The one with the sticky bottle…
Tonic can be a contentious issue. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve chatted to someone who loves gin, but hates tonic. Personally, I can drink the stuff on it’s own – or with other spirits, I absolutely love a tequila & tonic or a vermouth with a splash. I’ve still not quite wrapped my head around a rum & tonic or a whisky & tonic, but there’s still time.
My stock answer is always the same for those who don’t a standard G&T. Try different tonics – some are heavier in bitterness, fizziness, and sugar than others. And if that fails, there’s lemonade, orange juice, ginger ale. If a Gin & Juice is good enough for Snoop Dogg, it’s good enough for everyone else.
But in the last few years, we’ve seen another side to tonics start to emerge. The tonic syrup. I’ve already sampled a few, including BTW Drinks, Mersey Tonic even my local bar Sip Club is working on one with it’s roots in sustainability.
The trick with a tonic syrup is that you control the strength. So if you just want a little of that citrus bitter bite to come through, then you just add a little to some soda water. Want something stronger to stand up to the gin you’re drinking, then add a little more.
It puts you, the consumer, in control. You can create your own perfect G&T, tailored to your tastes, your mood, and the gin in your glass. Which is probably where Perfect Tonic got the name from – well that and the fact that the chap behind it is called Jonny Perfect.
I mean, no pressure.
As with most tonics, there’s a balance of citrus, quinine and sugar that goes into the tonic. They’ve tried to keep the sugar light (5.7 grams of sugar per 100ml). And interestingly, they’ve chosen grapefruit as the citrus element, which gives it a lighter bite than you’d get from a lemon – the classic choice for most tonics.
The result is that it’s light, clean and refreshing on it’s own, or in a G&T. The grapefruit isn’t overly floral, so it doesn’t clash heavily with a more floral gin.
On the down side, the bottle is… Annoying. I spilt more down the side than I got into a measuring spoon, and ended up with rather sticky fingers, bottle, table. Maybe it’s just my handling of it,
You’d also want a little more tonic to work with something heavy in the juniper stakes, say signature Tanqueray. A London Dry needs a little something stronger to work with it, or it will overwhelm it.
Overall? If you need something a little softer, if you find even the lightest of standard tonics just too much for you, give this a go. You might be pleasantly surprised.
