Gin and tonic

Gin and tonic is traditionally garnished with a slice or wedge of lime, often slightly squeezed into the drink before being placed in the glass. In most parts of the world, lime remains the only usual garnish; however, lemon is often used as an alternative fruit. In the United Kingdom, the use of both lemon and lime together is known as an "Evans". Although the origins of the use of lemons are unknown, their use dates back at least as far as the late 1930s. The use of lemon or lime is a debated issue – some leading brands, such as Gordon's, Tanqueray, and Bombay Sapphire, recommend the use of lime in their gin. The use of a balloon glass for serving gin has become popular, possibly through promotion by the Bombay Sapphire gin brand. The use of such a glass, with plenty of ice and a garnish tailored to the flavours of the gin, is sometimes said to allow the aromas of the drink to gather at its opening for the drinker to more easily appreciate. The use of assorted fruits, herbs, and vegetables, as garnish (reflecting the botanicals of the individual gin), is increasingly popular. Besides the classic lime wheel or wedge, alternative garnishes can include orange peel, star anise, thyme, elderflower, a slice of ginger, pink grapefruit, rosemary, cucumber, mint, black peppercorns, strawberry and basil, strawberry syrup, or chillies. can be included. ==History==

In India and other tropical regions, malaria was a persistent problem for Europeans, and during the 18th century the Scottish doctor George Cleghorn studied how quinine, a traditional cure for malaria, could be used to prevent the disease. The mixture, however, was bitter and unpleasant due to the high concentration of quinine. Gin had been used by soldiers in battle as a calming agent as early as the Thirty Years' War. These officers took to adding sugar and gin to this tonic water in order to make the cure more palatable, thus creating the cocktail. This was not the first time liquor was used with quinine to improve taste: certain surgeons in the American Civil War recommended taking the antimalarial with whisky. The first known reference to gin and tonic in print is present in the Oriental Sporting Magazine, indicating that it was a common phrase called out during a horse race. ==Variations==

Mixers can include lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice and spiced simple syrup, grenadine, tea, etc. A gin and tonic can also be mixed with a sorbet. Some gin-and-tonic inspired drinks also have champagne (e.g., the Parisian), vermouth and Campari (e.g. the Negroni Sbagliato), vermouth and bitters (e.g., the Posh G&T), super smokey whiskey (e.g., the Ol' Smokey), peach liqueur and grapefruit bitters (e.g., the Tonic Delight), mint bitters, and chocolate liqueur (e.g., the Guilty Pleasure), etc. ==In popular culture==

In Top Gear and The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond were known to be quite fond of the drink, and drank them on camera a number of times, in one case causing controversy when Jeremy Clarkson appeared to drink one whilst behind the wheel of a car driving to the North Pole. James Bond specifies a recipe for a gin and tonic while in Kingston, Jamaica, in the book Dr. No. Unusually, it involves the juice of a whole lime. In the BBC1 and Amazon Prime television series Fleabag, Fleabag and the Priest enjoy canned G&Ts from Marks and Spencer. The store reported a 24% increase in sales after the episodes aired. Founded in 2010, International Gin & Tonic Day is celebrated worldwide on 19 October. ==Images==

File:Self-made gin and tonic cropped.jpg|Gin and tonic made with Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin and Schweppes Indian Tonic, garnished with slices of lime File:Gin and tonic with lemon.jpg|A gin and tonic with ice and lemon wedge File:Crafter's Gin and Tonic on a balcony.jpg|Gin and tonic made from Estonian Crafter's Gin. The botanicals in the gin have turned the drink pink in colour. File:A Gin Tonica with Fruit Garnish at Cappuccino Gin Bar in Salou, Spain, June-2013.jpg|A Spanish gin tonic served in a balloon glass File:Gin and tonic please - geograph.org.uk - 3387400.jpg|A sculpture of a gin and tonic on the Mablethorpe coastline. == See also ==