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BARS + DRINK
The G&T has evolved, but what does this mean
for the components of this classic cooler? It's
time to go back to the basics WORDS KATE PASS
THE MAKING OF A
MASTERPIECE
W
hen I was around three
years old, my grandmother
would come over for dinner
every Wednesday. She'd
always take the same spot in a leather
armchair, me on a footstool by her side,
but, instead of a Werther's Original, she
would share her G&T with me. Eventually,
my mother clocked it, had a stern word
about the dangers of administering
spirits to a toddler and decided, by way
of compromise, to bring me an identical
cut-glass tumbler filled with tonic, ice and
lemon. Every Wednesday, I would sip it and
tell the old girl all about my week at nursery.
It's fair to say my relationship with this
classic is long-standing and dear to my
heart. But, true to Darwin's observations,
the beast has evolved and continues to do
so. �e 'Ginnaissance' of the past few years
has seen it take on cocktail-like status,
with G&T lists - and even bars - popping
up all over town. Your G&T is now more
likely to yield a giant goblet packed with
ice, bitters and a Japanese fruit garnish
than the lipstick-stained half-pint of tepid
tonic and shrivelled lemon slice of yore.
With all this change afoot, it's time to
go back to basics and explore the building
blocks of the G&T...
THE G
Every gin includes a number of ingredients
- usually herbs, roots, citrus and spices -
known as botanicals. London Dry gin
- the best-known gin style out there - is
subject to a strict set of stipulations (none
of which, ironically, involve a connection
to London), but the most noticeable to
the drinker is that its lead botanical be the
delightfully piney juniper berry.