12 Things you need to know about Gin and Tonic

Before you go out and drink all the gin and tonics this weekend, here are 12 things you should definitely know about your favourite tipple.

1. A shot of gin has 110 calories, while the average glass of tonic has 55.

2. Tonic water is more sugary than most people realise, though, and one G&T roughly equates to 14% of your recommended daily allowance.

3. Britain drank the equivalent of 1.12 billion G&Ts in 2016, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said, reporting that the UK bought 283,000 hectolitres of gin last year - the equivalent of 40 million bottles.

4. Oh, and they also said the UK spent over £1.12 billion a year on gin in 2016, before adding that sales had grown more than any other spirit sold in the country last year.

5. The Spirit Business say Gordon's is the UK's most popular gin, and sold over 4.6million cases last year. Since they announced pink gin last year, we've definitely contributed to this.

6, Choosing a cheap tonic water can ruin the taste of gin - even if it's an expensive one. As Greenall’s gin Master Distiller told Good Housekeeping UK, "Distillers like myself put a lot of time, passion and effort into distilling our gins, so cheap tonics can really ruin the experience of a good G&T. Always try to match your tonic to the gin, and a lot of gin brands recommend suitable tonics."

7. Legally, gin has to have a 'predominant juniper flavour,' but there's no limit on how many other botanicals can be used, or how many juniper berries have to be added.

8. Nearly all juniper used to make gin is picked wild and it is rarely taken from cultivated sources, but it's not actually a berry at all. Rather, it's a type of seed cone.

9. At 2016's International Spirits Challenge, Asda’s London Dry Gin and Waitrose London Dry Gin both came out on top with gold awards, while Aldi’s London Dry Gin won a silver award.

10. According to Sipsmith gin, the best way to taste gins for comparison is at room temperature diluted with an equal measure of water, as it reveals both the qualities and flaws. But then again, who wants to dilute gin to compare it when you could just drink it?

11. The world’s most expensive gin costs £2,000 per bottle. You'll have to cough up £2k for a 700ml bottle of Watenshi, which means 'Japanese Angel' , which works out at £70 per measure of gin!

12. People reportedly drank tonic water before they drank gin, and later added gin to it to mask the taste. Surprising, huh? British soldiers stationed in India had to take quinine - used as malaria prevention - and would mask the powerful flavour with gin, lime juice, and sugar.

Why not let us Ginspire you, with over 50 gins, a range of premium tonics and fabulous garnishes, its all going on at the Glenmoriston.

PS have you seen out #GINMAS tree yet?

[Source: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/u...]