”Bubbling cauldron gin and tonic!”
Last night, I entertained to Matt the idea of a gin and tonic. I’ve been rather on the cheap lately so its been a little while since I last made one. Problem was (or so I thought), I had forgotten about the bottle of tonic water that I placed in the freezer to chill a few days earlier! So I had taken it out and let it sit for a good few hours. It was a lovely sight! This frosted 2L bottle of yellow-labelled goodness, sitting there, ready to burst!
Another reason why this gin and tonic was perfect was the fact that I had limes in stock. I never have limes when I need them! And these weren’t just any limes, either. I was walking to work one day and this woman skips over towards me and hands me a 4-pack of limes! I quickly discovered that she was working a promotion for Corona, but these four limes were certainly not going to be used to sterilise the rat piss off a bottle of Mexican bong water! They were going to be given the highest honour. To be the subtle accent in a picture-perfect gin and tonic. In both taste and in colour.
Now, the limes were cut, the Tanqueray was measured - and I always measure by eye - it was then time to open up this throbbing bottle of Schweppes! Being quite familiar with the tendencies of jostled or slightly compromised bottles of tonic water, I took it over to the sink. I started to twist off the cap. The bubbles began to rise to the bottle’s neck, so I twisted back. I waited, and then tried again. Each twist of the cap was carefully timed out, like I was trying to crack a safe. A little bit of air escaped each time. I knew that there was going to be some spillage, as there was still a large amount of it that was frozen solid. So, I eventually removed the cap completely and like a bubbling cauldron, the tonic water slowly poured out over the edges of the bottle.
I rushed the it into the other room where the two awaiting rock glasses stared back in anticipation. I signalled to Matt to observe this amazing sight, which was now continuing to bubble inside the bottle. I remarked to him, “This is going to be a very special gin and tonic!” I poured tonic into his glass first. It frosted up immediately. No ice cubes were required tonight! It was going to be 100% pure gin and tonic with no dilution. Mine was prepared next and presented itself in the same manner.
For a good few moments, neither of us had the temerity to take the first sip. We instead commenced a five minute discussion about the sleekness of the drink and its classic mien. Back and forth, we provided this awaiting beverage with a basket full of favourable compliments, like a celebration of the life of a cherished friend. Or, in this case, the life of a volatile bottle of tonic mixed with export strength gin and giveaway limes.
After a careful, yet fervent ‘cheers,’ we took in our first sips of this “very special” gin and tonic. It was spectacularly crisp and tasted exactly as it should have, with the perfect amount of lime. At this point, we both switched off our brains for a little while and let the gin do the driving. There’s something so very wrong, yet so very satisfying about that previous statement. But this is a perfect opportunity for you all to reflect on your last gin and tonic and how it tasted, where you were, and where it took you. For Matt and I, it was a wonderful experience and I look forward to many more as summer approaches.
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