International Gin & Tonic Day

Gin and tonic. Sgroene / Pixabay.com / 2016 / CC0 1.0

The 19th of October is International Gin & Tonic Day.

You could designate this your first Gin and Tonic cocktail (aka G&T) of the summer, if you live in Australia or Zealand, or, your last one of the summer if you live in the Northern Hemisphere.

What type of gin do you like in your G&T? London, Dutch, Plymouth Gin or something else entirely?

And what about the tonic water? Regular, or diet?

A Gin and Tonic cocktail was originally meant to be seen as a treatment for malaria owing to the quinine in the tonic water:

“In the 1700s a Scottish doctor, George Cleghorn, discovered that quinine could be used to treat malaria. This quickly led to tonic water being drunk by British soldiers stationed in India to fight malaria. But as you may know, tonic water is quite bitter. So, in the 1800s, soldiers took to adding first gin, and eventually lemon and lime to their tonic water, to hide the bitter flavour, thus inventing the classic (and my favourite!) gin and tonic.” ^[1]McVean, Ada. Did you know that malaria spawned the gin and tonic? McGill University, Office for Science and Society. 27 September 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know/malaria-reason-behind-gin-and-tonic

There’s probably zero quinine now in any tonic water you will be able to get hold of, but there’s a ton of sugar that’s been added in its place. Most people don’t realize how high in sugar tonic water is now — the bitter notes in the beverage are deceptive. You can, though, get lower-calorie and sugar-free tonic waters if you look for them.

In any event, minus the quinine (which you probably didn’t need anyway outside the tropics), and with the added sugar, plus the alcohol, it’s probably best now to ignore any health claims attributed to a Gin and Tonic — and just enjoy one in its own right for its own sake!

And don’t forget the garnish. What do you prefer as your garnish: a lemon wedge or a lime wedge? A slice of orange?

#g&tday #GinandTonicDay #InternationalGinAndTonicDay

See also:  Gin, Tonic Water, Quinine, National Gin & Tonic Day, World Gin Day, Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (discoverer of quinine)

Activities for today

• Try a gin different from your usual;
• try a craft gin from a local craft distillery;
• try adding some bitters, maybe grapefruit or mint;
• have some friends round for a G&T, offering a selection of ingredients for them to make their own;
• head out to your favourite neighbourhood watering hole with friends for a G&T;
• Have an online Zoom G & T session with a some far-flung friends from around the world.

Don’t confuse today with National Gin & Tonic Day in the U.S., which occurs on the 9th of April. Some people confuse the two dates, but CooksInfo dug deep to verify the distinction.

History

It appears that International Gin & Tonic Day started in 2010. In 2013, David T. Smith, author of “The Craft of Gin”, said, “Saturday 19th October 2013 marks the 3rd Annual International Gin & Tonic Day.” ^[2]Smith, David T. International Gin & Tonic Day – 10/19/2013. Liquor.com. 18 October 2013. Accessed March 2021 at https://web.archive.org/web/20131020074043/http://drinkwire.liquor.com/post/international-gin-tonic-day-10192013

Literature and Lore

“Bond ordered a double gin and tonic and one whole green lime. When the drink came he cut the lime in half, dropped the two squeezed halves into the long glass, almost filled the glass with ice cubes and then poured in the tonic. He took the drink out on to the balcony, and sat and looked out across the spectacular view.” — Ian Fleming, Dr No.

Sources

12 new Scottish gins to sip on International Gin & Tonic Day. Edinburgh, Scotland: Hood Magazine. 19 October 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.hoodmagazine.co.uk/blog/2018/10/19/12-new-scottish-gins-to-sip-on-international-gin-amp-tonic-day

Bell, Katie Kelly. Celebrate National Gin And Tonic Day With Four Delicious Small-Batch Gins. Forbes Magazine. 19 October 2019. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2017/10/19/celebrate-national-gin-tonic-day-with-four-delicious-small-batch-gins/#3d3a44f21e1f

Bryce, Julia. North-East Bars to Visit for International Gin & Tonic Day. Aberdeen, Scotland: Society Magazine. 19 October 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.societyaberdeen.co.uk/food-drink/north-east-gin-bars-to-visit-for-international-gin-tonic-day/

Crouthamel, Joshua. Celebrate National Gin & Tonic Day. Metro US. 9 April 2018. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.metro.us/lifestyle/food-and-drinks/celebrate-national-gin-tonic-day

Daniels, Chris. International Gin & Tonic Day: The classic cocktail gets a makeover. Hello Magazine. 7 April 2016. Accessed March 2021 at https://ca.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/02016040425069/international-gin-tonic-day-cocktail-makeover-reds-tavern

Diffords Guide. It’s International Gin and Tonic Day. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.diffordsguide.com/on-this-day/october/19

Pathak, Sophia. International Gin & Tonic Day: 7 surprising health benefits of drinking gin. London, England: Evening Standard. 19 October 2017. Accessed March 2021 at https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/foodanddrink/is-gin-good-for-you-7-surprising-health-benefits-of-drinking-gin-for-world-gin-day-a3268481.html