Homemade Gin and Tonic with a Seaweed Rim
Looking for a conversation-starter for your next party? How about a citrusy, complex version of a G & T, made with your own homemade tonic concentrate. Oaktown Spice Shop in Oakland, California, shared the recipe. They like to make the cocktail with a nori- (seaweed) infused gin, and they rim the glasses with ground kelp for a touch of umami quality. But you can use any favorite gin and skip the flavored rim if you prefer.
How to Make It
1
Make tonic concentrate: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 qt. water with all tonic ingredients except citric acid and sugar. Simmer on low heat 25 minutes. Let cool a little. Pour mixture through a strainer into a bowl, then rinse strainer, line with cheesecloth, and strain mixture again into another bowl. Stir in sugar and citric acid to taste. Chill (set bowl in an ice-water bath if you’re in a hurry).
2
Assemble gin and tonic: Pour kelp powder onto a small plate. Dip the rim of a tall glass in water, then in kelp to coat. Put a few large ice cubes in glass. Add 1 to 2 oz. tonic water concentrate, lime juice, gin, and club soda, and stir.
* Find ingredients for tonic online, or buy as a kit from oaktownspiceshop.com, along with the Icelandic kelp powder. Instead of the kelp, use nori, which you can find with Asian ingredients at well-stocked grocery stores; grind a few pieces at a time in a clean spice grinder. Find Oaktown Spirits Company Sea Gin at well-stocked bottle shops and at oakland.ventures.
MAKE AHEAD: The tonic, chilled, up to 3 months.
Ingredients
For Tonic Concentrate*
1 oz cinchona bark powder
½ cup ground dried lemongrass
1 tsp allspice berries
1 tsp cubeb pepper
Zest and juice from 1 orange, 1 lemon, and 1 lime
3 cups sugar
1 cup citric acid
For Gin and Tonic
1 tbsp wild Icelandic kelp* powder or ground nori mixed with 2 pinches fine sea salt, optional
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
3 oz chilled Oakland Spirits Company Sea Gin* or another favorite gin
4 oz chilled club soda
Directions
1
Make tonic concentrate: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 qt. water with all tonic ingredients except citric acid and sugar. Simmer on low heat 25 minutes. Let cool a little. Pour mixture through a strainer into a bowl, then rinse strainer, line with cheesecloth, and strain mixture again into another bowl. Stir in sugar and citric acid to taste. Chill (set bowl in an ice-water bath if you’re in a hurry).
2
Assemble gin and tonic: Pour kelp powder onto a small plate. Dip the rim of a tall glass in water, then in kelp to coat. Put a few large ice cubes in glass. Add 1 to 2 oz. tonic water concentrate, lime juice, gin, and club soda, and stir.
* Find ingredients for tonic online, or buy as a kit from oaktownspiceshop.com, along with the Icelandic kelp powder. Instead of the kelp, use nori, which you can find with Asian ingredients at well-stocked grocery stores; grind a few pieces at a time in a clean spice grinder. Find Oaktown Spirits Company Sea Gin at well-stocked bottle shops and at oakland.ventures.
MAKE AHEAD: The tonic, chilled, up to 3 months.
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