What to mix with gin starts with eight mixers: tonic, soda + lime, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, fresh raspberry, Campari, and grapefruit. Below: each mixer with the cocktail it builds, plus seven gin-forward classics from the Speakeater cellar.
Gin is the most botanical spirit on the bar. Juniper, coriander, citrus peel, angelica, orris root. Every brand's botanical bill is different. Below: eight gin mixers ordered by how often they appear in a serious cocktail bar's nightly menu.
What to pour first.
Seven more gin classics from the Speakeater cellar:
Common questions.
What's the best mixer for gin?
Tonic water for the highball case, dry vermouth for a Martini, fresh lemon plus honey syrup for a Bee's Knees. Tonic is the most-poured pairing globally; the Martini ratio is the most asked-about.
What can I mix with gin if I don't have tonic?
Soda water with a fresh lemon or lime wedge gives you a Gin Rickey. Fresh grapefruit juice gives you a White Lady variant. Lemon juice plus honey gives you a Bee's Knees. Sweet vermouth alone makes a perfectly drinkable Gin & It.
Why does my gin and tonic taste bad?
Either the tonic is flat (open more than 24 hours), the gin is over-poured (more than a 1:2 ratio), or the lime is bottled. Fresh lime, fresh tonic, big ice cube. That's the entire fix.
What's an easy 3-ingredient gin cocktail?
Gimlet (gin, lime, simple syrup), Bee's Knees (gin, lemon, honey syrup), or French 75 (gin, lemon, sugar, topped with champagne. Three ingredients plus the topper). All three live in the cellar.