I don’t think I can say that this particular recipe came from inspiration. There is a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant that my partner and I like to visit often in our neighbourhood called Capitol de Vietnam. If you are in town, do not hesitate to drop by for a bite as you will not be disappointed! They renovated their establishment in summer 2013 and along with that, their drinks menu. I was taken slightly aback by the restaurant offering gin and tonic mixtures (one with lychees and another one with ginger), but then again it would be somewhat irregular not to, seeing how trendy gin and tonic is nowadays in Spain.
It is not very often that I get to drink a gin and tonic with exotic fruits, so after tasting both the special cocktails at the restaurant, I decided to keep experimenting with lychees at home. Weirdly enough, we were given a free can of lychees with a Chinese takeaway…did they know what I would be up to some weeks later?
Citadelle + Fever Tree Tonic Water + Lychees (served at Capitol de Vietnam)
To my surprise, the combination of the delicate and sweet flavour of lychees, the citrusy notes of Citadelle and the Fever Tree tonic water, worked well together. One of the reasons why may be due a key botanical used when distilling the gin: cinnamon. The trees from which this spice is harvested are grown in various Asian countries, one of them being Vietnam. While cinnamon is commonly used in Eastern savory dishes, in Western countries this spice is used to give a warm touch, a distinctive flavour and aroma to sweeter recipes, such as desserts and drinks. This makes lychee a great candidate to flourish when put together with this artisan gin.
G’Vine Floraison + 1724 Tonic Water + Lychees
Grapes and lychees infused.
As I savoured this particular mix at home, I noticed the lychees’ flavour became notably more present by using G’Vine than Citadelle. This of course is due to G’Vine being floral in nature. And since the 1724 Tonic Water is an extremely balanced and neutral tonic, not only did it make the taste of the gin flourish, it also allowed me to experience the exotic sweetness of the lychees. Personally, this mixture worked better thanks to the tasteful contrast of the floral and sweet flavours.
In my opinion, a way to improve the Citadelle mixture would be by using ME Tonic by Borney, due to the fact that it has a mild citrus aroma and a hint of sweetness provided by the Japanese Yuzu fruit. If you want to be faithful with the “East Meets West” idea, it can’t get any better than that!
Find out more about the products mentioned in this post below.
Gin Tonic Time 