READY TO DRINK?

Canned G&Ts are coming into their own

One of the fun things about writing a column like this is the ability to keep an eye on current and future trends. Since the last edition, there has been one area of gin that seems to have been turbo-charged with a multitude of new products being released and a great general buzz – or should that be fizz? I speak, of course, of the pre-mixed or ready-to-drink (RTD) gin and tonic.

Canned cocktails have been around since at least the 1970s, but in those days the cans were smaller, heavier, harder to open and drinkers had to be careful to avoid the sharp edges of the cans. In the following decades, the offering was sparse and the quality left many unsatisfied, leaving many drinkers asking, “How can it be so hard to make a good canned gin and tonic, when it’s easy to make a fresh one?”.

So do we need pre-mixed gin and tonics?

It’s pretty safe to say that, whilst some may come close, no RTD can capture the taste and theatre of a fresh gin and tonic, in a beautiful, frosted glass, teeming with ice and a fragrant garnish, but RTD producers are not trying to replace that. Pre-mixed gin and tonics are for particular occasions when it’s not practical to have an ice bucket and a cut-glass goblet. That could be picking up a can for the hot, busy train journey home at the end of a long day, or when delving into a bucket of ice-cold drinks at a barbecue when you don’t really fancy a beer. Such drinks are also a popular choice at festivals, camping, or on picnics, when the weight of glass bottles – not to mention the risk of them smashing – is a significant consideration.

Beyond the physical setup, part of the reason why an RTD tastes different to a fresh drink is that producers don’t simply mix gin with tonic water and then put it into a can; the gin, sugar, water, quinine, and other flavours are mixed first, before being carbonated afterwards – a very different process to the production of a fresh G&T.

Thankfully for fans of the gin and tonic “on the go”, the quality of those available today has improved significantly, along with the choice available. Two products rapidly gaining a following are those produced by Sipsmith and Tanqueray; both are probably the closest to the flavour of a fresh gin and tonic that I’ve come across. Another strong contender is from That Boutique-y Gin Company, who have brought out five new RTDs including a rather tasty Moonshot Gin and Citrus Tonic, as well as a Pineapple Gin Mule and a Yuzu Collins, amongst others.

And it’s not just gin brands that are getting in on the action. Last month, Fever-Tree released a range of three pre-mixed gin and tonics, each produced using a different gin created by master distiller Charles Maxwell to specifically match each tonic.

Some industrious individuals are even looking beyond the gin and tonic: whilst on a recent trip to the US, I encountered pre-mixed versions of cocktails such as the Aviation and Old Fashioned.

On-the-go innovation doesn’t stop there. In August, Hayman’s released its “Small Gin”. Bottled at 43% ABV, this has been created with an extra boost of botanical intensity – so much so that you only need “a thimbleful” (5ml) of the gin to make a gin and tonic (based on 5ml Small Gin to 100ml tonic water). The resulting drink has a lot of the flavour of a gin and tonic, whilst having an alcoholic strength of around 2% ABV. I actually went a step further still, and added a thimbleful-and-a-half to a well-chilled 150ml can of tonic water – effectively making my own can of gin and tonic – with very satisfying results. Hayman’s Small Gin comes in a 200ml bottle, so it’s definitely not too heavy to carry and, along with a few tins of tonic, would make a great accompaniment to any picnic.

Thankfully for fans of the gin and tonic “on the go”, the quality of those available has improved

It’s safe to say that, as the world of gin continues to grow and evolve, and more inventive ideas for tasty ready-to-drink products are being developed; who knows what the future holds? But I, for one, am invigorated by this innovation and excited to see what’s coming next!