Gin and Tonic – Cocktail Whisperer

By Warren Bobrow

Do you remember the genre of motion pictures named the Spaghetti Westerns? Do I see a glint of recognition over there? Perhaps you’ve heard of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly? Well, you may be a bit young for Westerns, but these fantastically authentic, Westerns were filmed, not in the United States, but in Spain! It’s probably a reach to imagine the actors- those faces were not American ones, but very, very European- look at their teeth for clues. At any rate, Spain is the topic of this piece, and the way that the Gin and Tonic is made in Spain, brings me back to the Spaghetti Western genre. You’re always looking for a way to bring sales forward. New ideas are hard to come by when you’re slogging through that 1000th Vodka Soda with Lemon. How boring!

As a bartender/mixologist, it is your responsibility to make intelligent responses when your boss, owner, investor, friend, guest- whatever, and whoever asks for a Gin and Tonic. And how will you do this?

By watching the Spaghetti Westerns of course. To fully appreciate the flavor of a Spanish Style Gin and Tonic, you must first understand, deeply- the principal of Terroir. Quite simply, Terroir is the taste of the place. You must have this understanding to expand your mind, and that of your guests. Who will teach this to my guest? You, of course will now want to teach your guest about Terroir and fun. But how will I do this? Well, again it comes back to the Spaghetti Westerns. The territory that is Spain is not all Barcelona or Madrid. There are miles of canyons, deserts and open ranges that, for a film-maker is the perfect background for a Western movie. Especially one that has Clint Eastwood shooting up less fortunate foes. I’m a massive fan of Lee Van Cleef, the late-New Jersey native who also fit in to the overall scenery in a more or less- authentic fashion. Eli Wallach, the late actor who played Tuco, in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, lived his years out, not in balmy Beverly Hills, but in New York City.

I bring you at least from a flavor perspective to a place where Gin and Tonics get a much-needed lift. Spain is the precipice from which the Gin and Tonic takes its path. The flavors are grounded in fresh herbs. Think about the landscape in the picture that I painted in your mind from the Spaghetti Westerns. The unforgiving earth, rock and dust, no rain except for floods. A harsh existence where roaming cattle eat every last leaf of anything that grows out of the ground. Flavors like the herbs that grow in the chaparral have to be pretty tough ones to survive. Let’s take those flavors and apply them to the principal of the Spanish Style Gin and Tonic. This is an entire art form that probably hasn’t hit your local watering hole yet. It may never, unless you help. You can start by renting a Spaghetti Western to get into the spirit of creating some delicious drinks. Put yourself in the mindset of the 1800’s and use herbs that come from arid environments, like Spain! Where, coincidently they are having a Gin and Tonic Renaissance.

Please pay attention to the world outside our fast-food driven country. You might make a couple more bucks along the way, by showing your excitement for flavor!

Tuco and Tonic– Really a Gin and Tonic- but you get the gist…

(author’s note: my drinks err on the strong side…)

Ingredients:

2 oz. Tanqueray 0.0 – I like this drink to speak of the herbs, not of the Gin-which is bone dry

.25 oz. Very Dry Fino Sherry (always chilled, do I need to tell you?)

.10 Dry Spanish Vermouth (Opens the appetite, Spanish Vermouth is very herbal)

4-6 oz. Fever Tree or Q-Tonic

Freshly cut lime and the zest expressed over the top

Peppercorns, fresh thyme and the wood

Prep:

Prepare your Collins Glass by filling it with Ice and water to chill (set aside)

To a mixing glass, fill ¾ with ice

Add the Gin

Add the Vermouth

Add the Sherry

Mix well, rest for a minute while you prepare the glasses

Add the peppercorns and the thyme to the chilled Collins glass

Add ice

Strain the chilled Sherry, Gin and Vermouth over the ice

Top with Tonic Water

Express the lime over the top and notch a piece over the edge of the glass

Serve with a smile

Angel Eyes- Named for Lee Van Cleef

Ingredients:

2 oz. Fluère Gin (Angel Eyes was the consummate gentleman, with a gun)

1 oz. Spanish Vermouth

1 oz. PX Sherry (float)

1 oz. Campari

4-6 oz. Fever Tree Tonic, or Q-Tonic

A few, no more than this- needles of Rosemary- you don’t need the whole branch!

Fresh Lime

Prep:

Chill the Fluère Gin with the Vermouth and the Campari

Pour over fresh ice in a Collins Glass

Top with the tonic

Float the PX Sherry over the top

Express with the lime

Serve

The Good, The BAD and the Ugly

Ingredients:

2 oz. Ritual Gin- definitely available in the NYC/CT/NJ area…

1 oz. Spanish Vermouth

1 Spanish Anchovy on a bamboo stick with an orange slice, don’t mock it, it’s delicious!

4-6 oz. Fever Tree, or Q-Tonic Water

Dehydrated Orange round

Prep:

Chill your Ritual Gin with the Vermouth

Strain into a Collins Glass with the Anchovy and the Orange slice inside with the ice

Add the tonic

Drop the dehydrated orange round on top and serve

There are three excellent ideas for really fine.

Uniquely Spanish. Gin and Tonics