In today’s blog post, we’re going to explore the question of whether or not you can make a Gin Fizz with tonic. We’ll start by discussing the ingredients and equipment that you’ll need, then move on to the recipe itself. Finally, we’ll give our verdict on whether or not this drink is worth trying. Stay tuned!
Can You Make a Gin Fizz with Tonic?
Yes, you can. A Gin Fizz is a refreshing drink made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water. While most recipes call for the addition of club soda or tonic water, you can also make a fizz using plain soda water if that’s all you have in your home bar.
This is how many bartenders choose to make their cocktails when they’re not behind the bar.
If you don’t have access to tonic water but still want to give this drink a shot, there are two alternatives that we would recommend:
1) You can add a splash of orange bitters to your cocktail instead of tonic
2) You can replace the gin and lemon juice with vodka and lime juice add some sweet syrup (simple syrup works well) to balance out the tartness of your drink.
Ingredients and Equipment:
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce Lemon Juice
- ½ ounce Simple Syrup Club Soda or Tonic Water Orange Bitters
- (optional) Lime Wedge for garnish Cucumber Slice for garnish
- Cocktail Shaker
- Jigger
- Glassware
A Gin Fizz is made with a base spirit, lemon juice, simple syrup and club soda or tonic water. Though most recipes call for gin, you can also use vodka if that’s all you have – the flavor profile will be slightly different due to the differences in these two spirits but it should still be very tasty!
Steps:
- Combine your gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake the ingredients together vigorously for 10-15 seconds then strain them into a chilled glass.
- Add club soda or tonic water to taste – just enough so that the drink is slightly effervescent but not too much that it becomes over carbonated. You can use up to ½ ounce of soda if desired.
- Garnish with an orange twist or lime wedge, cucumber slice, or any other colorful fruit slices that suit your fancy! Cheers!
Tips:
- If you don’t have access to tonic water, we recommend using a splash of orange bitters or simple syrup instead.
When preparing this drink for guests, we like to rim the glass with lime juice and sugar (use a mix of equal parts salt and granulated sugar) then garnish it with wedges or slices of cucumber, orange, lemon, or other colorful fruit.
This not only makes silly Instagram-worthy photos but also gives your cocktail an even more refreshing flavor profile!
Variations:
You can add a splash of fruit juice to this cocktail if you’d like.
We recommend replacing some or all of the club soda with cranberry, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, or other fruit juices that match the flavor profile of the drink.
In addition to changing up your garnish, there are also many different types of gin and lemon juice that you can experiment with! Different botanicals in gins will change the flavors and aromas in your fizz so we encourage you to try new things!
For a really interesting twist on this recipe, you could also try adding egg whites to make a Gin Fizz Cocktail.
What is The Best Tonic to use in Gin Fizz?
The tonic that you use in this recipe will have a very subtle effect on the flavor profile of your drink.
We tend to like our Gin Fizz with plain soda water because we enjoy the purity and simplicity of its flavors versus those of tonic which can be too sweet and bitter for some people’s palates.
If plain soda water isn’t available or doesn’t suit your tastes, try substituting it with club soda or another type of carbonated water such as San Pellegrino (which has flavors added to it).
If you’re using the tonic, make sure that it is made from real sugar (Trader Joe’s brand is one example) rather than high fructose corn syrup. Sugar content will affect the flavor of your drink so keep that in mind as well.
If you’re not a fan of the bitterness that tonic imparts, try making a Gin Fizz with a splash of orange bitters instead!
The more bitter your drink is, the less sweet simple syrup you’ll need to add.
Best Served
On a hot summer day! This refreshing cocktail is perfect for kicking back on a patio or porch and taking in the fresh air.
It’s also great at parties – just put out the ingredients and let your guests make their drinks!
It’s less expensive than purchasing premade cocktails from a bar catered by your local mixologist, plus you get to show off how fancy you are when your friends exclaim “Wow, I can’t believe you made that myself!” *wink*
