A Good Cocktail

I'm no bartender, and I usually leave the drink making to my husband, but I know a good drink when I, well, drink one. Let me just tell the world for once and for all that no one, and I mean NO ONE, makes a better gin and tonic than my husband. A well made drink has a special place in both our hearts.

Paul told me about a story that has always stayed with him when it comes to drink making. Several years ago there was a New Yorker article written from the perspective of a son about his father's way of making a martini, a narrow reflection of how he felt about his dad. His father was ritualistic, artful and specific in the way he went about it. All of which led the reader to imagine that this father was some grandmaster of drinks whose master recipe would finally be revealed to the world. Turns out his dad used Gordon's gin, quite a lowly gin in the scheme of things. What I love about this sweet revelation is the emphasis on personal artistic achievement, said with a grain of sarcasm. (After all, I've perfected my version of Mac 'n Cheese, which is about the least glamorous dish ever, but I take pride in it. Which is sad. Or very sad, depending on how you look at it.) I probably would've hated his martinis, but he loved them and took pride in concocting the perfect drink.

Most of us have a drink of choice and by now it's obvious that mine is a G&T. I must say I have a little more respect for martini or gimlet drinkers than daiquiri or white-wine-only people, but I try not to judge. They just haven't discovered the good stuff yet. No messing around with 3 different fruit juices, 3 different alcohols, anything blue or anything coming close to peach schnapps. I was at a bar around Christmas time, threw caution to the wind, and ordered their "Christmas cosmopolitan" expecting that there would've been some twist to it, like an added candy cane or some shtick like that. But no, it was just a regular cosmo, so named because it's naturally a red drink. I felt a little disappointed but then my appreciation sunk in. No need to mess with success.

As my fellow connoisseurs understand, a simple cocktail like a G & T can taste quite different depending on just a few variables. The type of gin, the type of tonic and amount of lime all make a difference. As one could predict, a drink with only 3 ingredients is improved enormously by using the best quality ingredients. I've waffled between Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire gin in my life, but I must say I now prefer Bombay. I find it makes a smoother drink, where as Tanqueray has a definite bite to it at first sip. This is personal taste, of course. I really enjoy Tanqueray 10, their top of the line gin. (Uh, what's not to love?) I would love to drink Tanq10 tonics all the time, but it's hard to justify the expense. So, I'm sticking with Bombay. As for tonic water, I prefer Schweppes over Canada Dry but I know a few people who would disagree. I've tried a generic brand in a pinch and was sorely disappointed. This probably goes without saying, but in case you are new to cocktail making, for the love of God, keep your gin in the freezer and your tonic and limes cold in the fridge.

Right now you might be thinking: Megane, you're really some wacko drunk, aren't you? And if not that, way too OCD about drink making. Well, what can I say? I like precision. I will concede that consistency in drink making doesn't necessarily require a recipe but rather time and repetition. Try this recipe and adjust to your taste. Hopefully all our children will one day be able to write reflective articles about our craft. (snicker)

So, let's get to it. The recipe for one drink, as observed over the shoulder of my husband:

Paul's Gin and Tonic

-Fill a nice wide low-ball glass with plenty of ice (at least 4 large cubes).
-Pour a splash of tonic water over the ice. (Pourquoi tu fait ca, Megane? I guess this prevents the gin from freezing on the ice which may happen if everything is too cold.)
-Add 2 or 2.25 oz of gin to the glass, which makes a nice ginny-gin and tonic.
-Fill the rest of the glass with tonic.
-Cut a large wedge, about 1/6 of one lime, squeeze in all the juice from the lime wedge, and drop the lime wedge into the glass.
-Stir the drink well.

I know someone who adds a step and runs the cut side of a lime around the lip of the glass, giving you a nice limey bite when you drink. Another great idea would be to float narrow strips of lime zest peel in the drink to get some of the oils from the peel in there. I'm not sure how much of a difference this makes in flavor, but it makes a pretty drink.

Try this and let me know if this isn't the best G & T you've had. Despite it being our definitive concoction, I'm open to suggestions!