Hot Gin and Tonic

The Hot Gin and Tonic is exactly as it sounds—the ever-popular cocktail-hour refresher retrofitted into toddy form. It debuted at London’s Ham Yard Hotel in 2015 for a Sipsmith Gin winter seasonal takeover menu and is the brainchild of master distiller/drink historian Jared Brown and the hotel’s bar manager, Eoin Kenny.

Brown says the concept came about as a dare. At the time, the Hot Gin & Tonic followed a series of “classic gin cocktail, but make it hot” challenge recipes that in previous seasons included steamy versions of negronis (made with red berry tea), martinis (served with a fried, breaded olive on the side), and espresso martinis, which Brown says was just a cheeky jab in memory of his dear, departed friend, the barman Dick Bradsell (inventor of the original), as it was essentially just an Irish coffee made with gin. But could a Hot G&T even be done? Would people be into it?

Not only could it be done, but it also seems it always should have been. Hot G&T became a winter staple at the Ham Yard and took off at other Sipsmith outdoor pop-ups, especially during the cold months of 2020 and 2021, when events could only be held outside because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown says the drink has become an integral part of the Sipsmith distillery tour tasting room, where at least 35 are served a night, three to four nights a week.

The original recipe was prepared with a tonic syrup as both the essential aromatic quinine component and the sweetener. Later versions call for less tonic and a touch of simple syrup, though the sweetener can be modified according to preference.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Signature Cocktails' by Amanda Schuster. Buy the full book on Amazon.