Insanely Good Gin & Tonic

1 1⁄2 oz Gin, Brooklyn (preferable)
1⁄2 oz Suze
1⁄4 oz Lime cordial (or lime juice)
1 ds Bitters, Angostura
4 oz Tonic water, Q (preferable)
Instructions

Add ingredients minus tonic in a chilled Collins glass; top with ice and tonic; garnish with a lime wheel

Cocktail summary
Posted by mako on
Created by
Chaim Dauermann, Up & Up, New York
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

https://punchdrink.com/recipes/insanely-good-gin-tonic/

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Average
4 stars
(14 ratings)
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From other users
  • With Amer Sauvage and Morgenthaler cordial and Tanq, bracingly bitter. — ★★★
  • Suze is a brilliant move here. Horrible name.
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Comments

Tried this tonight, but with Tanqueray subbed for the Brooklyn Gin (I thought it'd be similarly minimalist). It's fine. The Suze dominates, especially on the finish. I don't think the bitters are necessary, and I'd like more lime. Thanks,  Zachary

If you're making this without making Chaim's lime cordial (recipe at the link), I would steep some lime peels in the gin/Suze combo until fragrant and then strain before adding ice and tonic. 

This drink was rather (one might say "insanely") popular when I was at The Up & Up. While the gentian flavor from Suze isn't what I personally go to G&Ts for (side note: can we get a quinquina answer to Suze/Campari on the market?), this is a thoughtful, balanced drink with nerd interest but broad appeal. 

Rafa - I thought about the cordial but it doesn't seem there's a good way to scale that down considering the time investment. Perhaps lime juice for the cordial isn't a good substitute? Thanks,  Zachary

Could falernum (and juice) play some role in a quick and dirty sub for the cordial (and perhaps the bitters)?

Craig - too much almond there. Almond + Suze sounds like a wrong path. Suze is just such a difficult thing to use. Rafa - as for a Quina sub for Suze... my first thought would be to make a tincture of lime and vanilla and dilute it with flat tonic water and a touch of OFW to 30 proof. Thanks,  Zachary 

I tried this using a lime cordial I make for gimlets (a sous vide prep of equal parts lime juice and cane sugar, with the lime peels being removed prior to juicing and being added in).  I already got too much cocktail crap in the fridge so I wasn't looking to make another cordial just for this drink.  The Brooklyn Gin is a typical New Western style gin (i.e lower proof--80 in this case--and citrus heavy with the juniper pushed to the background).  I tend not to like gins in that style with G&Ts, and given there was already more citrus in my build using my cordial, I used Ford's.  I liked the addition of Suze. Not sure I would serve this to my dad when he's looking for a G&T, but it's an interesting enough twist for the cocktail nerd crowd.

Also, there is--or was--a cinchona bark liqueur available (though with limited availability), Vicario Quina Liqueur.  Not easy to find (got mine somewhere in Brooklyn a few years ago) but it was a really nice product.

I'm drinking one of these with the julienned lime from the above note + 1 tsp sugar to get in the cordial ballpark. It's much better than my first attempt - the massive whomp of lime oil tames the Suze bitterness nicely. Thanks,  Zachary 

HallA commented on 8/07/2020:

Done with Morgenthaler cordial recipe and botanivore gin.  Probably will go to tanq next time as more juniper will stand up a little better but still a great drink.