Name: Gin and Tonic
Total time: 2 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 50 ml Gin; 120 ml Tonic water

Gin & Tonic
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Ingredients:
1 ²⁄₃ oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
4 oz	Thomas Henry Tonic Water

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Garnish: Lime wedge

How to make:

POUR ingredients into ice-filled glass and serve.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Cocktail of the day:

9th April 2025 is National Gin and Tonic Day

Review:

One of the simplest and best mixed drinks ever devised, hence its lasting popularity.

To serve as a Highball use a smaller 10oz (295ml) Highball glass (in place of a 12oz (355ml) Collins glass) and fill with 45ml (1.5oz) gin and 90ml (3oz) tonic water along with plenty of ice.

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History:

The precise origin of the G&T is lost in the mists of time. Gin (or at least a grain-based juniper spirit) was drunk for medicinal reasons from the 1600s onwards. Quinine, the pungent bark extract which gives tonic its distinctive bitterness, had been used against malaria for even longer. The first known quinine-based tonics were marketed during the 1850s.

The popularity of tonic in the British colonies, especially India, is clear with Schweppes launching their first carbonated quinine tonic in 1870, branding it Indian Tonic Water. The ladies and gentlemen of the Raj also drank phenomenal quantities of gin. It is therefore accepted that gin and tonic emerged in India during the second half of the nineteenth century and was drunk partly to ward off malaria.

Nutrition:

One serving of Gin & Tonic contains 157 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
11.01% alc./vol. (11.01° proof)
18.7 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 14 comments for Gin & Tonic.
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Cameron Carter

9th April at 22:14

Absolute classic. I enjoy it with a dried bay leaf vs. a lime wedge.

Loïc Pierre

20th March at 22:26

The quality of the tonic is crucial ! And as said before, adding some lemon to the gin before adding the tonic can be a plus.
Simple, delicious, timeless cocktail.

Pär Ackelind

18th May 2024 at 08:42

The best twist I’ve ever done on a gin & tonic is the addition of grapefruit zest. Just release the oils and discard, don’t leave it in the glass. Makes a huge difference. As long as you have a good tonic like Fentimans or Fever tree (prefer the Mediterranean for the Indian) any simple gin will do the drink. Both Gibson’s and Gordon’s make excellent Gin & tonics this way.

Fredrik Bothmer

17th May 2024 at 17:26

I stirred a Dry Martini (5:1) before I realised I wasn’t in the mood for a stiff drink and instead made a G&T of it with a slice of lemon. Delicious.

John Hinojos

20th October 2023 at 00:23

Perfect cocktail.
After reading the comments did some research. Took a recipe from pre-Prohibition, a recipe from Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic) from 1947, and a cocktail book from 1953. Also went out to the websites of various gin makers to view their recipe.
Final cocktail had 1/2 lime, juiced into the glass. Lime was also put on the rim of the glass. Added ice and the gin. Stirred. Added tonic and more ice. Spent lime wedges were put on the ice.

John CARR

13th March at 10:16

You can also make a gimlet per Simon’s recipe then lengthen it into a gimlet-Collins: just add Soda water. Somewhat similar to this. I enjoyed it very much.