Today was such a fine day that I treated myself not to 1, but 2 Gin & Tonics (I mean variations, not servings of course). The weather was just great and daylight saving kicked in, giving me an extra hour of enjoying a g&t in the sun. Since I already opened a bottle of Schweppes, to mix with Citadelle, I decided to go further with this one and mix it with another new addition to my collection: No. 3 Gin.
No. 3 Gin uses ‘only’ 6 botanicals, distilled with a high quality base-spirit. Although No. 3 Gin is a new product, it is created by the Berry Bros & Rudd, one of the oldest and highly regarded distillers in the U.K. that has been around since 1698. Each botanical can be identified quite easily, without being simple: this is still a wonderfully balanced gin. It is bottled at 46 % ABV / 92 proof so it needs to breathe just a little before you start nosing and tasting. Besides the juniper and lemon flavour (which comes historically almost invariably from coriander) you get the cardamom very strong. At the same time there are sweet fruity notes from orange and grapefruit which also deliver some sweetness.
Schweppes Tonic is one of the largest mainstream brands available in the world, but it all started in Geneva in 1783, where Johann Jacob Schweppe founded his company to produce carbonated softdrinks. This was invented a mere 13 years earlier by Joseph Priestly, who was an extremely clever guy back then, although he failed to commercialize his invention. Schweppes Tonic is high in carbonation and together with the kinine delivers quite a strong bitter taste. The high levels of sugar make it quite sweet, also because there are very little citrus-notes in Schweppes.
How do these 2 work together in the mix?
This is actually a very nice combination! The absence of citric-notes in Schweppes are a very good match with the No. 3 Gin. And because this gin does not have strong sweetener agents incorporated, it benefits from the strong sweetness in Schweppes. The addition of lime in the drink does not benefit the drink too well, I enjoyed it better without the lime, but I can imagine adding a slice of orange or grapefruit will lift this drink even further. The recommendation on their site is lemon which you can also try, as this has a less stronger sour taste than that of a lime. Please post any of your own findings in the comments below!
Rating: 9.0/10
Method: Pour 50 ml No. 3 Gin in a longdrink and fill with icecubes. Top with Schweppes Tonic and add your choice of garnish. Stir gently and serve.