[:en]Try to guess what the favorite cocktail of most MT Magazine barladies and bartenders is. Can't you do it? We'll tell you: the Cocktail Martini and the Gin Tonic are almost tied, with an excellent placement also for the Americano, obviously.
To those who experienced the mixing of the 90s it may not seem true: how is it possible - one wonders - that a cocktail made with a can of tonic and the first gin grabbed from the supermarket shelf could be one of the favorites of established professionals in throughout Italy and abroad? Easy: because the gin and tonic is a drink with a much higher complexity than it seems, we are the ones who have been used to drinking pale (and often improbable) imitations made by self-styled barmen more interested in speed and money than in quality, this goes said.
But the music has changed and you just need to take a look at the varieties of gin available on the market today to realize this. This ancient distillate is experiencing a new youth that now smells of full maturity, thanks to the improvement work done by the main international brands, a cultural rediscovery and the experiments promoted by large and small artisan producers around the world.
Today there is no gin that is the same as another, because the almost alchemical care that is given to the selection, research and balance of the botanicals is a harbinger of notes and sensorial nuances so different as to make each expression of this distillate unique and characteristic.
A similar discussion can be made about tonics, which especially in recent years have become one of the most studied products by small and large brands and by bartenders themselves, who, thanks to the range of possibilities offered, can personalize an apparently basic cocktail like the gin and tonic in a thousand ways.
But let's now see how this iconic drink is made, paying close attention to the balance between tonic and gin which can completely alter the final taste.
4 cl of Gin
10 cl of Tonic Water
1 slice of lemon
Ice
More and more often it is used to further flavor the Gin Tonic with a slice of cucumber or pink peppercorns.[:]
