemical ingredients included in factory cocktails cause irreparable damage to all internal organs.

Stomach... It is also extremely negatively affected by the ingress of ethanol mixed with various carcinogenic additives and preservatives. There is a constant irritation of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Not far off are gastritis, ulcers and numerous disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

Heart... Another organ that is intolerant of alcohol, especially when mixed with sugar and chemical additives. Immediately after drinking a factory cocktail, a person's pulse rises sharply, a significant increase in blood pressure occurs. The rhythm of contractions of the heart organ accelerates, which leads to tachycardia and rapid wear of this vital organ.

Brain... The cells of the brain also suffer. Due to a persistent violation of blood flow, the brain activity of a person decreases. If you drink too much of the factory Gin-Tonic at once, the brain cells begin to die off in a person.

Allergy... The abundance of preservatives often leads to the development of allergic reactions. The lover of the factory Gin-Tonic often has the following symptoms:

• swelling;
• itchy skin;
• peeling;
• redness of the skin.

In especially severe cases, the development of anaphylactic shock is even noted. This is the strongest allergic reaction of the body to the received allergens in large quantities. Such a reaction develops within 10-12 minutes. It can be fatal.

Artificial flavors added to canned Gin Tonic are often highly allergic

You can endlessly list the internal organs and systems of the body, which will be guaranteed to suffer from the constant use of the purchased Gin and Tonic. The harm of such a cocktail has long been proven and irrefutable. But there is a way that allows you to enjoy this famous drink - to make it yourself.

Safe Gin Tonic

If you really want to taste the famous healing potion, ignore the attractive cocktail cans and try to make it yourself. As you already know, a real quinine drink is made from the following components:

1. Alcoholic gin.
2. Healing quinine tonic.

Choosing a gin

The classic gin is obtained by distilling the infusion of juniper berries and pure alcohol. Connoisseurs also call gin "juniper vodka". To make a good natural Gin Tonic, you need to find a high quality gin.

Choose high quality gin for your homemade cocktail

When using a low-grade gin in a quinine drink, the Gin Tonic will taste less intense.

Choosing a tonic for a drink

Gin tonic plays an almost central role in the preparation of the classic drink. The famous bitter taste and aroma of the cocktail depend on his competent choice. When choosing such a responsible ingredient, note that a suitable tonic must contain natural quinine.

Use only tonic containing natural quinine.

But tonics, where there are flavors identical to natural ones, should be discarded - they will create an unpleasant and repulsive taste. Immediately before making the tonic, it is necessary to hold it in the refrigerator for some time. You cannot add it when warm - it will ruin the entire cocktail cuisine.

Cooking Natural Gin Tonic

To make a drink, you will need the following amount of ingredients:

1. Jin: 100 ml.
2. Tonic: 200-300 ml.
3. Pieces of lime or lemon and ice.

We select a suitable glass (preferably a tall one) and pour in the gin. The tonic is poured last. Traditionally, the glass is decorated with a slice of lemon or lime. Choose citrus fruits with thick skin and light rind.

You can make a classic drink according to a different recipe. Cool cocktail glasses in advance. In this case, it is necessary to select containers with a thickened bottom and walls. Pieces of ice are placed on the bottom, then chilled gin and tonic are poured (in equal quantities). Lastly, add cool lemon juice (5-10 ml) and serve immediately.

Professional bartenders have one trick. To make the Gin and Tonic especially delicious, professionals squeeze a little lemon juice into a glass, and then rub the inner walls with a piece of citrus. This adds more flavor to the cocktail.

Traditionally, the classic Gin and Tonic is drunk cold using cocktail tubes. Do not shake the drink - it will lose its wonderful tonic bubbles.

But, even having made the famous Gin-Tonic using safe ingredients, do not forget that this drink is alcoholic. And it is absolutely impossible to abuse it. And especially women in position, adolescents and weakened people suffering from any chronic diseases. Be careful and take care of yourself!

Gin is a strong alcoholic drink that is consumed neat and in cocktails. Its strength depends on the country of origin and ranges from 34-47 degrees. It goes well with cola, tonic, liqueur. Traditionally, the alcoholic drink is drunk chilled, in small sips, in order to feel the subtle notes of juniper, almond and spices that are present in its composition. When drinking a cocktail, it is important to know about its properties. It can do both benefit and harm to the human body.

