10 Food Recipes To Try If You're Obsessed With Gin & Tonic

The gin and tonic s one of the simplest yet most sought after drinks in recent years and the public's interest seems to be growing year after year.

People are mildly obsessed with gin and tonics, to say the least. But for those of you (admittedly, like myself) who don’t know what gin is, I’ll briefly clarify some things for you.

What is gin?

Gin is a clear liquor that is flavored with juniper berries and is distilled from grain or malt.

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Pure gin reminds one of the way Christmas trees smell. That sounds downright lovely!

It's no wonder people began creating foods infused with gin! According to the Huffington Post, in 2017 gin and tonic became so popular that gin and tonic PANCAKES even became a thing! As if pancakes weren’t delicious enough already, am I right?

Flavored gin and fancy mixed gin drinks have become the latest trend inolving the liquor. For those of us who prefer fruity mixed drinks, this is fantastic news. Plus, mixed drinks with lower alcohol content means more delicious drinks before the room starts to spin (score!). Fruity cocktail hour, here I come!

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All of the delicious drinks you can make with gin is fantastic, however, you can only drink so many cocktails. Perhaps it’s high time to start looking into different ways to enjoy one of the most popular cocktails.

If you’re one of the many people who is mildly obsessed with gin and tonics, check out the top 10 recipes that use gin (and sometimes tonic) in food.

1. Let’s Start With a Basic Gin and Tonic Recipe

A gin and tonic WITH some of these great recipes that also use gin? Heck yeah! It's going to be fantastic.

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh cucumber slice
• 1 lemon wedge
• 1 lemon twist or lemon peel
• 1 star anise
• 4 oz. tonic water
• ice cubes
• 2 oz. gin

2. Gin and Tonic Truffles

The perfect dessert for those who love gin and tonics AND chocolate truffles!

Ingredients:

• 200 g dark chocolate
• 2 tbss double cream
• 2 tbsp gin
• 1 tbsp tonic water
• juice from 1/2 lime 
• 1 lime (zest)
• 50 g butter
• White chocolate chips (roughly 1 bag)

Directions:

1. Combine dark chocolate and double cream in double boiler. Melt.
2. Add gin, tonic water, lime juice, lime zest, and butter and melt, stirring frequently. Refrigerate 3 hours.
3. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper. Freeze balls 30 minutes.
4. Melt white chocolate.
5. Using a fork, dip the chocolate balls in the melted white chocolate. Then place them back on the parchment paper.
6. Once all balls are covered in white chocolate, drizzle the excess white chocolate on the finished balls along with the rest of the lemon zest.
7. Refrigerate another 30 minutes.

(Recipe Credit: Proper Tasty)

3. No Bake Gin and Tonic Cheesecake

Gin and tonic AND cheesecake?! I think yes!

Ingredients: 

Biscuit Base

• 1.27 cups digestives
• 5.29 oz. Unsalted Butter

Cheesecake Filling

• 4.23 fl. oz. gin
• 4.23 fl. oz. tonic water
• 2.65 oz Caster sugar
• 5 Dr. Oetker gelatine leaves
• 2.5 cups full fat cream cheese
• 1.26 cups double cream
• 3.53 oz. icing sugar
• half a lime

Decoration

• 5.07 fl. oz. double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• lime zest
• 12 lime slices

Directions:

For the Biscuit Base

1. Blitz the Biscuits in a food processor until they are a fine crumb. Melt the butter separately and then mix into the biscuits.
2. Press the biscuits into the bottom of an 8"/20cm Deep Springform Tin and make sure it's firmly pressed down. Refrigerate.

For the Cheesecake Filling

1. Soak the gelatin leaves in COLD water for five minutes. They just need to be submerged into the cold water to be soaked. 
2. Once they are soaked, add the gin, tonic water, and Caster sugar into a pan and heat so the sugar dissolves. 
3. Once the sugar is dissolved, take the gelatine leaves out of the cold water, squeeze the excess water out, and add to the hot gin liquid. Mix so that the gelatine leaves dissolve fully. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, stirring often. 
4. In a bowl, add the cream cheese, icing sugar, and lime juice. Whisk together until smooth. 
5. Whilst whisking slowly, pour in the gin liquid slowly so that it is incorporating as you whisk. Once all whisked in, whisk for a minute until smooth. 
6. Add in the double cream and whisk again until smooth. 
7. Add the mixture to the tin, and smooth over. Let it set in the fridge for 5-6 hours, or preferably overnight. 

For the Decoration

1. Whisk together the double cream and icing sugar until smooth. Pipe onto your cheesecake in swirls and add a slice of lime per swirl. 
2. Sprinkle the zest of a lime on top of the cheesecake and if you want (for decoration only) add a little straw for decoration!

(Recipe Credit: Jane’s Patiaaerie)

4. Gin and Tonic Marshmallows

Are you a big fan of marshmallows? Give these soft, chewy and delicious gin and tonic flavored marshmallows a try! Maybe even put them on a graham cracker or use them the next time you make smores!

