The Dutch may have invented gin (in its earlier form, genever), the British added the tonic, but it was the Spanish who perfected the garnish and raised the drink to the level of art. Nowhere in the world can you find better gin and tonics than in the bars of Spain.
I have loved G&T for a long time, but it only occurred to me that what I had to see as the “correct way” to serve a G&T was actually the “Spanish way” when I went to a cocktail bar – Amor y Amargo – In New York they had G&T ‘Spanish style’ on the menu.
As the president of Cognac-Ferrand, Alexandre Gabriel, quoted in an article on gin and tonic , says: “Only Spain knows how to make a gin and tonic.”
So what makes a Spanish gin and tonic so perfect?
See also: What to drink in Spain instead of sangria
The perfect gin and tonic recipe (as they do in Spain)
- Have a large wine glass with a long stem.
- Fill it with ice. We are talking about five or ten cubes here, depending on the size of your glass. A good G&T is COLD.
- Choose a garnish. The more imaginative the better (the more in which ornament to choose further down the page).
- Pour the gin into the garnish, to give the gin a proper flavor, followed by a tonic poured from a freshly opened bottle or can. Although tastes vary, you probably want a 2: 1 or 3: 2 ratio (tonic to gin). This could be more than what you are used to. See below why Spanish people can make their G & Ts so strong and flavorful.
- Stir lightly and hear the ice cubes chirp, add a straw and serve.
The best gin for gin and tonic
G&T needs a London gin, which is the majority of gins in the world. Stay away from Gordon, which has nothing to do with the quality it had when James Bond would drink it. Avoid the subtle Plymouth, which is not a London gin (put it in your martini instead) or the classic Old Tom gins (which are for your Tom Collins).
The standard premium gin in bars in Spain is Tanqueray, which has a great fruity taste and is quite cheap. At home, the best drink is one that can easily be followed by another, which is why Tanqueray’s excellent value makes it my best gin for a gin and tonic.
If you want to have a Spanish gin, go for the premium Larios 12 or the standard Larios if you need to save a bit of money.
Fortunately, the Spanish have not fallen in love with the marketing power of Bombay Sapphire, which tastes like perfume and is responsible for so many people saying they don’t like gin.
What is the best tonic water for the perfect gin and tonic?
Schweppes is the standard brand of tonic for a G&T, of course, but the Spanish are obsessed with Fever Tree, an all-natural tonic water from Great Britain. I compared the two brands, side by side, in a Malaga bar (the one mentioned below) and I have to say that compared to the Fever Tree, the Schweppes has a very synthetic flavor.
However, in isolation, it’s not different enough to justify it being my favorite tonic.
Remember: always use a freshly opened bottle of tonic for each drink! The freshness of the toner is more important than the brand you use.
Why do the bars pour their tonic into a spoon?
Because it looks great!
I was once in a bar in Spain, where two bartenders disagreed about the effect that pouring the tonic into the drink has on the drink. One said it was to preserve the bubbles, the other said it was to kill some of the bubbles!
The first waiter argued that there is no splashing when the tonic reaches the glass, while the second (and I) noted how much the tonic is disturbed as it goes down the spoon.
The tonic poured into a spoon makes it appear more bubbly when the drink is presented to the drinker. But the more bubbly something looks, the faster the drink will deflate.
Unfortunately, most bars in Spain do this. On the positive side, it doesn’t affect your drink that much.
Continue to 5 of 12 below.
How to choose your garnish for the perfect gin and tonic
There are two ways to decorate a G&T: the classic and the Spanish.
First, let’s answer the classic question: lemon or lime in a gin and tonic?
Here are two contradictory schools of thought. It’s all about the ‘botanicals’, the flavors in gin that differentiate it from vodka. Juniper is the main one, but lemon, cardamom, and cassia rind are among other frequently featured flavors. So, there is already lemon there. Now, the question is: do you want to ‘take out’ the lemon with more lemon, or complement the flavor by adding one that is not yet present, in this case, lime?
There will be some science stuff that they would test one way or another if you can ‘bring out’ flavors this way, but we are not doing science here – this is art.
Ultimately, it all depends on taste. So if there’s no right or wrong way to garnish your G&T, why stick with lemon or lime in the first place?
Enter in Spanish!
How Spaniards Decorate the Perfect Gin & Tonic
Ever since Hendrick marketers thought of putting cucumber in their ‘unusual’ gin, Spaniards have been experimenting with non-citrus G&T garnishes that begin with the letter ‘l’. Any gin in Spain worth your juniper will offer you a variety of garnishes.
Gin is a varied beast, so why not vary your garnishes? Below are the side dishes I saw at San Telmo’s in Barcelona. I chose this bar’s selection because it had the most extensive list I have ever seen; That doesn’t mean that all of your choices were good!
- Citrus Lemon, lime, pink grapefruit, orange.
- Herbs and spices Coriander, mint, cardamom, cinnamon, parsley, nutmeg, pepper, curry powder (!)
