G&Ts and California Lemons, a surefire cure for the Summer Time Blues

I just received a box of large California lemons from my brother-in-law’s backyard lemon tree. I use them for my summer Gin & Tonics (G&Ts).

While my wife’s favorite summer drink is the Cape Codder, my summer drink is the traditional G&T. If I don’t get my daily cold and lemony G&T, I slip into a form of summer melancholy, so this shipment of lemons was a god send.

The combination of quinine, lemon, and gin is what gives it a unique satisfying taste. As for the quinine, in addition to staving off summer melancholy, I’m told that quinine was originally used by the Brits to counter malaria. So there you go; we’re talking medicinal healthcare here.

A G&T is simplicity itself. The key is to use quality ingredients. Most restaurants and hotels screw it up by using soda from a gun dispenser (that has no quinine) and/or a cheap oily gin. To add insult to injury they also provide a small miserly lemon or lime slice with the drink. The only hotel I’ve found that consistently serves a quality G&T is the Four Seasons. They always provide a freshly opened single serving chilled bottle of tonic water along with an ample lemon or lime slice; so kudos to the Four Seasons.

For home consumption, here’s the recipe for the perfect G&T-

G&T INGREDIENTS
• approximately 1 shot of a good quality gin like Tanqueray.
• Tonic water (from a fresh single serving bottle that has quinine)- Make sure the bottle is chilled. At room temperature the tonic will melt the ice too quickly and produce a watered down drink.
• Ample lemon wedge (or lime) fully squeezed into the drink. Throw the wedge into the drink if you want a garnish.
• On ice cubes
(Some drink recipes call for approximately 2 ounces of gin, but I find about ¾ of a shot glass to be about right. That way you can enjoy your drinks and not get bombed.)

I have mine in a manly un-adorned Stuart Crystal tumbler. But that’s optional.

It’s become a tradition in my family that Christmas is only officially here when we receive the Christmas Fruit Cake from “Uncle” Robert. Likewise, I’m hoping to start a new tradition- that summer is only officially here when the G&T lemons from Robert arrive.

Thanks Robert!