the gin, the tonic, and the garden

I've been researching gin and tonics this week to try and figure out the best way of using my tonic water. It's been arduous. But then again, I suffer for my art.

There are two versions of the gin and tonic that I make. The first is The Quencher, and it works something like this:

1 part gin
1 part tonic syrup
5 parts club soda

If I do this with 1 1/2 oz. parts, then I'm looking at a very tall drink--nearly 12 oz. of fluid on top of a whale's share of ice. I don't bother garnishing this, but it'll take a squeeze or two of lime or lemon, should one want. The Quencher is perfect for touring my extensive gardens, especially when the black krim is beginning to fruit.

The Black Krim shows progress

Velvet Underground?

The second version is The Standard:

2 parts gin
1 part tonic syrup
4 parts club soda

This makes a standard gin and tonic--as close as I can get to what it tastes like when I use Schwepps, Q, Fever Tree, or what have you. In short, I believe this is the correct recipe to create a gin and tonic that you might order at a serious cocktail bar. And The Standard is not just a modified Quencher. Parts should be measured with a 1/2 or 3/4 oz. jigger and it should be served in a traditional highball glass. To order a double is, inappropriate. Garnish is not necessary, but lemon peel is nice. So too is this cucumber, with Hendricks gin.

The third version is The Bitter Pill:

2 parts gin
1 part tonic syrup
1 part club soda

Mix ingredients in a shaker, add ice and shake vigorously five or six times. Strain over a highball glass packed with ice. You can also "layer" the drink by shaking it without club soda, pouring over ice in a highball glass and then adding the club soda.

The cucumber in perspective

Tonic Water Experiment #1

The bell sounded last night. The tonic water experiment has officially been launched.

Here were the ingredients:

1/4 cup powdered cinchona bark. (this required using about 3/8 of a cup of chips to yield 1/4 cup powdered)
1/4 cup citric acid
1 tbsp fresh lavender
10 juniper berries
1 tsp coriander
15 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp kosher salt
zest of: 3 lemons; 3 limes; 1 grapefruit

first stage

Fresh cut lavender

red gold?

A couple of things I learned this week. Cinchona Officialis, the bark that is most available for purchase, contains only trace quinine. It is Cinchona Pubescens that is the original fever tree. The only cinchona bark I could find was the officinalis variety. However, I also learned that the taxonomy is often muddled, so cinchona calisaya is often mistaken for officinalis, and calisaya is known to produce significant amounts of quinine. Most of the "Peruvian bark" taken from Cinchona trees are, it turns out, no longer cultivated in central and south America. And different encyclopedias (Columbia, etc.) are telling me different things.

I brought the concoction to a boil, covered it and let it simmer for thirty minutes. Then I cooled it, transferred it to a glass carafe and put it in the downstairs fridge, where it will steep for two days. Then I will take it out, strain out the big stuff and let it sit another two days before filtering it finely and mixing it with sugar syrup. Apparently I need a rich one, 2-1 sugar ratio, and almost a 1-1 tonic water to sugar. But that part will be about balance.

UPDATE:

I strained it through cheesecloth after two days, and returned the mixture to the fridge. After one more day, after which more of the sediment settled on the bottom, I strained the mixture through a paper coffee filter. Then I began mixing. One bottle I mixed with a light sugar syrup (1-1 ratio) and the remaining 2 I mixed with a heavier syrup (2-1 ratio). The light syrup required more volume to balance with the concentrate. But basically a 1-1 ratio was necessary.

The result is a potent concentrate syrup. Tasting the syrup to correct the sugar set my stomach on edge. I was not surprised by how bitter the cinchona mixture was, but I was surprised that it took the full 1-1 ratio of cinchona to sugar, and that the ratio did not result in a cloying mouthfeel or flavor.

Now--the appropriate gin and tonic recipe from this will be another matter. Because I am dealing with a concentrate, the ratios will need to be worked out. I tried the following last night to great effect:

3/4 oz. gin
3/4 oz. concentrate tonic
juice of quarter lime, which comes out to about half the 3/4 oz. jigger, or so.
topped with seltzer water, probably 2 oz.

I initially mixed the ingredients in the glass, then poured it back and forth once into a boston shaker.

This produced a pleasant cocktail with layered flavors. A bitter bite, bright acidity, and a nose of lavender and coriander.

