Rosemary Gin & Tonic

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Cocktail History

The Rosemary Gin & Tonic is a modern cocktail that was created by the editors of PUNCH and was first published in their book Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails. Just as its name implies, this is a winter-inspired variation of the Gin & Tonic that is made with gin, citrus, and tonic water, but it adds in a vinegar-based grapefruit shrub for more complex, savory flavor.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used The Botanist Islay Dry Gin because it features cool mint, juniper, citrus, and herbal notes that play well with fruity ingredients. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.

Grapefruit Shrub: This is a syrup made with grapefruit, aromatics, sugar, and vinegar. We made ours using Alex’s recipe.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Grapefruit Tonic Water: This is a type of carbonated water that has been infused with quinine and flavored with grapefruit. We used Fitch & Leedes Grapefruit Tonic Water for additional grapefruit flavor.

Grapefruit Slices: This is a slice of grapefruit that has been cut into a half wheel shape.

Rosemary Sprig: This is an evergreen herb.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Muddler: This is used to muddle ingredients. We used the HQY Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Tasting Notes

The Rosemary Gin & Tonic features rosemary aroma and a surprisingly not-bitter taste that combines sweet grapefruit with a hint of vinegar sourness, herbal gin, and a slight quinine tartness. The aftertaste then features gin botanicals front and center, along with the slightly bitter grapefruit tonic flavors.

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Kendall loved the Rosemary Gin & Tonic, making it the first tonic water cocktail she’s really liked. And Alex loved how the already bitter tonic water was able to play well with the grapefruit shrub and created a delightfully palatable sweet-yet-savory drink.

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Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“For a Gin & Tonic, I was surprised at how little tonic taste there was in this recipe. The shrub was able to cut out the tonic’s bitterness a bit without replacing it with its own vinegar taste, although some of that is present as well. The grapefruit steals the show, being part of the shrub, the garnish, and the tonic, and it makes for a very refreshing drink overall.”

—

Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I’ve never been the biggest fan of the classic Gin & Tonic because tonic water is too bitter for my palate. It doesn’t help that I started out trying gin drinks that were much sweeter when it’s common for tonic water to be the gateway to liking gin. This G&T is my favorite we’ve tried so far though, and it’s all thanks to the grapefruit shrub. Its unique vinegar flavor cuts the bitterness of the tonic just enough to make it much more palatable for me. I’ve already requested it again!”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.

Sale

Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails

Hardcover Book; Editors of PUNCH (Author); English (Publication Language); 160 Pages – 10/02/2018 (Publication Date) – Ten Speed Press (Publisher)

$13.79

AuthorWinter Drinks

Make It a Mocktail: Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin to try a booze-free version of this drink.

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More Gin Cocktails

If you like this gin-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:

Trellis Gin & Tonic: An ombré gin cocktail made with cucumber and rose pink tonic water, lime juice, and a rolled cucumber

Gin Rickey: A classic gin cocktail made with lime juice, club soda, and a lime wheel

Lemon Thyme Gin & Tonic: A lemon gin cocktail made with lemon juice, thyme syrup, Indian tonic water, and a lemon wedge

Florodora: A gin cocktail made with lime juice, raspberry syrup, simple syrup, ginger ale, a lime slice, and raspberries

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