- Ginger roots , licorice
- Berries Grapes, raspberries, juniper.
- Another cucumber, chocolate.
Many bars in Spain try to combine garnishes with particular gins. I think this goes a bit over the top. Experiment and find your favorite garnish for your favorite gin.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there are now a lot of sweet gins in Spain and in these gins you will hopefully see some of the most unusual garnishes. With the huge hype surrounding gin and its crossover into the bar culture in Spain, manufacturers are making gins for people who don’t like gin. If you’re at a good gin bar, you can guess what the gin looks like from the garnish they use. If you can’t imagine you’d like a strawberry gin, don’t order it. On the other hand, if your favorite drinks tend to have strawberries, you might like this G&T.
How can Spaniards make their G & Ts so strong?
A Spanish bar will generally serve you between 70ml and 90ml of gin, using most (or all) of a 200ml bottle of tonic to complete your drink. This is a 2: 1 to 3: 1 serving. Try that in your average British pub and you will get something that tastes a lot like alcohol. The difference is so marked that I have heard people suggest that Spanish bars douse their gin. In fact, the reason is quite the opposite!
So how can Spanish bars make their gin and tonic so strong?
Our taste buds have evolved to pick up bitter over anything else (because, in nature, bitter often means poison). If you dilute an alcoholic beverage too much, it is the bitter taste of the alcohol that will shine the brightest. (A good level of dilution is required with drinks like a dry martini, but in a long drink like a G&T, the gin is already diluted with the tonic, so there is no need for further dilution.)
But it is not treacherous bar owners outside of Spain who are diluting their G&T. The real culprit is ice. That’s why Spanish bars fill their oversized glasses with so many cubes – the more ice cubes, the slower it will melt. Slower melting means less water in your drink and therefore less bitterness.
Where can I get a good G&T in Spain?
Serving a G&T in a large glass with lots of ice and a good garnish is quickly becoming the norm in Spain (in fact, it’s starting to spread throughout the rest of Europe too!). Look behind the bar at the oversized ball goggles and you will know you have a suitable bar.
However, as I hope this article has shown you, there are still difficulties in making a good G&T. In addition, there are bars in Spain that take gin and tonic to an even more impressive level. Check out my favorites below.
1. Bobby Gin, Barcelona
Bobby Gin is the best bar in the world for a G&T. Not only do they have a wide range of gins, tonics, and garnishes, but their gin and tonic cocktails are the next step in enhancing your drink. My favorite was the one that contained draft chartreuse and lime juice.
Address : Francisco Giner 47, Barcelona.
Bobby Gin and Facebook
See also : How to plan the perfect trip to Barcelona
Continue to 9 of 12 below.
2. Gin-Tonic, Málaga
The first place I had a gin and tonic made correctly. What makes this bar stand out is the passion that both staff and customers have for gin and tonic – this bar is so famous for its preparation of the drink that you will find few people drinking anything else.
They also have a machine that chills the glass with carbon dioxide – useful and cool looking!
Address: c/ Sancha de Lara 4, Malaga
Gin-Tonic on Facebook
See also: How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Malaga
3. Martinez, Madrid
This is one of the few bars I’ve seen that dispenses with the silly and flamboyant pouring of the tonic down the spoon and the only bar I found carefully pouring their tonic on the back of a spoon, to reduce the splash of the tonic as it goes into the glass.
They also use their own house-made ‘elixirs’ (probably ‘bitters’ to you and me) to flavor their G&Ts, which is a nice and unusual touch.
Address: Calle del Barco, 4, 28004 Madrid, Spain
Martinez on Facebook
See also: How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Madrid
4. Bernardo Cocktail Bar, Bilbao
A cocktail bar that won a local award for the best gin and tonic, their laborious G&T preparation involves tea (again), but this time infused first in water, with the infused discarded (or drunk) and the fresh tea leaves then added to your G&T. Worth the wait!
Address: Calle Gran Vía, 69, 48011 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
See also: How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Bilbao and San Sebastian
5. Gin & T Bar, Ronda
Two things stand out about this bar. Firstly, Ronda is a small city, so far removed most populated areas of Spain that it was pretty much the last Moorish stronghold to fall during the reconquista, largely because everyone had forgotten about it. For such a good G&T bar to exist here is unusual.
Secondly, when I was there they had an assortment of ‘Tea tonic’ teabags, which are intended to be infused in your gin before the tonic is added. I’d never seen this before (or since) and I am dubious about the Tanqueray branding on the teabags but it’s an interesting idea, nonetheless.
Address: for some reason, your address is given on Facebook and Tripadvisor as “next to the Cero Grado Cerveceria [next to Cero Grado Cervecería], 29400 Ronda, Spain”. The location did not seem so unusual when I was there as to require such a description.
For the record, the address of Cero Grado Cervecería is Calle Comandante Salvador Carrasco, 29400 Ronda, Malaga, Spain
Gin & T on Facebook
See also: What are the best cities to visit in Andalusia?