Tonic Water Recipes

I am on a mission to make my own perfect tonic water. The first question: what kind of quinine to get? This recipe calls for citrus and lemongrass with powdered cinchona bark. So does this one. So does this one, but it produces a spiced tonic water.

Whole bark recipes are harder to come by, but here is the first one google turned up for me. And here is another, and this one for a plain tonic water. Finally another, heavily spiced.

The three recipes using cinchona bark call for vastly different proportions. Two of the recipes essentially call for a syrup heavy on the sugar--a little less than 1 to 1 with the water. One of the recipes calls for almost a 1/2 to 1. It is the plain tonic recipe

Here's the recipe advocated by the New York Times Magazine, hence written by God himself:

Quinine Syrup

4 cups water
¼ cup (1 ounce/20 grams) cinchona bark, powdered (a coffee grinder does this well)
3-4 cups rich simple syrup (by volume, two parts sugar to one of boiling water, stirred to dissolve)
¼ cup citric acid, also known as lemon salt
3 limes, only the peeled zests
3 lemons, only the peeled zests
2 sour or Sevilla oranges, only the peeled zests (or peel of 1 grapefruit or pomelo)
1 cup chopped lemongrass (3-4 stalks)
9 whole allspice berries
6 whole cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lavender

In a covered saucepan, bring all ingredients except the simple syrup to a boil and reduce heat immediately; simmer on low for a half hour, then remove from heat and allow to cool fully. Transfer to a carafe and chill for two days. Strain through a superfine chinois or cheesecloth, or by using a plunger press coffee maker. Return to carafe and refrigerate for a day or two, allowing sediment to accumulate on bottom. When layer seems stable, gently decant off the clearer liquid without disturbing the sediment “mud.” It should be about 3 cups at this point; add to this liquid an equal measure of rich simple syrup, mixing well. Funnel into a clean, cappable bottle and refrigerate. Makes roughly 6 cups or 1.5 liters.

UPDATE:

Here is a fun article on tonic waters that rates Schwepps above Fever Tree and Q's! Above all else, the article reminds us that the best tonic water is homemade. Yet be cautious! Restraint is the name of the game, and sometimes a clean tonic beats out the botanical. Like everything else, you have to fit the style to the mood.

Here's another recipe from the NY Times. This one appears to be a quick and dirty version. No resting period.

RECIPE

Tonic Syrup

Adapted from Frank Cisneros

TOTAL TIME

45 minutes, plus 30 minutes for mixture to settle

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cinchona bark flakes (see note)
• 1/2 cup finely sliced lemon grass (about 3 stalks)
• Zest of 1/2 lime, removed in long strips
• Zest of 1/2 grapefruit, removed in long strips
• 3 ounces grapefruit juice
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 12 allspice berries
• Citric acid (also known as lemon salt)
• Sugar

Preparation

1.

In a medium saucepan, combine cinchona bark, lemon grass, lime zest and grapefruit zest. Add grapefruit juice, lime juice, allspice berries and 2 cups water. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and pass through a fine strainer lined with muslin or cheesecloth into a bowl. Allow mixture to rest for at least 30 minutes, then carefully pour off liquid, leaving behind and discarding grainy particulates that have settled at bottom of bowl.

2.

For each cup of the resulting tonic water, add 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon citric acid. Cover and refrigerate until used.

YIELD

About 1 pint

• NOTE

  Cinchona bark flakes are available from Kalustyan’s, (800) 352-3451, kalustyans.com.

Fear and Loathing at Whole Foods

I don't shop in midtown Atlanta on principle. But I make three practical exceptions to this rule. Trader Joe's I will shop once every few months or as occasion demands. I visit Green's liquor whenever I need good bitters, a specific kind of liquor that I can't get at the Main Street Package, or I just happen to be in the area. And Whole Foods. It is invariably a special occasion that takes me to Whole Foods, or the need for a special product.

Such it was today. I was after tonic. Q Tonic, to be specific, and Whole Foods Midtown is one of the few places that carries it. Because I needed a few groceries, I chose Whole Foods over Tower Liquors on Memorial, which also carries Q.

Why do I want Q? Ever since the cocktail revolution ruined simple mixed drinks for me (I haven't had a bourbon and coke in over a year), I've been craving a decent gin and tonic, but cannot stomach any longer the swill that lives in supermarket aisles.

