the perfect g+t

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aka lemon vs lime. sparked by an argument with my dad in which he claimed that lemon is the way to go; i stuck with lime but am beginning to have doubts.

also: which gin, and which tonic?

― toby, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll ask my sister.

― jel --, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Lemon! bars are trying to be fancy with lime, but it's lemon which normally goes with gin in drinks and cocktails. Lime normally goes with rum

gin: Gordons (the proper full strength stuff that you have to get duty-free these days) or Tanqueray

― michael, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ed to thread...

― suzy, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

OK, Gin is a matter of preference, but must be no less than 40% alcohol, anything less is NOT gin.

My personal favorite is Tanqueray export, weighing in at a hefty 47.5%. You must keep it in the freezer.

You need a tall wide glass and a lot of ice, and a lime.

fill the glas with ice. cut the lime into quarters, Puncture one quarter with a fork and squeeze over the ice. Quarter 2 should be wiped round the rim of the glass, the other two quaters should be tossed in the glass.

Pour a stout measure of gin over the ice. Top up with tonic, there is no other apart from schweppes.

Proportions are to taste but you must be able to taste the gin. There should be a juniper aroma as your nose passes over the glass.

― Ed, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

thanks ed. that's pretty much what i've been doing, except with gordon's/bombay sapphire instead.

― toby, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i like bombay.

― anthony, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sorry. I thought this thread was about the perfect git.

― Aimless, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I just had a shockingly imperfect G & T with cheapo Gordons and - garsp - MACE Indian Tonic half-price water but blimey it hit the spot. Lemon and lime be arsed - ENDS NOT MEANS PEOPLE!

― Tom, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

if i get another goddamn lime in my rum and cokes i will shoot someone

― bc, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ive not heard of this lemon thing. but bombay sapphire is my fave gin, not that ive had that many...

― Ron, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

funny but i'm finding that Ed and Tom are BOTH otm on this one, as some of the BEST G&T experiences i've had have been with the ready- mixed no-brand cans of G&T from sainsbury's. when your guts are SHREIKING (or you have ahem women's trouble) and there's only a supermarket nearby there's nothing like it. howevah i like the sound Ed's method a lot for those times when you can be arsed to prepare it (and would use the Bombay - the thought of the alcohol content of that Tanqueray scares the hell out of me TBH :)) and it's a luxury rather than a NECESSITY... i'd use organic unwaxed lemon as well though. i've never tried it with lime and must do so (though organic unwaxed limes seem to be much more difficult to come across than their lemonic counterparts...)

― katie, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

although this summer i am determined to have a PIMMS PARTY! i saw *coff* OK I KNOW hugh fearnley-whittingstall or whatever his name is make some in that Edwardian kitchen programme and k-tasty it looked too. with PROPAH lemon juice, sugar and soda water, none of yer R. White's nonsense!

― katie, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

there should be a pimms thread if there hasn't been one already. i haven't had any pimms recently, but i did have some on boat race day and k-blimey did it hit the spot.

― toby, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

no we can hijack this thread to talk about pimms as well cos it is a gin-based spirit or so i believe, well there were loads weren't there but the one everyone drinks nowadays is gin. i think. hm. anyway: mmmmm lovely pimms!

― katie, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I must stick my oar in now for PLYMOUTH GIN! Tastes subtly different to other gins, a bit more dry and also... it is CORKED!! You get such a satisfying PLONK! when you unleash the GING! It is fantastic. Post- birthday I haf 2 bottles of Bombay Sapphire (nummy) and some Gordons which may or may not haf been snaffled last night by the BOUZE MONSTER - I imagine when those are finished I shall not want to drink gin again for quite a while...

Also, gin + FANTA LIMON = rar! As for brands of tonic water well I supose it's gotta be SCHWEPPES but I don't really know of any others. Perhaps that water bar that opened in NYC would be better placed to advise.

― Sarah, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pimms stuff

― RickyT, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wot ho! Loads of you, one of me, I make that PIMMS O CLOCK, don't you? *a jiffy later* HOORAH! Pimmy goodness!

― Sarah, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Bah Plymouth Gin is darned tasty but oh that horrible name. (See also: Pilgrim's Choice cheese).

― Tim, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i bought a bottle of bombay sapphire last week and will be in barcelona next week so will have to buy lots and lots of cheap gin there to bring back.

but anyway pimm's!! i associate it with elitism and posh ppl who i didn't get on with all that well in cambridge but christ it's a great summertime drink. also it's quite fun pretending yr posh sometimes viz the only time i've had it this year when i also played croquet for the first time (actually i'm not sure this counts cos loads of ppl there were properly posh, but i was just pretending, anyway).

i think i might just have to nip downstairs and see if there's any pimm's in my dad's drinks cupboard. i am on holiday = i can drink at lunchtime, surely?

― toby, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ah those halcyon Cambridge days when one used to punt to grantchester with a poetry book stained with the butter drips from crumpets and a lovely fizzing jug of pimms... at least the people who passed us on the river did. we were the, pints of bitter from THA MILL in placcy glasses and pimms... in CANS! crowd. pimms in cans man, the ultimate irony! oh yum. my boss is away today so maybe i will go to Sainsbury's and obtain the pimms in a can, yesss preccious?

