If you’re looking for a cocktail to impress your pals and keep you warm on freezing winter nights, try heating up your gin and tonic. Whereas a traditional G&T is all about icy refreshment, this comforting and exceedingly tasty libation is commonly made by combining gin and tonic syrup (sweeteners optional) in a mug, then topping it with hot water. If you don’t have the syrup on hand, you can also easily mix together gin and tonic water. (Pro tip: Don’t confuse tonic water with seltzer or club soda; the latter two are missing quinine, a bitter compound derived from cinchona bark that was once used as medicine and is essential for this drink.)
Heating the tonic syrup and gin together makes their botanicals sing, especially juniper, which is, after all, the spirit’s defining ingredient and the one responsible for its signature piney, aromatic taste. Gin is sometimes distilled with other flavorings such as cardamom, lemon, and coriander, to name just a few. The melange of flavors and aromas makes a delicious cold-weather beverage ideal for winter, though it could also work as a fall gin cocktail for particularly crisp autumn nights. Another way to enhance the drink’s ingredients is to serve it like a traditional gin and tonic in a balloon-shaped glass. The larger bowl allows for swirling, which helps release the aromas.
Tips for crafting the perfect winter-ready hot gin and tonic
Mixing up a cozy hot gin and tonic is super easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind to really make it shine. When using tonic water, one option is to combine 3.5 parts hot tonic water (made flat by opening ahead of time and heated however you wish) and 1.5 parts gin in a mug; for a less boozy sip, try six parts tonic for every one part of gin — tame it down even more by adding a teaspoon or so of honey or simple syrup. The tonic syrup version, meanwhile, can be made with two parts gin and one part tonic syrup in a mug (or heat-resistant glass), which is then stirred with hot water. For a twist, try replacing one of the gin parts with its fruity cousin sloe gin, a liqueur made from macerating sloe berries in the juniper-based alcohol.
When it comes to garnishes for the hot gin and tonic, juniper berries or an orange peel twist are ideal. Not only do they float nicely in the drink, but they release their aromatic oils thanks to the cocktail’s heat.
To ensure the best hot gin and tonic drinking experience, take a page from bartender Justin Lavenue, who shared some of his expert hot cocktail-making advice. For starters, warming your cup before adding the ingredients will help the drink maintain its temperature once made. You’ll also want to aim for a temperature of around 150 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit — few things are worse than scalding your tongue, except maybe running out of gin.