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  Drink rules

  Gin and tonic was originally invented to quench one's thirst. The optimum temperature for drinking the drink is 4-6 degrees. It is enough to put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to cool it down. If the ratio of gin and tonic is 1: 1 or 2: 3, then it is better to pour the drink into a classic rox. Collins or highballs are ideal for a cocktail with a high tonic content.

  Gin and tonic increases appetite, so it is recommended to drink it before meals.

  After alcohol enters the oral cavity, a person feels a scalding cold, which is soon replaced by the warmth characteristic of all alcoholic beverages.

  Snacks

  
  

  The snack should be chosen correctly to emphasize the exquisite taste of the drink. Below are the options for traditional snacks:

  • Cheese paired with fish is a simple and tasty sandwich that doesn't take long to prepare, but makes a great addition to a gin and tonic.
  • In England, it is customary to have a snack with smoked meats, as well as hard types of cheese: "Aceda", "Backstein", "Bosphorus".
  • Olives, pickled mushrooms, fresh vegetable salads.
  • Sandwiches with red and black caviar.
  • Of the fruits, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi and peaches should be preferred.
  • Chocolate, marmalade, marshmallows, cakes.

  

  Cocktail recipes

  Gin tastes rather bitter, so it is customary to mix it with vodka, mint and apricot liqueur, brandy, freshly squeezed citrus juices, and cola.

  Making a delicious cocktail at home is quite simple.

  

  Classic recipe

  Step by step guide:

  • half fill the highball with ice;
  • chilled gin must be poured to the level of half of the ice;
  • add a couple of drops of lime or lemon;
  • to the top, the glass is poured with tonic (you can take a regular tonic in a can, which is sold in stores);
  • decorate the rim with a slice of lime and put a cocktail tube in the drink.

  Cola cocktail

  To prepare two servings you will need:

  • 100 ml gin;
  • 200 ml of cola;
  • two lemon wedges;

  You should put four ice cubes in glasses, then add gin and cola. All ingredients must be mixed with a spoon and squeezed out of the lemon wedge. A delicious refreshing drink is ready!

  Cucumber gin and tonic

  The original recipe for a cocktail with a cucumber:

  1. 1. One cucumber is cut into thin slices. Chopping a vegetable beforehand will cause it to lose its flavor, so you should not do this.
  2. 2. In a glass it is necessary to arrange a cucumber beautifully with four large ice cubes.
  3. 3. Slowly pour in 60 ml of gin and 120 ml of tonic.
  4. 4. All ingredients are lightly mixed.

  Popular brands of gin

  
  

  There are two types of gin - Dutch (Jenever) and English. English is divided into three types:

  1. 1. Plymouth (Plymouth Gin), the raw material for which is wheat.
  2. 2. London dry gin.
  3. 3. Yellow Gin is the most expensive. A distinctive feature of this brand of drink is that it is aged in sherry barrels.

  Almost all brands of gin taste dry, only Dutch producers add a little sugar to alcohol.

  Top 5 best brands of gin:

  • In terms of the number of sales worldwide, the British Gordon’s gin is in the lead. Its recipe was invented over two centuries ago and has not changed since then. The drink contains juniper, coriander, orange and lemon peel, licorice. The exact recipe is kept secret by the manufacturers, only twelve people know it.
  • Beefeater is a full-bodied beverage whose depth of flavor is achieved by soaking the herbs and additives before distilling. Another distinguishing feature of this brand is the different strength of the drink. Alcohol with a strength of 47 degrees is supplied to the United States, and 40 degrees to the European continent.
  • Booth's is a golden-yellow drink with a characteristic rich aroma. This is one of the oldest brands. The drink is aged in oak sherry barrels.
  • Greenall's Original London Dry Gin is a classic London dry gin. A drink with a mild taste and a characteristic aroma of juniper.
  • London Town is a joint Russian-British gin. The taste of the drink is rather sharp, so experts recommend using it for making cocktails.

