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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.