Chef notes
My mom enjoyed tonic drinks; I always hated them. So, as a tribute to my mom, the late Kathy McCarty, I wanted to make a tonic cocktail I could actually enjoy. The result is a crushable elixir featuring a slight touch of sweet grapefruit syrup and a hint of bitter Gran Classico. It's a souped-up gin and tonic that has echoes of both a grapefruit Tom Collins and a bitter gin cocktail. Those aforementioned bubbles I would usually hate play a perfect complementary role to the other flavors, making a tonic drink I finally can enjoy.
Technique tip: Using tonic that has been bottled in a smaller glass bottle tends to make the best version of this cocktail. If you become proficient in knowing your tonic amount for this drink, you can skip step four by pouring the tonic directly into your tin after shaking, this will get the ingredients best integrated.
Ingredients
- 1 dash saline (4 parts water to 1 part salt)
- 3/4 ounce grapefruit syrup (equal parts grapefruit juice and white sugar by weight stirred together ahead of time)
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce bitter liqueur, preferably Gran Classico
- 1½ ounces gin, preferably London Dry Gin
- tonic
- grapefruit twist, to garnish
Preparation
1.Add saline, grapefruit syrup, lime juice, bitter liqueur and gin into a cocktail shaker with 5 to 7 ice cubes.
2.Put the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously until frost begins to form (if using a tin), about 7 seconds.
3.Remove the lid and strain contents into a highball glass filled with ice.
4.Top off with tonic.
5.Garnish with a long grapefruit twist.
