In the spirit of shameless self-promotion I should mention that I did a lengthy post on the Daiquiri a month of so back that listed some traditional Daiquiri variations. My personal favorite among these is the ‘maraschino variation’, which adds a splash of maraschino to a regular Daiquiri. This makes things just a little more interesting without dragging the drink into crazy territory. If you like Daiquiris and didn’t already read that earlier post then you can check it out here. However, today was supposed to be about a Gin and Tonic variation, so lets get on to that.

Now this one really is very easy. Simply make a Gin and Tonic however you wish. While you are doing that reach for a bottle of fruit eau de vie and drop a splash into the drink.

A Gin and Tonic is a summery drink, and fruit eau de vie are similarly summery. You don’t need to add too much eau de vie. A teaspoon or two should add a hint of summer fruit without dominating the drink. You want the drink to remain a Gin and Tonic, but with a little undefinable extra separating it from all the run-of-the-mill Gin and Tonics out there. Of course if you like eau de vie feel free to add more; the drink will still be great, but don’t be surprised if people tell you it no longer tastes like a Gin and Tonic.

So far I’ve only tried this with stone fruit eau de vie, specifically cherry, plum and apricot. Plum eau de vie (here I’m thinking Balkan style Slivovitch) can be rough, but it works beautifully in a concoction like this with other strongly flavored ingredients. The end result is really quite complex and interesting. Apricot eau de vie, for example the Hungarian Barack Palinka, is another excellent possibility. The apricot version is more straightforwardly fruity than plum, and maybe just a little more mainstream and easy to appreciate. Cherry would probably be my least favorite of the three versions I have tried, but I think it could still work well for some people. I’ve never tried raspberry but I’d like to.

I hardly need to put up a recipe for this, but just so you know exactly how I made it I guess I may as well.

French Gin and Tonic (it’s Be Nice to the French Day, and eau de vie is kind of French)

1 ½ – 2 oz gin (I used Plymouth)

juice of half a lime

dash of Angostura Bitters

1-2 tsp of eau de vie (I’d start with one and increase if you need to)

Build over ice in a highball glass and top with tonic water. Garnish with a lime round or wedge.