The Story Behind The Winter Gin & Tonic

The Christmas lights are up, the air is cold and crisp, and the songs in every story are familiar and comforting. A festive cocktail that takes a classic and gives it a zesty spin is just the thing for early December. I decided to go with the elegant, always relevant Gin & Tonic. I began by adding my special spiced simple syrup. It was… ok. But it didn’t hit the note I was looking for, so I checked out a few festive cooking recipes and then it hit me. It was so obvious! The flavor my cocktail needed was orange. I added just a splash of orange juice, but the acidity and citrus notes beautifully rounded out the cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces gin
  • 2 ounces tonic water
  • ½ ounce spiced simple syrup
  • ½ ounce orange juice
  • 1.5 cups ice

Directions

  1. Combine gin, tonic water, spiced simple syrup, orange juice and cup of ice into mixing glass
  2. Stir softly to mix ingredients together
  3. Strain into wine glass over fresh ice
  4. Garnish with whole cloves, whole allspices, and orange slice

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Yield: 1 cocktail
Updated: 2022-03-09

Spiced Simple Syrup Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 teaspoon of whole allspice
  • 1 teaspoon of whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Spiced Simple Syrup Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan
  2. Simmer mixture until the sugar is dissolved
  3. Cool mixture then strain
Winter Gin & Tonic Recipe