Upgrade Your Gin And Tonic In Under 45 Seconds

Close-up of gin and tonic with lime and lemon slices
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Whether you’re celebrating bowling over a client in the boardroom, recovering from a PB at a half marathon or saluting the end of your latest Netflix series, sipping on a home-made gin and tonic is the perfect way to relax after all your hard grafting.

That's why we've asked our new Drinks Coach, Richard Woods from Duck and Waffle in London, to show us how the pros mix their G&Ts at home – so the next time you’re raising a glass to your personal achievements, you know you’re holding a boss-level tipple. What’s more, it only takes 45 seconds.

How To Make A Pro-Level Gin And Tonic

1. Start with a premium gin, like Bombay Sapphire. Pour a double measure (50ml) into your glass.

2. Tonic water makes up the majority of your drink, so don’t skimp. Woods recommends Fever-Tree – “it’s a world-class mixer”.

3. If your ice melts before you’ve finished your drink, you’re not adding enough. The colder the drink, the less watery dilution you’ll get, so pile as much ice as you can into your glass to bring the temperature right down.

4. Fresh limes are Woods’s garnish of choice. Grab a fresh one, roll it on a surface to release its juices, then slice it into quarters. Squeeze one quarter into your drink, then garnish the glass with two more quarters.

Craft beer drinker, Devonian, fisherman and former content director of Coach online, Chris contributed style coverage and features between 2016 and 2019.