I never get bored with gin and tonic. Like cheese and pickle or ham and mustard, it’s a combination that’s meant to be. It’s so unerringly good it is easy to forget that tonic mixes well with other drinks — not just spirits, but vermouth, apéritifs and soft drinks. The decidedly bitter flavour of indian tonic water makes it an excellent mixer for low-alcohol (or no-alcohol) drinks that still taste grown-up.
Next time you find yourself with a stash of tonic in the fridge (and it should always, always, be kept in the fridge, in little cans or bottles, so it doesn’t get a chance to go flat), hold off on the gin and try mixing yourself one of these recipes, which can all be knocked up in the same time it takes to make a G&T . . .
Campari and tonic
If you like bitter flavours, this ruby-red aperitivo will blow your sensory fuse box. For a little more oomph, try adding a splash of vodka (or, indeed, gin).
50ml Campari
150ml tonic
Squeeze of lime
Method
Serve over ice with a wedge of lime.
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Belsazar Rosé Vermouth and Tonic
Delicate, fruity yet dry (and relatively low on alcohol), this is a nectar I’m serving by the jugful this summer. Also good with an orange twist or freshly squeezed pomegranate.
50ml Belsazar Rosé Vermouth
150ml tonic
Squeeze of grapefruit
Method
Serve over ice with a wedge of grapefruit.
Tequila and tonic
There’s something mischievous about this drink — it sounds trashy but its combination of sweet and sour is surprisingly sophisticated. It works best with the more mellow, golden flavours of a lightly aged reposado tequila.
50ml tequila
150ml tonic
Squeeze of lemon or lime
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Method
Serve over ice with a lemon or lime wedge (salt rim optional).
White port and tonic
This delicious and unusual combination is a popular sundowner on the quintas of the Douro, Portugal’s port-producing region. Try it with Taylor’s Chip Dry port.
75ml white port
100ml tonic
Method
Serve over ice with a wedge of lemon and an orange twist.
Fino and tonic
This recipe is the driest of the lot, with a slightly savoury tang which sherry drinkers will love. Clear as a bell, it is great for cleansing the palate. Serve with a dish of salted almonds.
75ml fino sherry
100ml tonic
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Method
Serve over ice with an orange wheel and a fat green olive.
Grapefruit, bitters and tonic
This virgin cocktail is fresh and sherbety, with a delicate hint of caraway from the bitters. Bitters do, technically, contain alcohol, although the amount is almost negligible. If you’re exercising zero tolerance, however, try a few drops of rosewater instead.
75ml freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
75ml tonic
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters or 4 drops rosewater
Method
Serve over ice with a couple of cucumber wheels
Alice Lascelles is the author of Ten Cocktails: The Art of Convivial Drinking (Saltyard, April 2015). @alicelascelles