Most people think they know how to make a gin and tonic until they have a really good one somewhere and realize the version they’ve been making at home really isn’t what they thought it should be.

The ratio, the ice, and especially the tonic you choose change make a huge impact on the drink.

A gin and tonic is a highball, which means a spirit topped with more mixer. Like all cocktail recipes in that format, dilution is something you need to manage. You want cold, carbonated, and crisp. That means a cold glass, fresh ice, and tonic poured slowly down the side, not splashing onto the ice or the gin.

Which gin?

My recommendation: start with whatever gin you already like. A gin you enjoy on its own will make a G&T you enjoy.

Tonic water is not all the same

Tonic water can make or break your gin cocktail. Fever-Tree or Q Tonic will make a noticeably better gin and tonic, and it’s something you should search out instead of settling for a generic store brand.

The quinine flavor is more pronounced, the sweetness is lower, and the carbonation is finer. Fever-Tree even makes a less-sweet tonic that I like even more.

If you’ve ever had a G&T at a good bar and wondered why it tasted so much better than the one you made at home, the tonic is usually why.

Ratio

The standard ratio is 2 oz gin to 4 oz tonic, but I like to go slightly heavier on the gin, closer to 2.5 oz, especially if the tonic runs sweet, and the gin is especially good. Play with it.

Keep in mind that the tonic will change the flavor of the drink, so if you have a particularly lovely gin, try a gin and soda instead.

Garnish

A lime wedge is traditional, but over in Europe a grapefruit peel or wheel is the norm.

Fresh rosemary pressed lightly between your fingers before dropping it in the glass adds something herbal that pairs especially well with a London Dry.

More ideas in my cocktail garnishes guide.

3-Ingredient Upgrade: Herbal Glow-Up

Lightly clap 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves between your palms before adding them to the glass. Then build the drink as usual. The basil releases its oils without going bitter, and it adds a softness that plays well against the quinine in the tonic.

Rosemary or thyme works too, depending on what you have growing.

I grow rosemary in my garden year-round and it goes into gin drinks constantly.

Mocktail Version

A good non-alcoholic gin with tonic water tastes pretty good if you are abstaining. Lyre’s and Ritual both have enough botanical complexity that the tonic has something to work with.

Add a grapefruit peel and some fresh herbs to fancy it up.

Tools worth having

For a drink this simple, presentation matters more than it does in a complex cocktail. A long cocktail stirrer lets you mix without killing the bubbles.

I use a clear ice cube maker specifically for highball drinks like this one.

A channeling knife is useful for clean citrus peel garnishes if you want to go that route.

See everything I keep behind my home bar in my Amazon shop.

Gin cocktails to try next:

• Falling Petals Sakura Gimlet
• Juniper Cranberry Gin Sour
• Citrus Rosemary Gin Fizz

More 2-Ingredient Gin Cocktails:

• Gin Apple Juice Highball
• Gin & Grapefruit
• Gin Guava
• Gin and Juice
• Gin & Lemonade
• Gin Pineapple
• Gin & Soda
• Gin Sprite
• Gin & Tonic
• Gin Tonic (Flavored)
• Gin Watermelon

Gin and Tonic

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 4 oz tonic water
• Lime wedge or grapefruit peel, for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Add gin.
3. Pour tonic water slowly down the side of the glass to preserve carbonation.
4. Stir gently.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge or grapefruit peel.

Herbal Glow-Up (3-Ingredient Version)

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin
• 4 oz tonic water
• 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves (or rosemary or thyme)
• Lime wedge, for garnish

Instructions

1. Lightly clap the herbs between your palms and add to a highball glass.
2. Fill with ice.
3. Add gin.
4. Pour tonic slowly down the side of the glass and stir gently.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge.