The Summer of G&T's
I have a summer goal: learn to make and enjoy a good Gin and Tonic.Picture this: After a long day at work, with the sun low in the sky (I'm imagining a Colorado sunset, which really is the best), you arrive home to a joyous puppy and the back yard beckoning your to come have a sit. As you unlock the back door, you look around your yard and realize that the serenity you've worked long and hard to create (okay, your mother has also worked long and hard, too) is at risk of going to hell if you don't get those weeds pulled. What's a girl to do? You make yourself a nice gin and tonic, put on some yoga pants, and casually sit outside with a trowel in one hand, and a G&T in the other. #summergoals.But here's the deal - I am not a gin connoisseur, I'm not entirely sure I even like them (probably haven't found the right gin), and a quick google search indicates that there is about 500 million ways to make one, each recipe claiming to the best (add club soda to your tonic water, 2oz gin to 3 oz tonic, 2:2 ratio, garnish with a lemon, a lime, a cucumber!). I intend to make this a summer of experimentation, to find a good recipe, find the gin that warms my heart, and maybe I'll pick up this blogging endeavor again, and bring you guys along for the ride! Oh, and have a stunning garden of course :).In the name of being scientific, I am going to try to taste as many gins as possible. It turns out that Morgan's liquor store (yes, the one all the DU kids use their fake IDs at, and they don't ask for mine anymore. tear.) does not carry a lot of mini bottles of gin, only Tangueray, and Bombay Sapphire. I don't have it in me to run around looking for mini bottles, so I also committed to a bottle of Hendrick's, at the recommendation of two friends, one of which who has age on their side, the other, a love of G&Ts. I figured if it's awful and I hate gin, at least I have something nice to offer guests when they drop by Chez Katie. The drink will certainly be nicer than the $20 jelly plastic Target chaise lounges I offer them as seats.I am also planning on testing various types of tonic water - Morgan's isn't particularly high brow, so tonight we drink Schweppes (diet) Tonic Water (my other summer goals are a bikini body, so trying to cut back on calories where I can). I know there are some others out there like Fever Tree and Q Tonic, so I promise to try those too.Tonight's G&T:
- Ice in glass first
- 2 oz. Hendrick's Gin
- 3 oz. Diet Schweppes Tonic Water
- Garnish - cucumbers (munchers, I didn't have a real one. And they may be on their last days)
Result -- pretty damn good. Happy I started with the Hendrick's, I was afraid that if I started with crap gin I wouldn't want to continue this project.
Also, shoutout to Erika for the excellent glasses.