Today is Gin and Tonic Day – so crack open the gin :-: Metro
METRO
Crack open the gin because it is World Gin and Tonic Day again.
Today is dedicated to drinking gin and tonics – for the second time this year.
Not only will tens of thousands of people around the world be celebrating at home with vast quantities of gin but dozens of bars will be serving up cut-price drinks and some free G&Ts in places.
The day falls on October 19 each year and while we suspect once again that this is a marketing ploy to make us buy more gin – this is one gimmick where we can all get on board.
That’s along with the gin day on Saturday June 10 and the first G&T day on April 9.
Here’s how to get free gin…
There are 50 free gin and tonics up for grabs at the following bars – all you need to do is say ‘Make Mine a Milanese’ and they’ll pour one out for you. Obviously it’ll only work on October 19.
The participating bars are:
• Prince of Peckham, 1 Clayton Rd, SE15 5JA
• Three Eight Four, 384 Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, SW9 8LF
• Boma Bridge, 4-6 Putney High St, SW15 1SL
• Rotorino, 432 – 434 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA
• The Old Queens Head, 44 Essex Road, N1 8LN
• Disrepute, 4 Kingly Court, Soho, W1B 5PW
• Drink Shop & Do, 9 Caledonian Rd, Kings Cross, N1 9DX
• High Water, 23 Stoke Newington Rd, Stoke Newington, Ln N16 8BJ
• Ten Bells, 84 Commercial St, Spitalfields, E1 6LY
• Ritorno, 442 King’s Rd, Chelsea, SW10 0LQ
13 facts about gin that might just surprise you
1) There have been many arguments about whether gin originated in Holland or England! Genever was developed in the Netherlands but what we know as gin evolved in London
2) Gin drinking in England rose significantly after the government allowed unlicensed gin production, and at the same time imposed a heavy duty on all imported spirits such as French brandy
3) It was originally drunk out of a tankard as opposed to the high ball or balloon glasses we enjoy our gin in today
4) It was in the mid-17th Century when William of Orange, ruler of the Dutch Republic, occupied the British throne that gin exploded in popularity
5) In 1695-1735 thousands of gin distilleries and shops sprang up throughout England, a period known as the Gin Craze. During this time there was one in every street in the City benefiting from all the spices and citrus fruits coming into London
6) Many people enjoyed gin so much that Parliament passed eight major acts in the 18th Century that were designed to control the consumption of gin. After the Gin Act 1751, the Gin Craze ended and very few distilleries survived. For nearly 200 years there wasn’t a single distillery in the City until 2012 when the City of London Distillery opened
7) Today, the world’s biggest gin market is the Philippines, which accounts for 43% of the world gin market.
8) The word gin is a shortened form of the older English word genever, related to the French word genièvre and the Dutch word Jenever. All ultimately derive from juniperus, the Latin for juniper.
9) The juniper berry is actually a seed that looks like a berry; gin must have a ‘predominant juniper flavour’ that has other botanicals added such as anise, lime peel, saffron, baobab, coriander and frankincense
10) In 2016, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) announced that British Gin drinkers bought 40m bottles of gin and sales exceeded £1bn for the very first time
11) Famous gin drinkers in the UK – past and present – include Winston Churchill, Philip Larkin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ginger Rogers, The Queen, JK Rowling, Madonna and Kate Moss
12) A high quality gin will be spoiled without a good tonic! Today they come in lots of brilliant flavours such as basil, cucumber and hibiscus.
13) The current trend for gin is for it to be mixed in cocktails rather than simply paired with tonics – see our recipes below!
Source: Johnny Neill, creator of Whitley Neill Gin
7 gin cocktails to try
Gin cocktails just got a little fancy – with chai tea, lapsang souchong and lemon grass.
This gin wheel shows exactly which garnish to use in a gin and tonic
Beefeater Gin has come up with an array of new cocktail ideas, taking in some of the best parts of countries around the world.
Rather than the standard negroni with gin, vermouth and campari – they’ve suggested adding a little oolong to the mix.
And that cheeky martini with vermouth and gin now has some extra flair with a rice cake topped with mascarpone and honey.
Here are 7 unusual cocktails to try.
1) The Smokey Lady, with Lapsang Souchong Tea
Ingredients:
50ml Beefeater 24
2 Orange Slices
20ml Lemon Juice
10ml Lapsang Souchong Tea Syrup
Garnish – orange twist
Method:
Use a cocktail shaker to mix all the ingredients including orange slices with ice. Strain into a couplet cocktail glass and garnish.
2) Ruby Tuesday, with Blueberry and Raspberry
Ingredients:
40ml Beefeater Dry
20ml Crème de Cassis
10ml fresh lemon juice
Tonic of preference
Garnish – lemon wheel, fresh berries and mint
Method:
Add the gin, cassis and lemon juice to a highball glass. Cram in as much ice as you can, then top up with tonic and garnish. Serve with a straw or stirrer to ensure the drink will be well mixed when drank.
3) Martini K-Ya, with Rice Cakes
Ingredients:
40ml Beefeater Dry
10ml Dolin de Chambery Dry Vermouth
Garnish – thin rice cracker topped with mascarpone and a fine drizzle of runny honey
Extra lemon twist is optional
Method:
Add the gin and vermouth to a mixing glass and stir. Strain into a cold stemmed cocktail glass or couplet and serve with lemon twist and the rice cracker on the side on either a plate or board.
4) The Last Word, with Chai Tea
Ingredients:
35ml Beefeater 24
Spoon of loose chai tea
5ml fruit cup (Plymouth Fruit Cup or Homemade recipe)
20ml maraschino liqueur
20ml fresh lemon Juice
10ml sugar syrup
Method:
Get the gin and add a spoon of loose chai tea. Leave it for at least four hours. Filter the gin with a tea strainer into a cocktail shaker and add the other ingredients plus some ice. Strain into a couplette glass.
To make the fruit cup, see the recipe on the Beefeater gin website.
5) Me Lang Negroni, with Oolong Tea
Ingredients:
35ml Beefeater 24
Spoon of oolong tea (ideally mi lan dan cong)
2.5 parts Dubonnet
7.5ml Aperol
7.5ml Campari
Garnish – red grapefruit twist
Method:
Add the spoon of loose oolong tea to the gin and leave to brew for an hour and a half at room temperature. Filter with a tea strainer into a mixing glass and stir with the other ingredients. Pour into a tumbler and add a single block of ice with the garnish.
6) Thai Ball, with Lemon Grass
Ingredients:
50ml Beefeater 24
20ml fresh lemon Juice
25ml green tea, ginger & lemongrass syrup
75ml chilled green tea
Garnish – lemon twist, lemon grass and ginger slice
Method:
Pour all the ingredients except the green tea in to a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a highball glass over ice and top up with the green tea. Add the garnish and serve.
7) The Green Goddess, with Herbs and Cucumber
Ingredients:
25ml Beefeater Gin
45g fresh cucumber
20ml fresh lime juice
2 large basil leaves
15ml sugar syrup
100g crushed ice
Garnish – salt & pepper and a basil leaf
Method:
Add all the ingredients (except the gin) to a blender and blend. When finished, sieve into a glass bottle (there will be more mixer than needed for one serving).
Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours and serve in a punch cup filled with chipped ice and the gin.
MORE: There’s going to be a secret gin run in London
