Celebrate National Gin and Tonic Day 2020

Recipes

national gin and tonic day 2020

It was an April 9th when King George V was crowned, and it was another April 9th when the Civil War ended. And, perhaps just as important, it’s April 9th every year that we celebrate gin and tonics on a national level.

Is the fact that National Gin and Tonic Day on the same day as these other historic events a coincidence? Probably. Exactly why National Gin and Tonic Day lands on the ninth of April is a bit of a mystery, in fact. 

The fact we do know is that there’s a national day to recognize and celebrate this classic cocktail. The gin and tonic’s bare-bones presentation lets you play around a bit with the ingredients, adding an extra flavor or two and enjoying different takes on this timeless classic.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes you can enjoy for yourself this Thursday, April 9th, National Gin and Tonic Day 2020:

The Classic Gin and Tonic

Before we get too crazy, let’s make sure we know our roots. The gin and tonic is a refreshing, delicious cocktail that originated as a medicinal remedy out of the British West India Company. With just a few key ingredients, you’ll be ready in just a few simple pours.

 Gin and Tonic Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of gin
  • 4 ounces of tonic water
  • Lime wedge for garnish 

How to Make a Gin and Tonic:

  1. Fill your glass of choice with ice
  2. Pour the gin into the glass over the ice
  3. Top the glass off with the tonic water
  4. Garnish with the lime wedge

If you’re worried about the ice melting and diluting the taste of your gin and tonic, you can make tonic water ice cubes in advance! 

Tea Party Gin and Tonic

As mentioned, a few subtle changes to this cocktail can have impressive impact in the presentation and taste of your cocktail. One very simple alteration (following almost the exact same recipe as before) is to make some tea with the tonic water. Here, you can really play with flavors. If you want to follow the citric notes of the lime garnish, for instance, you can use a citric or fruity tea or infusion. You can go a completely different route, too—English Breakfast, Earl Grey, whatever your heart desires.

Tea Party Gin and Tonic Recipe:

  • 2 ounces of gin
  • 4 ounces of tea prepared with tonic water
  • Optional lime wedge for garnish, can also garnish with berries or whatever fits your tea flavor profile

How to Make a Tea Party Gin and Tonic:

  1. Pour all of your ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake well until very chilled
  2. Fill your glass of choice with ice
  3. Strain contents into your glass
  4. Garnish accordingly 

In the same way as before, you can make tea flavored ice cubes to make sure your drink doesn’t get diluted. The shaker is introduced here considering that your tea may still be hot or warm. If you’ve made it in advance and chilled it already, the same assembly as before works just fine. 

Rosemary and Grapefruit Gin and Tonic

Here’s a flavor of gin and tonic you didn’t know you needed in your life! Here, you’re going to take the juniper notes of the classic cocktail and marry them with crisp, refreshing notes of grapefruit and rosemary.

Rosemary and Grapefruit Gin and Tonic Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of gin
  • 4 ounces of tonic water
  • 1 ounce of grapefruit juice, better if fresh
  • 1 rosemary sprig

How to Make a Rosemary and Grapefruit Gin and Tonic:

  1. In the bottom of a shaker, muddle some rosemary in the grape juice
  2. Add the gin, fill with ice, and shake until very chilled 
  3. Strain into a glass filled with ice 
  4. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary 

Nice and Smoky Gin and Tonic

If you’re looking for something a bit rougher in flavor (some might say more sophisticated), look no further. This take on the gin and tonic is smoky—quite literally.

Nice and Smoky Gin and Tonic Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of gin
  • 1 ounce of tonic syrup if you can find some, substitute 4 ounces of tonic water otherwise 
  • Seltzer water to top
  • 1 sprig of rosemary 
  • ¼ ounce of lime juice

How to Make a Nice and Smoky Gin and Tonic:

A torch works best to prepare the “nice and smoky.” If you don’t have a torch, a gas burner on a stovetop will work just fine. If your stovetop is electric or you don’t have one, even a lighter or a match will do. 

  1. Put your flame on the sprig of rosemary until it begins to smoke
  2. Take your serving glass and place it upside down over the smoking sprig, catching all of the smoke
  3. In a shaker, put in your gin, tonic syrup, and lime juice along with ice and shake until very chilled
  4. Fill your now smoky glass with ice (right side up, now) and strain in the contents
  5. Garnish with the smoky rosemary sprig 

National Gin and Tonic Day 2020 is coming right up on Thursday, April 9th, so buy your ingredients and get prepared to try some of these yourself!

Celebrate Gin and Tonic Day 2020 by purchasing Gin and Tonic Ingredients at your local Zipps Liquor store!

Visit your local Zipps Liquor store to stock up on your favorite beer, wine, & spirits!

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