[Paul B]

This week I've been mostly sampling G&T's made with Bombay Saphire and:



The fever tree tonic is much nicer than the Schewpps stuff. (I can't believe anyone can drink it with slimline tonic either, I know its the dieting climbers option  but it tastes horrendous).

[Dolly]

god you've opened a can of worms there Paul.
I consider myself a bit of a G&T aficionado but...
Surely the overriding taste relative to the gin is the lime/lemon rather than the tonic ? (prepares to be puntered)  I looked at the fever tree stuff when it first came out but IIRC it cost a bomb - is that right ?
Mrs Dolly is adamant that she can taste the difference between the alleged nastiness of aspartame and "normal" tonic but TBRH I can't - even with nice gin and fresh citrus fruit.

Am I missing something ? 

[Paul B]

£2.19 for four bottles.

and yes you are missing something. I went for Bombay Saphire as my first bottle although I was heavily tempted by the Martin Millers & Hendricks, opinions on that?

[slackline]

Never tried Martin Millers & Hendricks, but one of the nicest gins I've had was Van Gogh Gin.

Haven't found anywhere locally that sells it though (discovered whilst in the US a few years back).

[SA Chris]

Do you say " 'ears to your health" before drinking it?

[slackline]

 

(Shouldn't this thread be in Food & Drink?)

[chris j]

and yes you are missing something. I went for Bombay Saphire as my first bottle although I was heavily tempted by the Martin Millers & Hendricks, opinions on that?

My missus, being a big gin aficionado (& from Glasgow with something of a chip about all things non-Scottish) goes for this stuff: http://www.blackwoodsgin.com or this: http://www.caorunngin.com/

To my unrefined English tastes they`re nice but I can`t tell the difference from Hendricks or Tanqueray...

On the lemon/lime thing, in a posh Norwegian hotel the barman convinced me to try one with cucumber instead, not a good thing.

[Dolly]

£2.19 for four bottles.

and yes you are missing something

Fair enough - I'll give it a go

[andy popp]

I second the Blackwoods recommendation, quite different. Asda seem to stock it.

[Jim]

I'm a big fan of tanquarey no.10 gin, although the export and Bombay saphire are all equally palatable.
Key to a good g&t is fresh tonic everytime, so buy in small cans or bottles, freshly squeezed lime and plenty of ice.
it should be illegal to put lemon in g&t's - totally ruins them

[JamesD]

Don't think there are many people here that are into cigars, but here is a Cigar tip for anyone who feels like treating themselves.
My missus nipped down to Sauters of Mayfair (London) (which sounds a lot more expensive than it is, but they do sell products within reach of us mere mortals) and for my birthday, she bought me undoubtedly....the best cigar I have ever smoked to this day.
A Montecristo Sublime 2008 Limited edition, flipping amazing, £25 you will not regret spending (although I hear the cohiba behikes are quite special too), amazing construction, smooth consistent draw, and a flavour that just kicks in from the beginning and gets better and better, be warned though, when you get to the last 3rd and can start to be a little too rich flavour wise, this is a monster of a cigar so it's best enjoyed when you have time to kick back, relax and take your time with it, and experience you will definitely savour 

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

All this talk about G&Ts is making me thirsty. Agree with most points, fresh'n fizzy non-diet tonic is a must.  Jim your mad, although I'm sure limes have a place in G&T's, are they really so different from lemons that it "totally ruins them"? Gin wise I'll drink most types, happy with the old standard Gordon's but also a fan of many of the more expensive varieties.

The flipside of this is I have tasted some truly dreadful G&Ts in my time, warm, flat, weak. A certain member of my family who shall remain nameless puts lemon juice from a bottle in theirs, and with not enough or no ice. Nasty.

[GCW]

This is what you need, Jim, all in one tonic and lime :




I still buy bigger bottles of decent tonic rather than cans, but it never last more than 48 hours once open (or never did until I reduced my alcohol intake  ).  I personally like lemon, although lime is OK too.  Not bothered about ice as long as everything is cold to start with (gin in the freezer can be helpful).

[Jim]

Jim your mad, although I'm sure limes have a place in G&T's, are they really so different from lemons that it "totally ruins them"?

I can't drink g&t with lemon in it, it horrible.

I always start with a good measure of gin, squeeze 1/4 lime in and then smear the lime around the rim and then put it in, at least 1/2 fill the glass with large ice cubes then top with fresh tonic, stir & serve. always a winner

[GCW]

smear the lime around the rim and then put it in

That must sting a bit.  Each to their own I suppose.

[butters]

I always start with a good measure of gin, squeeze 1/4 lime in and then smear the lime around the rim and then put it in, at least 1/2 fill the glass with large ice cubes then top with fresh tonic, stir & serve. always a winner

Pretty much exactly how I do Rum and Coke so can't see any reason why it would fail to work with G&T.

Anyone got any opinions on Rum BTW? Havana Gold is a good fall back but Mount Gay would probably be my choice given the option. Some recommendations for others to try though when I actually have some money again would be nice... 

[Jim]

havana club 3 year old is what i like for mojhitos and rum and coke's

[rich d]

Probably blasphemy this, but mountgay mules are one of my favourites at the moment. Muddle some lime - very cold shot of mountgay - loads of ice - pour over ginger beer and stir a bit. Then pretend you're sat in barbados listening to the whistling frogs. Might have a go for a drink tonight...

[lagerstarfish]

A certain member of my family who shall remain nameless puts lemon juice from a bottle in theirs, and with not enough or no ice. Nasty.

Lagers' booze rules

Rule 34: Never let the kids mix your drinks for you.

[Dolly]

Very simple but lovely drink tonight.
In a bowl crushed some fresh redcurrants from the garden, ice and half a lemon.
Added vodka and without straining put in a glass.
Too much on its own but when tonic was added it was gorgeous

[lagerstarfish]

One of the local yummy mummies has stepped up her game in trying to impress me. The hot pants and thigh boots wrapped round her more than reasonable curves were as nothing compared to her rhubarb friands. These are the Australian style friands and are a bit muffiny in nature. I can't believe that I've never had them before.
Mrs Starfish, however, has nothing to worry about - she cleverly got hold of the recipe from our neighbour and made a fine batch of her own friands today - her best dessert effort to date.

So, in summary, if you haven't tried them, try friands