Ingredients:

• oil for greasing
• 6 sheets of leaf gelatine
• 1 large egg white
• ⅔ cup tonic water
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp gin
• grated zest from 1 lime
• 2 tbsp icing powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour corn starch

Instructions:

1. Line an 8-in shallow square cake tin with baking parchment and lightly oil.
2. Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water to soak for 5 minutes.
3. Place the egg white in a large grease-free icing bowl.
4. To make the syrup, place the tonic water in the saucepan and add the granulated sugar. Heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Once all the sugar has completely dissolved, bring the sugar syrup to a boil and continue to boil without stirring until the temperature reaches 239°F.
5. As soon as the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature, remove from heat. Lift the gelatine sheets out of the water and squeeze off the excess water. Then add to the syrup one at a time, stirring well until dissolved. Stir in the gin.
6. Working quickly, whisk the egg whites until standing in stiff peaks. Then, very slowly whisk the hot syrup into the egg whites. Pour it in a thin and steady stream, trying to avoid hitting the beaters.
7. When all the syrup has been added, add the lime zest and increase the speed of the mixer and continue whisking for about 8 to 10 minutes until you have a thick, glossy mixture. The mixture will fall from the whisk in a slow ribbon-like stream when it is ready.
8. Pour into the prepared tin and leave in a cool place (not the fridge) for 4–6 hours until set and springy to the touch.
9. Mix together the icing sugar and cornflour and dust the top of the marshmallow with the mixture. Turn out onto a board and carefully remove the parchment paper. Dust with a little more cornflour mixture and cut into squares.
10. Gently toss the squares into the cornflour mixture and serve immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool place for 3 days.

(Recipe Credit: Recipes Made Easy)

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5. Gin and Tonic Sorbet

With the weather rapidly warming up, this is the perfect dessert to get you cooled off and ready for summer!

Ingredients: 

• ½ cups sugar
• ½ cups water
• 1 large Lime, zest and juice
• 3 oz. gin
• 2-½ cups tonic water

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, make simple syrup by heating water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
2. Take off heat and add lime zest and juice. Let cool. Once cooled, add tonic water and gin. Taste it and make any adjustments according to taste.
3. Let everything cool in the refrigerator, then strain into the bowl of your ice cream machine. Follow your machine’s directions to freeze the sorbet.
4. Store in a freezer-proof container in the freezer to allow it to harden some more.
5. Serve in pretty little glasses garnished with more lime zest, thin little slices of lime, or rim the glass with lime sugar (a mix of lime zest and sugar pulsed together in the food processor).

(Recipe Credit: Tasty Kitchen)

6. Gin and Lime Marmalade

Want an acceptable way to have gin for breakfast? Make this delicious gin and lime marmalade and have it on your favorite toasted breakfast pastries!

Ingredients: 

• 6 limes
• 7 1/4 cups water
• 7 cups granulated sugar
• 2.4 fl. oz. gin

Instructions: 

• 1. Cut the limes in half and juice them all. Pour the juice and water into a large stainless steel plan. Scrape the membrane and pips out of the remaining lime halves and save them in a bowl.
  2. Chop the membranes up, either by hand or in a small food processor, then set on top of a square of muslin. Gather up the edges and tie securely with string and pop it into the pan, tying it to the handle so it doesn’t bob about too much.
  3. Finely slice the lime halves into the thinnest strips you can manage and pop them into the pan to soak overnight — they’re pretty tough so it’s worth doing this to make your marmalade softer to eat.
  4. The next day, bring the pan to boil with the lid on, then turn the knob down to the lowest setting and allow to simmer for two hours. Your kitchen will smell of zesty citrus.
  5. Meanwhile, put your sugar into an ovenproof bowl and warm up in a low oven. Wash your jam jars in hot soapy water, rinse with hot water then air dry in the oven.
  6. Remove the muslin-wrapped lime innards from the pan, squeezing gently to remove any excess juice. Add the warmed sugar and dissolve over low heat, then turn the heat up until the liquid churns into a rolling boil. Take your jars out of the oven and place onto a wooden board. Pour approx one teaspoon of gin into the bottom of each jar.
  7. Keep the rolling boil up until you reach setting point. This can take 5 minutes but always seems to take me more like 20 mins. Keep checking by plunging a wooden spoon into the marmalade, lifting out and twisting until the liquid runs off. If you’re left with a droplet that hangs stubbornly from the spoon, then you’ve reached setting point. Don’t fret, just keep boiling until it happens. Turn the heat off and push any scum that’s formed on the surface to the side with a metal spoon and then lift out and into a dish. (I like to spread this on toast later).
  8. Ladle the marmalade into a jug and pour into the jars and fill to just under the brim and then seal with lids. Allow to cool completely.

(Recipe Credit: Feeding Boys)

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7. Gin and Tonic Cupcakes

A delicious treat perfect for your next get-together!

Ingredients"

• zest from 1 lime
• 1 lime
• 2 large eggs
• 175 g Golden caster sugar
• 375 g Icing sugar
• 175 g Self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp Tonic water
• 175 g Butter, Unsalted
• 150 g Butter, unsalted
• 2 tbsp Milk
• 10 ml Gin

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8. Gin and Tonic Pickles

Are you a gin and tonic fan that also happens to be a bit pickle-obsessed? Well, have I got just the recipe for you!

Ingredients"

• 6 small cucumbers
• 4 slices lime
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 cup tonic water
• 1/2 cup gin

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9. Gin Penne Pasta

Did you think you’d see the day that you could have gin for dinner?!  Yeah, me neither. Try this creamy penne pasta dish (that has gin in it!) for dinner. Go ahead and have a gin and tonic with it while you’re at it (because why not).

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 28 oz. can tomatoes
• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup gin

10. Gin Cured Salmon with Cucumber and Lime

Combine gin and fins (see what I did there?) with another great dinner option! Plus, this one has some veggies thrown in there for a healthier option to your gin needs.

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. center-cut salmon fillet
• 1 Borage flower
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 2 tbsp mint leaves
• 1/3 cup Caster sugar
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp pink peppercorns
• 1/3 cup salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• sourdough bread, toasted slices
• 1/3 cup Gin

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Nicole Bradley-Bernard is a writer who needs coffee more than she needs anyone’s approval. She enjoys putting bright colors in her curly brown hair, spending time outside on cool days and being with her partner in life, Eric, who she considers a continuing source of inspiration.