I hate shopping at Whole Foods. I should make this clear. I have nothing against the market itself, but I cannot stand Whole Foods Midtown. The bile rises as I curve eastward down Ponce in the perilously narrow lanes, dodging illegal left turners and schizophrenic pedestrians. The shopping center that houses Whole Foods is a testament to everything I tried to avoid when I chose my neighborhood in Atlanta. BMWs litter the lot. Bored shoppers in designer sunglasses walk obliviously. Everyone drives like they are late for an appointment, and common courtesy (like letting someone turn into traffic in the face of a line of SVUs) is ignored. My teeth are regularly clenched until I finally turn off my car.

Inside Whole Foods Midtown is queer. The market feels like most other Whole Foods markets around the country. The clientele is wealthy, hip, or cool, or some combination of the three. Gym built bodies, ankle tattoos, Ralph Loren Chinos, meticulously disheveled hair, immaculate makeup. The staff is unbelievably knowledgeable and helpful. The gentleman I asked to point me in the direction of Kalamata olives asked if I had seen the olive bar. This instantly made me picture martinis, but I must have shaken my head, because he touched my arm and said "you will LOVE it." When there were no Kalamata olives at the olive bar, he fetched three different brands in bottles for me to choose from.

It occurs to me at some point that my discomfort around so many beautiful people is unnatural. Or unreasonable. Or both. Or whatever. The point is, after collecting all the materials necessary to construct tabouli, shrimp for a Saturday cookout and various other supplies to get me through a week, I realized only after I paid and had put the groceries in the trunk that I had forgotten the Q Tonic. But because I will have gin and tonic this weekend, and because I made the goddamn trip anyway, I went back in.

the gin craze

Oh, Gin. The Cat's Meow. I've been playing around with gin and bitters in various combinations. Gin, aromatic bitters and simple syrup is a good standby--essentially the old fashioned with a simple gin. But the gin disappears in the drink, unlike whiskey. So tonight I tried a variation on the gibson--gin, fee brothers lemon bitters, and dolin vermouth.

It's a start. Will research.

cucumber libation

I am looking for a recipe that involves gin and cucumber, for perhaps no particular reason. Hendrick's recipes are shite, btw. Here's what I've found so far:

From My Man's Belly: Hendrick's Gin Cucumber Cooler

Ingredients

• 2 Teaspoons Sugar
• 1 4 Inch Piece of Peeled Persian Cucumber (cut into chunks)
• 4 Mint Leaves
• 2 Ounces Hendrick’s Gin
• 1/4 Ounce St. Germain
• Heavy Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker add the sugar, chunks of cucumber and mint leaves.
2. Using a muddler, or the back of a spoon, mash up the sugar, cucumber and mint leaves until the sugar is completely blended in with the other ingredients.
3. Add in the gin, St. Germain and lemon juice (add as much or as little lemon as you like).
4. Then add in some ice cubes, cover the shaker and shake vigorously.
5. Strain and pour into a glass.
6. Garnish with a lemon twist and a sprig of fresh mint.

The Cuke (from the NY Times)

Adapted from Adam Frank

6 limes, rinsed
1 cup packed mint leaves, no stems, plus 6 sprigs for garnish
3 unwaxed cucumbers
½ cup sugar
2 cups vodka or gin, preferably Hendrick's gin
Sparkling water.

1. Thinly slice 3 limes and place in a pitcher. Juice the rest and add juice to pitcher. Add mint leaves. Slice 2 cucumbers and add, then add sugar. Muddle ingredients. Add vodka or gin. Place in refrigerator to steep 30 minutes or longer.

2. Peel remaining cucumber and cut lengthwise into 6 spears.

3. Fill 6 highball or other large glasses with ice. Strain mixture from pitcher into each. Top with a splash of sparkling water, garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and a cucumber spear, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

From Small Hand Bartender

Gin Snaggler
Cate Whalen, Pizzaiolo, Oakland, CA

1/4 cup chopped cucumber
1 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz 1-to-1 simple syrup
several mint leaves
11/2 oz gin
Prosecco

Muddle cucumber in mixing tin. Add ice and remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. Double-strain into a flute. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of mint.


Cricket Club Fizz
Erik Adkins, Heaven's Dog, San Francisco, CA

several slices fresh cucumber (peeled if waxed)
several mint leaves
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
3/4 oz 1-to-1 simple syrup
2 oz gin
1/2 oz egg white
seltzer

Muddle cucumber in a shaking tin until juicy. Add remaining ingredients and shake without ice for several seconds. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double-strain into a fizz glass. Top with seltzer. Garnish with a slice of cucumber threaded with a sprig of mint.