I know we’ve covered some of the fineries of our favourite tipples but I’d like to treat myself to a decent mixer to go with my spirt….
What do you guys recommend as an ‘expensive’ tonic water to go with my gin (Bombay original dry - £14 for 70cl at Lidl)?
Currently I’m using just the bog standard supermarket tonic water (not sugar free).
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Try bitter lemon, I like it more as a mixer than tonic water now.
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What ever you're using buy it in cans. That stuff in large bottles is a crime against drinking.
To be honest I am usually fine with Canada Dry tonic water. I occasionally venture into Fever-Tree or Fentimans but don't really think it's worth the effort.
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You only need decent tonic in the first three...
;-)
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Usually Fever Tree.
I don't like the Slimline stuff as whatever the sweetener is it doesn't replicate sugar. Unfortunately the 'full fat' versions of some brands now add artificial sweetener - presumably a response to the sugar tax.
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I was thinking of Fever Tree...
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As mark says, the small tins, or the small bottles - single drink size, your GnT is always sparkling that way.
Ordinary Schweppes is fine, Fever Tree is just as good, anything else is overpriced snobbery. Lots of ice.
Mind you, come on Lidl Gin? really?
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 22 Dec 20 at 17:09
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Fever Tree is the tonic of choice in our house. Just wish I'd bought some of their shares early on.
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Actually its OK without the mixer. Just poured over a couple of ice cubes
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>> Actually its OK without the mixer. Just poured over a couple of ice cubes
That's the recommended way for our favourite - Isle of Harris Gin:
harrisdistillery.com/pages/isle-of-harris-gin
Improved even further with the addition of a little Kelp Water.
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The local Coop are all out of Kelp Water
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..it's all on the M20...
(along with quite a bit of other dodgy water, some of it in part-filled Lucozade* bottles)
*other driver-friendly drinks are available.
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It's the Bombay saphire brand but in a clear bottle. Same as the blue one but two less botanicals.
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>> It's the Bombay saphire brand but in a clear bottle. Same as the blue one
>> but two less botanicals.
And a bit lower in ABV.
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Gordons and Schweppes. Couple of small knobs of ice, slice of lemon. It's the only way.
All the rest is poncy stuff.
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Haven't found Fever Tree or others superior to Schweppes (NOT Slimline - 'kin awful stuff)
As mentioned above get a stash of the wee cans - nothing ruins G&T more than tonic that has lost some of its fizz.
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Fever Tree. Home Bargains ( known locally as the temple of tat) had 4 500ml bottles for a quid - God only knows what it tastes of.
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500ml cans of standard Schweppes for me. Makes one XL G & T served in a straight pint glass....lots of ice, plus slice of lime and a few slices of lemon.
Saves having to get up and make another.
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I actually quite like the cans of tonic you get in Lidl. Can’t remember the make but they are yellow cans.
If memory serves me right they are 200 ml sizes which I add to my 50ml gin measure and always tastes good.
Most other cans are 150ml size.
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The pre-mixed tins of G&T are always good for a trip out and picnic, used to be able to get three for a fiver in Waitrose but I think they might have stopped that offer.
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>> >> It's the Bombay saphire brand but in a clear bottle. Same as the blue
>> one
>> >> but two less botanicals.
>>
>> And a bit lower in ABV.
Bombay is distilled in Whitchurch, which is very very near Basingstoke and very very near the secret underground petrol storage facility at Micheldever. I'll say no more.
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I’m of the belief ithat if you mix drinks with stuff there is not much point in buying the dearest.
'Yes Gin and Tonic is a nice drink but you taste mostly the tonic so makes no sense to buy Gin that costs £40 and mix it with a flavoured fizzy drink.
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CGN..same making margaritas. I use the cheapest tequila (25%) and triple sec (25%) it’s going to be mixed with lime juice (50%) plus slices of lime, lemon & grapefruit, with a sprinkling of fresh or crushed pomegranate seeds. That’s my recipe.
Last year a friend introduced me to the combo of tequila and octopus. Lightly fry the octopus 1/2” thick in mouth sized pieces. Serve on new, preferably Canarian potatoes with butter. Follow each mouthful with a sip of good quality tequila (I like Patron gold). Repeat. Serve with a small tomato heavy side salad.
You heard it here first.
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>> I’m of the belief ithat if you mix drinks with stuff there is not much
>> point in buying the dearest.
>>
>> 'Yes Gin and Tonic is a nice drink but you taste mostly the tonic so
>> makes no sense to buy Gin that costs £40 and mix it with a flavoured
>> fizzy drink.
Ah but that is fundamentally wrong. The tonic releases the effects of the botanicals in the gin.
Drink neat gin, the alcohol blinds your receptors.
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Z..please remind me which gin you recommended. The choice is so extensive I wouldn’t know where to start...as you know I just buy varieties of Larios, and Gordon’s, whichever is cheapest on the Spanish supermarket shelves.
I don’t ‘savour’ the stuff, simply knock it back ( with crisps and peanuts) at the end of the day after rehydrating on a pot of tea.
It’s so uncouth. Guilty as charged.
Last edited by: legacylad on Wed 23 Dec 20 at 12:59
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>> Z..please remind me which gin you recommended. The choice is so extensive I wouldn’t know
>> where to start...as you know I just buy varieties of Larios, and Gordon’s, whichever is
>> cheapest on the Spanish supermarket shelves.
>> I don’t ‘savour’ the stuff, simply knock it back ( with crisps and peanuts) at
>> the end of the day after rehydrating on a pot of tea.
>> It’s so uncouth. Guilty as charged.
My favs* you won't get on your travels but given your apparent taste and where you get it from I would recommend any Tanqueray, London Dry, No 10, Export - Rangpur / Seville if you want fruity gin.
*Silent Pool, Salcombe, St Ives, Whitby.
St Ives is very unique in colour and taste, using kelp as one of the botanicals.
Am I gin snobby? Yes n no. I have a circle of friends where we source different gins and have tasting evenings. Having said that, the best gin ever was on Tenerife a hotel cocktail bar roof 25c with the sun going down over the sea. It was Gordons and Schweppes, with a fresh lime slice, a shed load of ice in a huge balloon glass.
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>>I'm of the belief that if you mix drinks with stuff there is not much point in buying the dearest.
I sort of agree. Though the cheapest is usually crap and the most expensive a waste of money so I normally dive in around the middle.
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>>
>> .......so I normally dive in around the middle.
>>
...large measures, eh?
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>> >>
>> >> .......so I normally dive in around the middle.
>> >>
>>
>> ...large measures, eh?
>>
Typically pints. !/3 ice, 1/3 gin, 1/3 tonic.
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For a change and a conversation piece, wet a sugar lump with angostura bitters, lightly sprinkle with cayenne pepper, put in a champagne flute and top up with dry bubbly. This drink gives an interesting prickly feeling in the back of the throat as the bubbles are charged with pepper.
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You sly ole dog Ambo, didn't realise you were quite so cocktail set suave n sowfisticated.
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Not much of a spirits drinker, but I've bought a bottle of Aberfalls dry gin, some Fever Tree, a couple of fresh lemons - may indulge later...;-)
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Amazon has a wide election of drinks on offer. Has anyone here used the service and can comment on price and value? The site seems easier to use than those for Majestic, Waitrose and Laithwaite.
Cheers!
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Christmas drinks - sooty123
