Vodka Tonic

More than the vodka does. A standard Indian tonic carries around eight grams of sugar per 100 ml and a firm quinine bite, while the low-sugar bottlings taste drier and thinner. With no botanicals in the base to hide behind, whatever the tonic tastes like is what you get.

Warm liquid holds carbon dioxide badly, and ice added as an afterthought melts fast. Chill the tonic in the fridge, fill the glass to the rim with cubes so they last, and pour down the inside wall. One gentle lift with a spoon, then leave it alone.

Squeeze it, then drop it in. A wedge perched on the rim is decoration, and it is the juice plus the oil from the skin that cuts the quinine's dryness. For aroma without the acid, use a wide strip of peel and twist it over the surface instead.

Go up to 150 ml of tonic rather than cutting the spirit, or use a half-sugar tonic at the usual pour. Topping up with plain soda kills the bitterness that makes the drink work, so change the tonic you use rather than the ratio.

A classic Vodka Tonic calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Vodka, 120 ml (4 oz) Tonic water. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Vodka Tonic is roughly 11% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it a relatively light, sessionable drink — similar in strength to a beer.

A Vodka Tonic is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.