A delicious G&T that lights up — what the dickens! The legends at Bickford & Sons gave us a little run down on the secret to the perfect G&T and added a splash of magic by making our tipples glow bright blue!
We’re suckers for a good G&T — and if someone’s giving us tips on how to make them better and party tricks (like making them light up), we’re all ears. For those curious about how the magic trick works, let’s start with the base.
Quinine (pronounced ‘kwuh-neen’) is extracted from the tree bark that gives your tonic its distinctive flavour. Originating in South America, it was originally used as a remedy for malaria. According to tradition, British Colonists mixed it with gin to counteract the tongue-ticking bitterness — hence making the world’s first gin and tonics — and we, the G&T-loving ladies and gents of the world, salute them for it!
Some tonics are made with synthetic quinine… yuck… but like all good-quality things, a high-quality tonic has some tell-tale factors. For starters, a distinctive zing AND whether it glows. You see, real quinine also absorbs ultraviolet light… so whip out a UV torch, turn off the lights and sink into a totally ripping eighties Icehouse electric blue tipple!
Given Bickford & Sons are only into high quality ingredients and their tonic is no exception, you can be sure you’ll be showing off this party trick to your pals with every single can. Made with carbonated water, quinine and sugar or natural sweetener, it’s got nothing artificial and everything to raise your spirits. You can grab it in dry, sugar-free and limited-edition sugar-free citrus tonic from all good independent stores and through Sippify.
So, pair these babies with the perfect gin from another cracking SA name, Twenty Third Street Distillery, and let the party start!
Em xx
