# Espresso and tonic water



## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I came across this on a tweet by the barn and was intrigued. Kinda thought, that can't be good. But I thought, right, I'll take one for the forum and drink it. So 6oz glass, dissolved a little sugar in a dribble of water (yeah, I know, don't shoot me, to be honest it didn't dissolve that well so most was left in te bottom of the glass), two ice cubes them pulled a double of unkle funka over it. Topped up with tonic water, I only had one with a hint of elderflower in it which adds to the weirdness. Actually it tasted ok, nice balance of refreshing, dry and some fruit coming through from the coffee. Not sure I'd try it again but it's far too hot for coffee today.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

What would happen if you put sparkling water though your shot!?


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

froggystyle said:


> What would happen if you put sparkling water though your shot!?


As in through the boiler? No idea. Don't know if the bubbles would make it through!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

hmm maybe we can get Noah to try.

What actually is tonic water anyway?


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

froggystyle said:


> hmm maybe we can get Noah to try.
> 
> What actually is tonic water anyway?


The stuff you water gin down with a little


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I've had a look at the bottle, sparkling water with cane sugar, critic acid and quinine.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2014)

I drink espresso and homemade lemonade all of the time! I usually have a couple on the weekend. There's loads of recipes on the internet (i thought this was quite common?) Anyway, it's just a shot or two of espresso, 2 squeezed lemons, a big heap of sugar and that's that. Wack it in the fridge.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I realise this thread looks like something Noah may have started but they genuinely sell it in the barn. Noah, I'm really not sure that's a thing or not. I've just drink a cold glass of espresso with tonic water so I guess anything could be true!


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

froggystyle said:


> What actually is tonic water anyway?


A drink that tastes like malaria tablets. bleugh.

Edit: The old malaria tablets with quinine. Modern tablets are a lot more palatable, luckily!

I can still remember forcing those old ones down with a huge bottle of beer.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

aaronb said:


> A drink that tastes like malaria tablets. bleugh.
> 
> Edit: The old malaria tablets with quinine. Modern tablets are a lot more palatable, luckily!
> 
> I can still remember forcing those old ones down with a huge bottle of beer.


Yeah, I think there's hardly any quinine in tonic water. I quite like the taste. At least the old tabs didn't send you nuts.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Thinking abut it i had a gin and tonic once, tasted like perfume!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I'm in the middle of a few spakling water cold brew tests. I might try with tonic sometime.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

When I get a chance I'll try it again, ditch the sugar and use ordinary tonic water.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

froggystyle said:


> Thinking abut it i had a gin and tonic once, tasted like perfume!


That's the gin, it tastes predominantly of juniper berries but can have other botanicals added. It's hard to describe what tonic water tastes like, I think the quinine makes it a little bitter and dry.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

Uggh I find tonic water far too bitter, and gin is a drink of last resort, if I'm horribly drunk and that's all that's left. If you mean The Barn in Berlin, Germans have some very strange habits with hot weather drinks, such as taking an excellent wheat beer and adding orange Fanta to it half and half.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Charliej said:


> Uggh I find tonic water far too bitter, and gin is a drink of last resort, if I'm horribly drunk and that's all that's left. If you mean The Barn in Berlin, Germans have some very strange habits with hot weather drinks, such as taking an excellent wheat beer and adding orange Fanta to it half and half.


Yeas, the barn berlin. Now where did I leave that bottle of tap 6 and half finished can of fanta


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

Neill said:


> Yeas, the barn berlin. Now where did I leave that bottle of tap 6 and half finished can of fanta


Step away from the Fanta, trust me it's foul the 1st time I sampled that mix I didn't know what it was and actually spat it out.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Charliej said:


> Step away from the Fanta, trust me it's foul the 1st time I sampled that mix I didn't know what it was and actually spat it out.


It's alright. It's hit beerbods time so no fanta in sight.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

A new bar in Norwich promises to have 150 gins.

How do i even begin? Especially as I dont like tonic.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Try another bar?


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

I like gin and tonic. Bombay sapphire or Hendrick's with a bit of cucumber. Another nice refreshing summer drink is 50/50 freshly squeezed orange juice and tonic. Never thought of putting it with espresso though. Sounds weird but I'll not knock it till I've tried it.

Only the Germans could brew excellent lager and have a purity law, and then mix it with Fanta. "Spezi" (Spezialmix) is and always will be a complete mystery to me. Shandy is perverse enough but has its place, but lager and Fanta is just wrong and the Reinheitsgebot should define a suitable punishment for anyone perverting the course of beverage.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Hendricks with cucumber is pretty fantastic.

For other gin my set recipe is:-

put 3 cubes of ice in a glass,

add shot of gin,(measuring it is a must for me...otherwise I go overboard).

Take a 6th of a lime and squeeze into the glass,

Rub the squeezed lime round the rim of the glass, the drop in.

Add tonic.

.....British summertime!


