Newbies to the drinking scene have most likely heard of gin, given that it's one of the most popular alcoholic drinks. In fact, the United Kingdom even experienced a "ginaissance" in recent years, with the drink's sales breaking two billion pounds from 2016-2018.
There are many ways to drink gin. Some prefer to drink it straight, which allows them to appreciate the subtle flavours that come with the drink. Others have their gin with tonic, a mixture of carbonated water and bitter-tasting quinine, an alkaloid derived from cinchona bark.
Now, if you don't want to drink gin straight or have it with tonic, you can try other mixers, some of which we'll discuss below.
1. Vermouth
Vermouth is perhaps one of the most popular mixers to pair with gin, just shortly after tonic. Vermouth is a herbal-infused, fortified wine typically made with juniper, a required ingredient for gin.
Combining gin and vermouth creates a gin martini; a drink typically served with olives. Gin martinis offer the same refreshing taste of gin but with a smoother finish.
If you're planning to make cocktails at home, you need to remember that the amount of vermouth in the cocktail affects the overall taste. If you pour more gin, you'll have a dry martini. Meanwhile, more vermouth will give you a wet martini.
2. Flavoured Seltzer
Another mixer you need to try out with gin is flavoured seltzer. Flavoured seltzers are essentially carbonated water infused with different ingredients to create unique flavours, such as black cherry, grapefruit and minty lemon.
Mixing flavoured seltzer with your gin unlocks different combinations, ranging from sweet to zesty.
For example, a gin and grapefruit seltzer mix has crisp and refreshing notes, making it perfect for the summertime. If you prefer something sweeter, you can also try mixing your gin with cherry seltzer or raspberry seltzer.
3. Lime Juice
Lime juice is another classic gin mixer that pairs extremely well with gin, particularly dry gin.
Freshly squeezed lime juice adds a sweet, fruity twist to the mixture, the notes of which highlights the gin's botanical flavour.
Having only gin and lime juice creates a gimlet, which you can have on the rocks or straight up. Adding club soda to the mix will give you a bubbly Gin Rickey cocktail.
4. Cola
Cubata is a cocktail you can easily make at home since it requires only three ingredients.
The recipe usually calls for dark rum, cola and lime, but you can easily replace the dark rum with dry gin and this could become your new favourite gin cocktail.
The dry gin and coke combination offers a botanical, sweet and bubbly flavour that even beginners to gin will enjoy.
5. Tomato Juice
You've heard of Bloody Mary, a breakfast drink made with vodka, tomato juice, and various spices, such as black pepper and celery salt.
Well, if you don't have vodka lying around, you can substitute gin and create a Red Snapper Cocktail.
Red Snapper cocktails are much like Bloody Mary cocktails in that they're savoury and tangy. However, gin introduces botanical notes that create a unique twist.
Conclusion
Finding the best gin mixer is just as hard as picking out the perfect gin to try. As a matter of fact, gin is pretty versatile since you can pair it with different mixers, depending on your preferred taste.
However, you'll find that the five mixers listed above cover different bases and create drinks that are refreshing, savoury or sweet.
If you’re looking for a gin bar in London to try the mixers mentioned above, make sure to visit Jim and Tonic. We have three cocktail bars currently open to the public, as well as an online shop that can deliver different gin flavours and mixers to your doorstep. Visit us today!
