Your Guide To The Perfect Gin-Tonic

I am passionate about gin. From the Queen of England to the dockers of London, there are few in the world who do not love the majesty of the common juniper berry. However, bad gin cocktails hang around bars like fleas hang around a donkey. The Gin-Tonic is the most basic of gin drinks, but you will know it when you taste your first good one. It isn't anything like the thing your get on an aircraft, immediately before your chicken or beef.

THE PERFECT GIN-TONIC

This drink looks easy to make, and it is. But it is easy to screw it up also. Follow these steps to get it right every time.

1) Cut a decent piece of lime. Squeeze the juice into the empty glass. The traditional way it to take a puny bit of lime, and just toss it into the glass. Guess what : the lime juice and the rest of the drink don't mix. Don't waste your time : squeeze your lime!

2) Put in a generous helping of ice. Don't add one little cube. You will end up with a warm drink. I don't like warm gin.... Not many people do. Keep it frosty, Jack.

3) Pour in a good couple of shots. With a spoon, give it a stir for five seconds. You will now have a perfect, cold, lime and gin combination. Not warm gin. Cold lime and gin.

4) Add the tonic. I love Fevertree, but it is fresh and fizzy you're in business. Now guess what the last step is..... Yup : stir the drink up. It will fizz. That is the tonic making love to the gin.

So in summary, a bad G&T is warm, there is no lime in the taste, there is a miserable little bit of gin, which is floating on top, as if it is having an argument with the tonic.

A good Gin-Tonic is cold, with sharp lime notes, and a beautiful integrated flavour. Pour with slow hand : if you can drink four of them you aren't doing it right.

Nerds Point : I am using the French name, since it better captures how the flavours are together, not apart as in a 'gin and tonic'. Enjoy!