Recipe: Frozen Gin & Tonics
When I decide to have a drink, one of my very favorites is a frozen gin & tonic. Eight Row Flint, a bar fashioned in an old gas station here in HTX, has become the center for so many happy memories in our time down south. Often, their frozen G&T’s are what’s on the table.
While I’ll never pass up the chance to grab some of their to-go drinks, or join their patio once again when we’re able, I was pretty curious to see if we could make them at home.
One of my favorite
parts of this process is making the Oleo Saccharum, a citrusy syrup that I’ll explain in a bit. When peeling the citrus, the kitchen was filled with that bright aroma. I was reminded of how engaging our senses is one way to be mindful and present. As you make this recipe and sip this drink, be sure to pause and enjoy those beautiful smells.
To my non-Houston friends, those who have moved away, or those of us just missing that patio dearly, here is our homemade version:
Frozen Gin & Tonics
Ingredients:
8.5oz Citadelle Gin
Lime and Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum (recipe to follow)
5 limes
2 grapefruit
12oz cane sugar
19.5oz Tonic Water
Need: Ice Cream Maker, Blender, Ice Cube Trays
Steps:
Make the Oleo Saccharum- Often called “Sherbet” in the cocktail world, these syrupy mixtures crafted from fruit rinds add valuable sweetness and flavor to a drink.
Peel the rinds from 5 limes and 2 grapefruit. Keep the fruit for juicing. In a jar or tightly sealed container, add the peels/rinds and cover with 12 oz of cane sugar. The sugar will pull the oils out from the rinds, which is what we are looking for. Muddle the sugar and rinds together to promote the oils beginning to come out. Allow your mixture to sit for several hours (I opted for overnight). You should see the oils gathering at the bottom of your jar.
Juice the limes and the grapefruit and refrigerate in separate containers until your rind/sugar mixture is ready.
Once your rind/sugar mixture has sat the allotted time, add all of the lime juice, (roughly 6 oz) and 5 oz or so of grapefruit juice. Shake or stir to combine, working to get the sugar to dissolve. If needed, boil water, and gently hold your jar in the hot water, careful not to let the jar touch the bottom. The heat will help promote the sugar dissolving, without it getting too hot.
Strain the mixture to remove the rinds, and store in the refrigerator.
Freeze Your Ingredients- In order for this recipe to work in an ice cream machine, it’s important to get your ingredients as cold as possible. Combine 8.5 ounces of gin, 4.5 ounces of lime & grapefruit sherbet, and 4 ounces of tonic (we prefer Fever Tree). Put in the freezer until it turns to slush. It won’t freeze entirely with the gin.
If you have ice cube trays, we also added roughly 8oz of tonic water and a little splash of the sherbet into the trays to freeze entirely.
Once frozen, add to a blender to break down cubes and combine. Place back in the freezer for 30 minutes.
At this time, add 7 oz of tonic to a bowl/cup and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. It should begin to frost around the edges, but not freeze.
Combine the drink mixture and extra tonic in an ice cream maker, and mix for 20 minutes or until it becomes frozen.
Enjoy! Friendly note, these lovely drinks tend to be a little stronger. As always, drink carefully and enjoy!