Effervescent, lemon, juniper
The sweet-sour notes of this drink meld well with a chicken salad sandwich or cold pasta salad. It loves common herbs like basil, rosemary, or thyme. Try it with pesto.
The Collins is often confused with a Gin Fizz (served without ice in a short glass) or a Gin Rickey (usually made with lime instead of lemon, and no sugar). The tall Collins glass, which rose to preeminence in New York during the 1850s, was a way to harness fizziness and dazzle drinkers with something fresh and new when bottled soda waters first appeared on the market. This drink should always be served in a tall glass with a straw, and should properly be made using Old Tom gin, which is a sweeter style that originated before London Dry. Also, try the John Collins, which employs genever, gin’s malty precursor.
2 ounces (60 ml) Old Tom gin or Bols Genever
1 ounce (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
½ ounce (15 ml) simple syrup (page 241)
3 to 4 ounces (90 to 120 ml) soda water
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Shake ingredients, except soda water, with ice and strain into a highball—or Collins—glass filled with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a lemon wheel on the rim of the glass. Serve with a straw.
BUILD YOUR OWN GIN AND TONIC BAR
The humble G&T has entered the craft age, thanks to a wave of artisan gins and small-batch tonics, including Fever-Tree and Jack Rudy’s tonic syrup. In Spain, the drink has evolved into an art form called “Gintonic.” Bartenders in the Basque region are known for wheeling out a cart with a variety of options so customers can create their own blends. It is common to pair wild garnishes—liquorice, pink peppercorns, star anise—to specific botanicals in the spirit.
If you’re a G&T fan, why not experiment? Pick up a couple of new bottles, or ask to sample a flight of gins in a bar—you’ll taste (and smell) a huge difference between brands and styles. Some gins have strong herbal notes, like thyme or sage, while others are citrus-forward or slightly sweet—depending on the formula.
Host a tasting party at which guests can sample multiple combinations. In addition to limes, set out a variety of garnishes that can be used to accentuate particular flavor notes. These can be muddled in the bottom of the glass or served on the rim: cucumber wheels, grapefruit slivers, strawberries, and sprigs of fresh thyme, dill, and sage.
Our tasting notes in the back of this book can help you choose some new gins (page 273). We also have a recipe for homemade tonic (page 251).