Attention gin lovers, it’s time to celebrate your favourite tipple. Saturday 12 June is officially World Gin Day, a global celebration of all things gin. And, with its uniquely balanced flavour profile, Bombay Sapphire is the ideal canvas for your Gin & Tonic.
Composed of relatively few ingredients, the standard gin and tonic isn’t complicated to create: this highball cocktail is made by mixing gin and tonic water, which is poured over an ample amount of ice, and garnished with a wedge of lime. However, there are several ways to enhance the classic gin and tonic without deviating from its fundamental essence.
Consider celebrating World Gin Day with these ideas for sprucing up your beloved Gin & Tonic beverage by Master Distiller Dr Anne Brock, and a selection of Bombay Sapphire Gin & Tonic recipes to try at home.
• Switch up the garnish to match the flavour profile of the gin: Lime wedges are the standard gin and tonic garnish, but there’s a whole jungle out there when it comes to alternate options for imbuing a little extra flavour to the drink.
• Stir in a sprig of herb: Herbs stirred into a gin and tonic can add an intense flavour directly to the drink, not just on the nose. For harder herbs like rosemary, marjoram and sage, you can first bend or break sprigs, so their oils infuse into the liquid better, then remove them once the desired intensity of flavour is achieved. With softer herbs like mint, parsley, coriander, and tarragon, tear the leaves before adding them to the drink.
• Use a flavoured tonic water: Tonic water can be the key to making or breaking a gin and tonic. Tonic water can also be the key to indoctrinating those who think they don’t like gin into loving it. A flavoured tonic can open the door for a nervous drinker to dip their toe in.
• Use an infused gin: An infused gin allows for greater inspiration from the beginning, especially with so many directions to take it. Bombay Sapphire recently released their Bombay Bramble, which is bursting with the 100% natural flavour of freshly harvested blackberries and raspberries, that can be built upon with a garnish or muddled fruit.
• Don’t be shy with the ice: At its core, a Gin & Tonic should be refreshing. Using too little ice, or letting it melt quickly, is a fast track towards undermining a cocktail that needs to be cold to be its best. Maintaining that cold temperature and keeping the drink nice and carbonated will ensure this drink is refreshing and delectable with every sip.
Bombay Sapphire Classic Gin & Tonic (pictured above)
The ultimate expression of the quintessentially classic Gin & Tonic. Orris root and Angelica bring Bombay Sapphire its floral earthiness and enhance the bright, fresh flavours of citrus and juniper. Brilliantly straightforward and satisfying.
Ingredients:
• 50 ml Bombay Sapphire
• 100 ml Premium tonic water
• Lime Wedge
Method:
• Fill your balloon glass to rim with large, cubed ice
• Pour over 50ml of Bombay Sapphire
• Squeeze fresh lime into drink and drop into glass
• Top with premium tonic water
• Stir and enjoy
Bombay Sapphire Bramble & Tonic
Bombay Bramble gin is bursting with the 100% natural flavour of freshly harvested blackberries and raspberries. Light, bright and uplifting it expresses the true nature of Bombay Bramble. allowing the true essence of both spirit and mixer to shine through, lifted with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Ingredients
• 50 ml Bombay Bramble
• 100 ml Premium tonic water
• Lemon Wedge – squeezed and dropped in
Method
• Build over cubed ice.
• Squeeze and drop in lemon wedge.
Bombay Sapphire Sunset & Tonic
Infused with warming spices and bittersweet Spanish mandarin, Bombay Sapphire Sunset is the perfect gin for reconnecting and unwinding with friends, as the sun descends, and day becomes night. Best enjoyed in a Sunset & Tonic accompanied by an orange wheel and star anise garnish for the ultimate sunset moment.
Ingredients
• 50 ml Bombay Sapphire Sunset
• 100 ml Premium tonic water (preferably Fever-Tree)
• 1 Orange Wheel
• 1 Star anise
Method
• Fill a copa or balloon with cubed ice
• Squeeze an orange wedge over the ice and discard
• Pour 50ml of Bombay Sapphire Sunset
• Top with chilled tonic water
• Add your orange wheel garnish
• Finish with star anise
• Stir & Enjoy