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Too late at night!,,


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Yeah I totally love fresh lime and always use line rather than lemon in G&T. Although if I've got a few limes they end up as caipirinha.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

hotmetal said:


> I like gin and tonic. Bombay sapphire or Hendrick's with a bit of cucumber. Another nice refreshing summer drink is 50/50 freshly squeezed orange juice and tonic. Never thought of putting it with espresso though. Sounds weird but I'll not knock it till I've tried it.
> 
> Only the Germans could brew excellent lager and have a purity law, and then mix it with Fanta. "Spezi" (Spezialmix) is and always will be a complete mystery to me. Shandy is perverse enough but has its place, but lager and Fanta is just wrong and the Reinheitsgebot should define a suitable punishment for anyone perverting the course of beverage.


It's even worse when ruining a decent wheatbeer.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Neill said:


> Try another bar?


It's OK, they have some decent beer on tap too!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

I just tried the espresso and tonic! It's an odd idea but strangely seems to work. Almost has a touch of Campari about it, or Ramazzotti/Averna. Can't quite make my mind up but I'll happily try it a few more times. Whodathunkit?


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I've gone for it again today. No sugar and ordinary tonic water. It's foamed up like a coke float! Weirdly it does actually work. Amps up the fruit flavour from the coffee.


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## poolfan (May 9, 2014)

LOL this just sounds bizarre. Love G&T, love espresso, what can possibly go wrong when drunk on a caffeine high!!


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Hmm... What about Gin and Espresso? I think not!


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

poolfan said:


> LOL this just sounds bizarre. Love G&T, love espresso, what can possibly go wrong when drunk on a caffeine high!!


It is bizarre but weirdly tastes ok. I liked it better than iced pour over. I wouldn't want it that often but it was nice on that really hit day.


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## DannyMontez (May 19, 2014)

I'll try this when we next have tonic water. Sounds like a real strange combo.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Here's a link to a pic of the barn version


__
http://instagr.am/p/qmuNVqpE1D/


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## Zal (May 7, 2020)

Tried it now without ice but still taste...interesting

Higly recommended but with ice


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Wow I'd forgotten about this thread! I see I commented, and I do remember the taste.

My next trick is gonna be Fernet Branca, cold brew and fever tree tonic. A bit leftfield but I think it could work for summer. A bit hipster for me but I have just bought a bottle of Fernet for entertaining a girl from Argentina (they drink it with coke) but I figured it might go with espresso.

___
Eat, drink and be merry


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## siliconslave (Feb 18, 2020)

I've had one of these in a cafe and it was terrible - not sure if it was the espresso that was the problem though i guess...


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## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

The European Coffee Trip did quite a good video on espresso and cold brew tonic. It can be found here.

In the video, they mention that it's best with fancy craft tonic because it's not as sweet. Does anyone have any specific tonic recommendations?

JJ


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## Ozzyjohn (May 31, 2020)

I've obviously led a sheltered life - though I love coffee and I love gin - but I had never heard of combining them until I saw this thread. I have maybe 20 or 30 different gins at home and a fairly varied collection of tonic waters.

I may be gone for some considerable time . . .

Regards,

John


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## TRatcliffe (Jun 15, 2020)

I'm not sure about tonic water, but has anyone put cold brew through a soda stream?


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## Ozzyjohn (May 31, 2020)

Ozzyjohn said:


> I've obviously led a sheltered life - though I love coffee and I love gin - but I had never heard of combining them until I saw this thread. I have maybe 20 or 30 different gins at home and a fairly varied collection of tonic waters.
> 
> I may be gone for some considerable time . . .
> 
> ...


 So, after a little bit of "research", I can advise that a Rave decaff with FeverTree Aromatic tonic produces a very pleasant drink. Slice of lemon added post photograph rounded it off nicely.


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## lhavelund (Dec 28, 2018)

Ozzyjohn said:


> So, after a little bit of "research", I can advise that a Rave decaff with FeverTree Aromatic tonic produces a very pleasant drink. Slice of lemon added post photograph rounded it off nicely.
> 
> View attachment 42612


 More research obviously required.


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## ZiggyMarley (Jan 9, 2019)

of the 90+ bottles of gin here - I quite like sipping on a espresso over ice , laced with Hotel Chocolat Gin, and topped with soda water for some sparkle.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Heathens.


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## jjstorgaard (Jan 19, 2019)

James Hoffmann has just release a video about espresso tonic.

JJ


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

TRatcliffe said:


> I'm not sure about tonic water, but has anyone put cold brew through a soda stream?


 @TRatcliffe

Yes sort of in that not a soda stream but a 750ml Soda Splash from cream supplies here that takes 8g CO2 chargers. "Interesting" would be the word I would use as well, given your head is thinking cola sweetness (from the visible cues) but there is only what is in the cold brew itself, just now fizzy. Easiest way to describe what it does is to think of the difference in taste between still and sparkling water, just with coffee if that makes sense

I could see how tonic could add some sweetness that the above method does not.

Was something different for a change, just not something that made me want to do lots of 

John


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