Gin & Tonic or as we call it, the G&T, is undoubtedly the simplest drink to make and one of the most popular around the world. In its two hundred years of existence, the G&T has never gone out of style.
But who invented the G&T? Why do we celebrate International Gin & Tonic Day?
Read on and have a Gin & Tonic with us!
The Story of Gin & Tonic
Winston Churchill once declared, “The gin and tonic drink has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.” It all started in India. As Britain was colonising this vast country throughout the 19th century, a substantial number of travellers and colonists suffered from malaria. In finding the cure of this disease, they soon discovered the answer they were searching for - an active ingredient within the cinchona bark called quinine. However, there was one problem. Quinine powder was intensely bitter and hard to swallow. So the Brits diluted it in sugar water and “tonic water” in its earliest form was born.
In the 19th century, Gin liquor was also rising in popularity. It was only a matter of time and opportunity before a colonist decided to take his Indian Quinine Tonic water with a glass of gin. Could there be a better place than the hot tropics of India to enjoy a cool, refreshing provision like the gin and tonic?
How did International Gin & Tonic Day Come About?
International Gin & Tonic Day was founded in honour of gin lover Mary Edith Keyburn, who passed away at the age of 95 on 19 October 2010 with a G&T in a teacup by her bedside in hospital in the USA. Her family smuggled the G&T into the hospital in a water bottle and hid it in plain sight in a teacup. Starting with family and friends, the International Gin and Tonic Day Facebook page was established in 2012 and over the following years, it spread from the US East Coast to the rest of the world.
Celebrate this day with us with our take on the G&T - Iberian GT. The Iberian GT is a hybrid cocktail that combines fruit-infused flavours of our housecrafted white Sangria with a floral Japanese gin. The light fruity flavours are deepened with fresh rosemary and a dash of homemade pomegranate syrup to bring out the botanicals in the gin. A delicious, thirst quenching cocktail for this Singapore weather!
Enjoyed this article? Check out our other articles on drinks like the Espresso Martini and Negroni here!