The gin and tonic has become one of my favorite year-round cocktails. Now before you shout INFIDEL or HERESY and run for the torches to scare me and my cocktail into hibernation until the summer equinox, hear me out.
The first rule of a year-round G&T: the gin must be considered carefully. If you’re looking for guidance here, you can’t go wrong with the St. George Terroir Gin, which grounds this G&T with an earthy bite of “Douglas fir, California bay laurel, coastal sage, and other evocative botanicals.” One whiff and you’ll instinctively look over your shoulder for the bear that modeled for the label. Trust me, this is the gin you want for a cold weather G&T.
Next, find yourself a clean and crisp tonic. I recommend and will rarely stray from Q Tonic. Don’t even think about desecrating the G&T with a tonic like Schweppes, or please don’t tell me about it because I WILL judge you harshly.
Finally, here is where the magic happens. A few not-so-subtle essential and transformative flourishes which may or may not skew this cocktail outside the boundaries of its simple tradition: a squeeze of fresh lime, a whisper of St. Germain, a fat orange peel with oils expressed, and a sprig of rosemary (you can clap it between your hands to release just a bit of aromatics as you sip).
Full disclosure: This G&T was created by my mixologist better half (and taste-tested thoroughly by yours truly), while crafting our Thanksgiving Day cocktail options and its rarely left our weekly rotation since that fateful day. Here’s hoping it makes it into yours!