There’s a restaurant in DC called Estadio that serves some really good Spanish Tapas but their drink menu is just out of this world. Last time we were there we ordered the orange-thyme gin & tonic based on the recommendation of a friend and it became one of my all-time favorite cocktails. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and was determined to figure out how to make a similar version at home. Lucky for me, it turns out the Washington Post loves it as much as me and has the recipe online. Score! The original recipe calls for a soda syphon and some quinine powder (neither of which I have) to make a homemade tonic but I adapted the recipe using tonic water instead.
Orange-Thyme Gin & Tonic (recipe adapted from Estadio, as printed in The Washington Post)
Ingredients (serves 5)
1 Orange-Thyme Syrup recipe (see first step in directions below)
4 ounces fresh lime juice
7.5 ounces gin (Old Raj is recommended but I used what I had on hand)
High quality tonic water like Q Tonic (Schweppes and Canada Dry are too sweet)
Directions
Orange-Thyme Syrup – Combine 6 ounces sugar and 6 ounces water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add 5 thyme sprigs and orange zest from half of an orange; let sit for 1 hour, then strain into a container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Combine the orange-thyme syrup and lime juice.
Combine 2.5 ounces of the syrup & lime juice mixture with 1.5 ounces of gin in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Top off with tonic and garnish with an orange peel and some thyme leaves. Enjoy!
A Feteful Life 