For a simple drink, the gin & tonic allows endless variations. Of course you can change out the gin and tonic water you’re using, but something I’ve been playing with recently is garnishes. It’s easy to overlook a garnish as just a bit of pretty thrown in at the end of making a drink, but in fact they can significantly affect the taste and scent of your drink, and they can elevate it to something really special.
Ninety percent of G&Ts you’ll have served to you in a bar with come with a slice of either lemon or lime. And those are fine — they are classics for a reason. But my new favorite garnish is something quite unexpected: slices of kiwifruit.
Kiwi has a similar sharp tang to citrus, but it also has a plump, juiciness that adds more roundness to the flavor — almost like cucumber. That makes it the ideal partner for gins which are citrusy or more on the savory end. Plus kiwifruit has crunchy little seeds for an interesting textural variation. I like to use gold kiwis, as you can slice these whole and eat the skins, but if all you can find is green kiwis then those work fine as well. Just remember to peel them before slicing.
I’ve been adding thinly sliced wheels of kiwi to a G&T made with Fords Gin, which is a classic London Dry style gin that has plenty of citrus peel flavor but also a nice savory, spicy note from coriander seed and cassia bark. I like the combination of the zingy kiwi and the fragrant gin, finished up with my go-to tonic water, the pleasingly bitter Fever Tree Indian. It makes for a G&T which is still light and refreshing, but has a depth of tart and spicy flavors which make it something special.
Next time you’re making a G&T, don’t just grab for the lemon. Have a hunt around in your fruit bowl and see what else you can find for a garnish.
