It’s been a little while since I participated in a Mixology Monday, but today I am making a concerted effort to get back into the swing of things.

This months Mixology Monday is hosted by Kevin Langmack at Beers in the Shower. The title is ‘Money Drinks’, at first leading me to brainstorm some of the most expensive cocktails that I have made in the past. But the theme is actually referring to money in terms of ‘money shot’ or ‘we’re in the money’. In other words Kevin is looking for drinks that you can pull out like a signature move or superhero ability!

There are further descriptions on the Mixology Monday announcement post page, they kind of confused me though! Anyway, I’m taking it that Kevin is looking for killer cocktails to pull out when you really want to impress someone, regardless of their everyday preferences.

Phew! Let’s just get on with the frickin’ drink!

I had a little think about drinks that I have made in the past that are sure to impress. Perhaps ones that I wouldn’t normally make due tot he cost or effort involved. Of course you can take any cocktail and upgrade its ingredients almost indefinitely, but in my opinion this can end up only achieving a vagueness in quality and the sacrifice of some expensive booze.

The drink that I settled on is one that I always enjoy making, because it never fails to get a good reception. It’s an aperitif that I have pulled out on countless occasions, when a customer is not sure what to drink before a meal and especially when they don’t want to settle for a simple (though satisfying) G&T. It holds true to the ’simple is better’ mantra, whilst having a rich complexity and one unique ingredient.

It’s the ‘GT Turbo’.

Don’t let a name put you off, it’s supposed to be tongue in cheek… I think, plus it does have some relevance to the drink itself. The drink is best described as an espresso of Gin & Tonic. A turbo charger in a car compresses air, this drink compresses the flavours and aromatics of a G&T into a short strong slap of tongue curling gin loveliness.

This is achieved by making a tonic water syrup.

It just occurred to me that this could possibly be made simply by reducing down a bottle of tonic water until it is an essence of its former self. Though that method may or may not work (I’d like to hear from you if you’ve done it), I have always gone down the route of making my own tonic water and you can see my recipe here.

Once you have a ready supply of tonic syrup, piecing together the drink is easy…

Glass: Martini
Garnish: Lime Twist

Ingredients

• 50ml Tanqueray TEN
• 20ml Lime Juice
• 15ml Tonic Syrup
• Half an egg white

Shake everything hard, then single strain into a chilled Coupe.

Yes, it’s that easy. The ratio of ingredients creates a citrus driven cocktail that has all the elements of a G&T, but with a serious kick. The egg whites serves as replacement tingle for our absent friend, Mr. soda.

This was from a cocktail shoot I did for a magazine. This version of the drink separates the tonic and egg white into a foam on top. The base is pretty much just a gin sour.

If you like to drink Gin & Tonic (show me someone who doesn’t), then you can’t fail to like this drink. It’s probably one of my proudest creations and yet one of the most simple. Happy drinking this Christmas!