― katie, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

mmm yes pints of bitter from the mill. although last year we suddenly discovered the grad pad which is right next door to the mill and sells the same beers for £1 a pint!! amazing. but surely white wine = the choice for punting to granchester, no? the best bit about such trips (bridge-hopping aside, obv) was the fun of trying to get the punts back over the rollers when v drunk at 4 in the afternoon. those were the days...

― toby, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

and there is a bottle of pimm's here and the sun is shining b-but the bottle has not been opened yet and my dad claims it will go off if opened and then not drunk for ages, so no pimm's for me today...

― toby, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

like, doh toby, drink the whole bottle!

― katie, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

haha it did occur to me. but i fear i wd be sick.

― toby, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you are wise i ph34r... also i am not drinking pimms in cans this lunchtime as i have a meeting soon that it wouldn't do to be pissed at. so much for decadence HUH!

― katie, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ed is way too rockist on the g&t front. happy shopper tonic, cheap brand gin shake. lemon/lime/LIKE IT PIGGING MATTERS. drink and BE HAPPY. (I have seen green hilighter pens behind the bar in pubs -- they are colouring in lemons to make it look like lime -- it MAKES NO DIFFERENCE.) Having said that, I personally find ice makes a great deal of diff to me. This isn't restricted to g&t tho. i add ice to most not hot drinks. even tho ice is cheap, i love the pretend feel of luxury, and all the expansion cracking, and sounds, etc. i r ponce

― Alan T, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That would be a fucking weird looking lime.

― Matt, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pimms must have borage.

― Ed, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Last Notting Hill Carnival I invented the PIMMS SLUSHIE. You put the fruit on top after blending the ice, lemo and Pimms.

― suzy, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You drunk, Suzy. A compliment, I assure you. Please visit Boston in October if you can for the meet-up, that could be fun!

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mmmm Pimms.. i haven't had any in ages. I must have some this weekend. If you mix it with coke it leaves weird debris on the glass..

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 4 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I blame it all on buying a blender. Blender = bender.

― suzy, Friday, 5 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Can we talk about Bols? It's kind of funky but good at the same time. Makes a good g+t, not so good g+j(uice).

― adam, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

revive! i can no longer stand gordons, prob becuase it's all we've had in for a couple of months. thankfully i snapped and bought a bottle of bombay sapphire the other day.

anyway, what i really want to talk about is hendrick's gin:

http://www.hendricksgin.com/main.html

which seems to have only one mention on ilx so far:

The Wine Thread -- what have you been drinking?

anna gave me a bottle for my birthday and it made easily the nicest g+t's i've ever had; i think i'm going to have to buy myself another bottle later (although i fear it will be costly). has anyone else tried it?

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought my Mum some for her birthday (she is a gin connosieur) and loves it, complete with slice of cucumber.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Funnily enough I've just opened a bottle of Gordon's after drinking Tanqueray recently, and it's MUCH nicer, which, according to the prices, shouldn't be the case at all.

Neither compares to Bombay Sapphire, though.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 13:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Hendricks tastes too strongly of juniper.

Gordon's or Tanqueray is best for G&T.

Bombay Sapphire is too smoth for G&T. Tonic overpowers it. Saphhire is, however, excellent for martinis.

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't agree on the last one, Michael - Bombay Sapphire might be more delicate but it's also more aromatic, and the individual flavours still come through. I like the smoothness, too.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

The pursuit of perfection is a mental abberation that often leads to symptoms of mental disorder, progressing towards full-blown delusions of Martha Stewart-like godhead. A large slapdash, sloppy g+t, followed rapidly by several more, is far safer for one's sanity.

― Aimless The Unlogged, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm afraid Aimless is quite right. Leave perfection to the martini.

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I am enjoying a bottle of Hendrick's very much at the moment, despite the overprecious graphic design. Tomorrow I'm planning to purchase the additional ingredients needed for this.

― Paul Eater (eater), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 03:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I only started drinking gin and tonic because I love lime so much, and it was a good refreshing drink through the summer, but they're now my very favourite mixed drink. I started with a bottle of Tanqueray, and wasn't too excited, but the next bottle was Plymouth, instantly my preferred gin. I'm eager to

I've tried Schweppes, Canada Dry(too citrus-y), Safeway house brand and Superstore house brand tonic, and I like the latter best. It's got the best quinine to citrus ratio for my taste, and comes at the exciting price of 2.49 for 12 cans!

I've been drinking a lot of straight tonic and lime when drinking hasn't been possible, and it's just as refreshing.

― derrick (derrick), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Plymouth! That is the brand I was trying to think of, after
Paul mentioned Hendrick's. Yeah, Plymouth is supposed to be outstanding but I've never tried it.

Yeah, tonic and lime is a great drink to have when you're in a situation where you can't have alcohol for whatever reason.

― Monetizing Eyeballs (diamond), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 04:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I await summer with relish because summer means balmy nights on my balcony with a crackingly ice-cold G&T in a tall glass. Mmmm.

Also, ever noticed that gin (or maybe its the tonic?) glows under UV lights? I used to drink gin a lot at goff clubs and my drink was always glowing this spooky iridescent white. Tres cool!

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Hendrick's marketing is genius = 'this gin is not for everyone'

The UV glow of the gin is helpful for locating your drink in said clubs.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 06:55 (twenty-one years ago)

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