Thanks to the ridiculous popularity of gin (even in these times, I’m still discovering new ones), tonic has had a corresponding boom. But, assuming you can lay your hands on some, you can make equally refreshing, cheaper and less alcoholic drinks by mixing your tonic with sherry, white port or vermouth (the latter is also good with a splash of soda, by the way).
Supermarkets do remarkably well-priced, own-label vermouths with which it’s well worth experimenting. Asda and Sainsbury’s, for example, both sell their own bianco for £5.85 a litre, or much the same price as a still wine, and at just under 15%, it will go quite a bit further. A bianco with plenty of ice, a good slosh of soda (50:50) and a slice of orange is really reinvigorating. If you have a drier palate, I’d recommend trying the more elegant, floral Chambéry (see panel below).
I’ve also been majorly into sherry and tonic, or “She & T”, lately, a slightly more sophisticated version of southern Spain’s favourite summer drink, rebujito (which is diluted with 7-Up or Sprite). You don’t want to use the best or the driest sherry you have, but equally not the cheapest or sweetest, either. I’ve been making mine with Tesco’s Finest Fino (£6 a half bottle, 15%) ) – again, about half-and-half with a decent amount of ice (at least four or five cubes) and a slice of lemon. (Not a view universally shared, it appears: I see one customer has given it only one star on the supermarket’s website.)
In terms of using tonic as a mixer, it’s worth being aware of the different levels of sugar in different brands – even slimline ones. Schweppes, for example, has just under 5g per 100ml in its standard Indian tonic water, while Fever-Tree has 7.1g, but no added sweeteners, while its “refreshingly light” version still has 2.9g sugar and you could easily be drinking twice that amount.
For that reason, I often prefer diluting drinks with club soda or soda water (basically water to which sodium bicarbonate has been added), which is sugar-free. It definitely works better with cordials and shrubs, bitter drinks such as Campari and Aperol, and dry white wine – the classic spritzer – because it leaves the flavour of the underlying drink unchanged (and if you’re clean out of soda, sparkling water can do much the same job). I think they work best with fruity whites and rosés, rather than reds, though I’m not averse to dropping a couple of ice cubes into a light red to chill it down. After all, there are no guests around at the moment to be horrified.
Five drinks to dilute
Gonzalez Byass Elegante Fino
£9.99 Waitrose, Ocado, 15%.
A better sherry for a She & T than the bracingly dry Tio Pepe, but that doesn’t mean it’s not classy.
Martini Non-Alcoholic Vibrante
£10 Ocado, £10.95 The Whisky Exchange.
Hooray for a sophisticated “apero” with a proper touch of bitterness. Dilute with tonic and serve with a slice of orange. You don’t miss the booze.
£114 for a case of 12 The Wine Society, 17.5%.
I admit you have to be a bit of a Chambéry-phile to order an entire case of this, which is the only way The Wine Society is operating at time of writing, but if you have a few friends and neighbours up for pitching in, that won’t leave you drinking it into 2022. And it is truly delicious: delicate, dry and very summery. (If you’re not a Society member, Waitrose stocks the 17.5% Dolin Chambéry for £10.49.
Dubonnet Red Vermouth
£9.50 Waitrose, 14.8%.
Can you “dilute” a drink with gin? Well, the late Queen Mum certainly could, but this very retro (and sweet) aperitif can also be mixed with lemonade or bitter lemon. Kitsch, but comforting with it.
Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial
£1.99 Tesco, £2.15 Sainsbury’s.
Despite the availability of fresh limes, IMHO this still the best product by far to make a gimlet with (I use 35ml to 50ml gin). Super-refreshing just diluted with water over ice, too.
• For more by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
