Drinks: Gin With Old School Tonic

[photo (by WDFloyd): my stock cocktail photo, as Haddington's was too dark for my iPhone camera]

by WDFloyd


Last night, I was on the loose after the Austin Habitat Young Professionals' Build the Love fundraiser. I drove a couple of friends (who were highly amused that I drive a Passat as opposed to 4x4 truck) over to the West 6th area for a pit stop at Haddington's.

Although this was my first stop in Haddington's, I'd already heard many good things about the place from reputable sources (e.g., one of my company's employees is a foodie and he loves Haddington's). I didn't have time to eat, but I did have time for a cocktail. And that's when I discovered the Haddington's house version of the gin & tonic.

What makes Haddington's G&T special is that the tonic water is mixed on site and it includes a healthy dose of the traditional ingredient quinine. The gin & tonic has an interesting history which combines the twin needs of 19th century British colonialists to: (1) prevent malaria, and (2) get hammered. Quinine was an anti-malaria drug administered via tonic water, and the concoction was quite bitter. Enter gin, once about as reputable as crack cocaine but refined and then rebooted as "medicinal" thanks to its infusion of tasty "botanicals" with good old fashioned booze. Moreover, sweet and delicious gin (plus a lime, of course) counteracted the unpleasant bitterness of 19th century tonic water. Plus, I'm sure the alcohol helped the British cope with the stress of living in constant fear of malaria, cobras, tigers, angry colonials, and so forth.

Since quinine's flavor is kind of overpoweringly bitter, and because in the United States we aren't very concerned about malaria, most brands of tonic water contain only a token amount of the medicinal ingredient. Thus, you can see the novelty of Haddington's gin & tonic, which is about as close to the original cocktail as one can get while on West 6th. I recommend trying a Haddington's gin & tonic. It is very different from what I've always enjoyed (and yes, a lot more bitter and somewhat more salty). I liked it, although I will say that the intense flavor required some rather slow sipping. If you are trying to power drink to forget your personal problems, stick to the Jager bombs and so forth. But, if you're in the mood for some tasty and interesting cocktails, swing by Haddington's next time you are on West 6th.