Which tonic goes with which gin?

A dry, neutral tonic gives a juniper-heavy gin the most room, because little aroma of its own is added.

The resinous, piney side of juniper needs little counterweight. A little sugar in the tonic rounds off that side, but extra botanicals in the tonic compete with the gin, and then neither wins.

If you want more body in the glass, choose a tonic with a little more sugar rather than a tonic with more flavourings. That changes the texture and not the aroma profile.

With a gin with a lot of citrus, a tonic that itself brings little citrus works best, otherwise the same aroma piles up.

Citrus in gin is usually in the peel of lemon, orange or grapefruit. If a tonic that is also built on citrus goes over it, the drink starts to resemble lemonade and the distinction between the two layers disappears.

A dry tonic with a clear bitter edge keeps the citrus sharp. The garnish does the rest: a peel of the same fruit as in the gin.

Floral gin calls for a lightly sweetened tonic with little bitterness, because a heavy bitter side pushes away the fine floral notes.

Elderflower, rose, lavender and chamomile are volatile and light. They cannot hold their own against a tonic built mainly on bitterness, even if you pour more gin.

Pour here on the dry side of the ratio, so 1 part gin to 2 parts tonic. The less liquid is added, the more of the floral side you keep.

Spicy gin comes out most clearly in a dry tonic with little sugar, which does not sweeten the pepper and root side.

Cardamom, cumin, ginger, angelica and pepper give a gin a warm, dry finish. Sugar makes that finish shorter and softer, so the spicier the gin, the drier the tonic may be.

If the drink turns out too harsh, do not add a sweeter tonic but a slice of orange. That way the sweetness comes from the aroma and not from the glass.

Pour 1 part gin to 2 to 3 parts tonic, in a large glass filled to the top with ice.

A lot of ice melts more slowly than a few cubes, so your drink gets less diluted. Pour the tonic along the side or over a spoon, and you keep more carbonation in the glass.

Use tonic from a small bottle that you finish in one go. A large bottle that stands open loses carbonation, and without fizz the bitter side comes across more heavily.