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What’s the Deal with Ice in Your Glass? You walk into a bar, order a gin and tonic, and the bartender fills the glass to the brim with ice first. You wonder if there’s even room for the gin and other ingredients… Sound familiar? Let’s shed some light on this topic.

The truth is, the more ice in your glass, the better. Ice doesn’t dilute the cocktail; on the contrary, it keeps the drink colder for longer. Room-temperature gin and tonic don’t sound too appealing, do they? And rest assured, there’s plenty of space in there for the gin, tonic, or any other cocktail components. Just remember that if you only use a couple of floating ice cubes in your cocktail, they’ll melt much faster, and your cocktail will become watery. You’ll also lose the nuances of the best gin and other flavors you added to the glass.

It’s a lovely gesture to serve a gin and tonic to a friend by filling the glass with ice, adding 4 cl of gin, an orange slice, or any suitable garnish, and then handing your friend the open tonic bottle for self-dosage. It’s not set in stone that you have to add 200 ml of tonic per 4 cl of gin – it all depends on your taste and the gin itself. Some experts suggest that around 150 ml of tonic in a classic gin and tonic is excellent, allowing for a better blend of different flavors. As they say, your palate is the king of taste.

You can find Tohi’s best cocktail recipes here. Feel free to experiment!