  To define a quality gin, you have to taste it. This drink is distinguished by the fresh aroma of juniper and spices.

Today we invite you to take a closer look at one of the world's most popular cocktails called “Gin and Tonic”. To begin with, let's recall the history of the emergence of this drink, and then we will tell about several recipes for its preparation.

An excursion into history

For the first time, the popular at that time drink "Gin" was mixed with tonic by the soldiers of the British army who took part in military operations in India in the 18th century. Then the British regularly used tonic. It differed from the drink known to us today by its high content of quinine. Despite the fact that its taste left much to be desired, they still drank it regularly, since it served as an excellent prevention against such dangerous and widespread diseases at that time as scurvy and malaria. After some time, it occurred to the soldiers to dilute the disgusting drink with alcohol in order to improve its taste. However, this recipe was seriously approached only after a hundred years. It was then that they decided to improve the gin and tonic, which ultimately led to the fact that today this cocktail is one of the most popular in the whole world. We bring to your attention several recipes for its preparation.

Gin and tonic: a classic recipe

In order to pamper ourselves with this delicious cocktail, we need the following: gin - 50 ml, tonic - 150 ml, a slice of lime or lemon, ice, highball (a tall straight glass with a thickened bottom), a cocktail spoon and a cocktail tube.

Add ice to a chilled highball a third of the height and add cold gin. Shake the contents of the glass a little. In the process, you should feel the appearance of a juniper scent. Pour also chilled tonic from a freshly opened can or bottle. We survive in highball a slice of lime or lemon. Gently stir the contents with a cocktail spoon. We put a straw in the finished cocktail and decorate if desired (for example, with a cucumber or the same lemon). We enjoy the great taste of the drink!

Cucumber gin and tonic

The recipe for this cocktail is very interesting and popular in Europe and America. In our country, it is believed that a cucumber can be combined with alcohol exclusively in salted form. In order to dispel this myth on your own experience, prepare a Gin and Tonic cocktail according to our recipe. To begin with, you should prepare the following ingredients: 60 grams of gin, 120 grams of tonic, one small fresh cucumber, 5-6 ice cubes. You can use either a highball or an old-fashioned thick-bottomed glass for cooking. My cucumber and cut into thin slices with a sharp knife. This should be done immediately before preparing the cocktail, and not in advance, so that the vegetable retains its taste and aroma. Place cucumber slices and ice cubes in a glass. Pour in gin and tonic. Then shake the glass a little to mix its contents. The original Gin and Tonic cocktail is ready! We are sure that both you and your guests will appreciate its taste.

Mint drink recipe

If you love mint and want to pamper yourself with a delicious cocktail, then be sure to use this cooking method. We need the following ingredients: half a lime, 100 ml of tonic, 30-40 ml of gin, three leaves of fresh mint and one sprig for decoration. Put ice in a cold glass, add gin. Finely tear the leaves and put them in a glass. Use a pestle or spoon to crush chopped greens a little. Fill with tonic, shake a little and decorate with a sprig of mint. The delicious Gin and Tonic cocktail is ready!

Raspberry Gin Tonic Recipe

We offer you a very original version of this popular cocktail. The finished drink has not only a very attractive and rich color, but also an unforgettable taste. So, in order to make a raspberry gin and tonic, we need the following ingredients: 150 ml of raspberry gin, 400 ml of tonic, 30 ml of red port, ice. First, we suggest figuring out how to get a raspberry base. To do this, pour 1 liter of gin into a suitable vessel, add 70 grams of raspberries and remove for several hours in a warm place so that the mixture is infused. Then we filter the contents of the vessel. Our raspberry gin is ready. We can move on to making a gin and tonic. To do this, put ice cubes in a glass jug to about half of its height. Pour tonic, gin and port there. Mix the contents with a bar spoon. The raspberry gin and tonic is ready! Cool the glasses immediately before serving.

Fire gin and tonic recipe

Another very interesting option for making this cocktail. It is made from the following components: Saffron Infused (it has a rich red-orange color), tonic, orange slice (for decoration) and ice. The cooking process is the same as in the previous recipes. Fiery gin and tonic has not only a great taste, but also a rich bright color that will not leave your guests indifferent.