The physics behind my Gin and Tonic
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Everett, WA
Age: 67
Posts: 3,586
Originally Posted by jolihokistix
Put the ice in the glass. Pour the gin over it. Add tonic, lemon/lime etc., as necessary. Perfect.
From stirred, but never shaken.
From stirred, but never shaken.
Although I've been drifting towards gin and ginger ale instead of gin and tonic. I find the ginger ale gives it a nice, pleasant taste, and unlike tonic there are some good sugar-free ginger ales' out there so I can keep my sugar intake down. In fact, I'm enjoying one right now
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: 5Y
Posts: 578
Originally Posted by Sue Vêtements
Why does it all froth up when I dump in the ice?
...and what's the least frothy way to make one?
...and what's the least frothy way to make one?
Clean ice, gin, slice of lemming, tonic as you like
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: away from home
Age: 61
Posts: 817
Originally Posted by double_barrel
You are not supposed to dump in the ice! (Although I have encountered urinals that are packed with ice)
Clean ice, gin, slice of lemming, tonic as you like
Clean ice, gin, slice of lemming, tonic as you like
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Oxford
Posts: 131
.... and start with a good glass (different correct answer for different people, but it needs to a decent size and 'feel right' in the hand) - preferably pre-chilled in the freezer. My personal preferences are for a highball glass or a goblet (although I view that as 'a bit girlie'.
Always ice first as others have commented - I have taken to squeezing a lime section into the glass and dropping a lime slice in with filtered water to freeze in the base, then dropping more ice cubes on top before pouring gin, twist of lime and tonic in that order. A gentle stir is best in case the copious quantities of ice prevent full mixing (you can't have too much ice in my view -prevents over dilution and can support a mid way top-up or two !
Always ice first as others have commented - I have taken to squeezing a lime section into the glass and dropping a lime slice in with filtered water to freeze in the base, then dropping more ice cubes on top before pouring gin, twist of lime and tonic in that order. A gentle stir is best in case the copious quantities of ice prevent full mixing (you can't have too much ice in my view -prevents over dilution and can support a mid way top-up or two !
Thought police antagonist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Where I always have been...firmly in the real world
Posts: 1,178
Ahem...having no social skills...or finesse....I've never really given much thought to the complexities involved. Select glass, or alternative plastic cup, pour in Gin / Tonic, stir with finger ..consume thereafter.
If consuming, rare, but has happened, the pre mixed canned version, pull off ring top, place aperture to lips...slurp down .
It would be fair to say the above philosophy and practices are unlikely to feature in Debretts
The beverage can, I understand, also be used for flavouring albeit it's prudent to do so at room temp...and without the ice.
If consuming, rare, but has happened, the pre mixed canned version, pull off ring top, place aperture to lips...slurp down .
It would be fair to say the above philosophy and practices are unlikely to feature in Debretts
The beverage can, I understand, also be used for flavouring albeit it's prudent to do so at room temp...and without the ice.
Last edited by Krystal n chips; 21st Feb 2022 at 08:57.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: south of Cirencester, north of Lyneham
Age: 75
Posts: 1,261
I prefer Gin and It or Gin and French. Being winter, no ice. !/3 gin, 1/3 vermouth - French or Italian as preferred, generous squeeze of lime, Angostura if liked and 1/3 tonic. Very good for curing shaking hands if you suffer from BET (Benign Essential Tremors) - which I do.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 32°55'22"S 151°46'56"E
Age: 37
Posts: 594
Originally Posted by jolihokistix
Only sissies use ice. Slugs of gin straight from the bottle…
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Can't remember
Posts: 31
Originally Posted by double_barrel
You are not supposed to dump in the ice! (Although I have encountered urinals that are packed with ice)
Clean ice, gin, slice of lemming, tonic as you like
Clean ice, gin, slice of lemming, tonic as you like
I thought it was a twist of lemming?
Ice in last? Not guilcup your honour.
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 127
Originally Posted by Sue Vêtements
and the physics of why it froths . . .
Same reason my first Ricard of the morning goes cloudy when adding ice.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly in my own imagination
Posts: 131
Originally Posted by DuncanDoenitz
Same reason my first Ricard of the morning goes cloudy when adding ice.
Mind you, I agree Ricard is better than Pernod - One time I went into a liquor store looking for some, but couldn't find it so had to ask the guy behind the counter. I figured it'd be too confusing to ask for Ricard, so I asked for Pernod instead thinking they'd both be in the same place, He took me directly to that shelf but then had to say "I'm sorry, but we only have Ricard ... so I'll give you five bucks off"
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Malvern, UK
Posts: 417
Originally Posted by DuncanDoenitz
The ability of a solvent (tonic) to dissolve a solute (Co2) is temperature dependent. If the tonic is saturated with CO2 at room temperature, rapid cooling causes the solute to precipitate out, as bubbles.
Same reason my first Ricard of the morning goes cloudy when adding ice.
Same reason my first Ricard of the morning goes cloudy when adding ice.
The simpler explanation - the agitation of a saturated CO2 solution. Clumsily pouring tonic into a glass, even without ice, will cause it to froth over the top.
