David Smith of summerfruitcup.com has cast his beady eye over Schweppes new tonic water flavours for Gintime. They’re part of the great Spanish GinTonica movement and currently only available in Spain sadly but we can hope!
As we’ve discussed before, Spain is a special place for the Gin & Tonic (Gin Tonicá), with the attention that Spanish bartenders give the drink pretty much unrivalled anywhere else in the world and the range of tonic waters and other accessories being far beyond what’s available in the UK. Even Schweppes have move beyond Original and Slimline to offer three new flavours to satisfy the thirst of the Gin Tonica crowd.
I had the good fortune (or rather the foresight; I ordered a sample to be sent to my hotel) to try the three new flavours of Schweppes Tonic: Pink Peppercorn, Orange Blossom & Lavender, and Cardamom & Ginger. I also had some Plymouth Gin on-hand (my go-to gin when tasting tonic) so that I could really try them out.
Just before we move onto the taste, you will notice that bottles are rather unusual. The shape is a nod to early Schweppes bottles, which were shaped almost like a lemon. This was so that they would always be keep on their side, helping to stop the gas from escaping by keeping the air bubbles away from the opening. Of course, with modern bottle caps this is less of a problem, but I find the nostalgia attractive.
The Taste
I tasted the tonics chilled on their own and mixed with Plymouth Gin (42.1%ABV) in a mix of 25ml Gin and 60ml Tonic with ice but no garnish.
Pink Peppercorn
On its own:
Fizz: High fizz with lots of small bubbles.
Nose: A really herbal bitterness with leafy, stalky notes alongside those of lemonade.
Taste: Quite a classic tonic with citrus notes and bitterness, but followed by a pleasant, fruity pepperiness on the finish.
With Plymouth Gin:
Clean and refreshing; this ticks all of the basic G&T boxes, with a very slight twist to the finish from the pink peppercorn notes.
Cardamom and Ginger
On its own:
Fizz: intense fizz, with small bubbles.
Nose: Great nose of lemon, ginger and cardamom, with just a touch of tequila.
Taste: Classic tonic: a bit of citrus up-front, followed by the ginger and spice of the cardamom, which is noticeable, but subtle. Very good.
With Plymouth Gin:
Lovely; some leafy green notes come through, as well as a little lemon and lime, along with a dry bitterness, ginger and cardamom on the finish, which brings out a little sweetness from the gin.
Orange Blossom and Lavender
Fizz: Medium-to-high level of fizz.
Nose: Minimal, but slightly floral, reminiscent of Schweppes Ruschian.
Taste: Very dry with some floral elements of rose and turkish delight. There are some berry notes, too, but the lavender isn’t too strong.
With Plymouth Gin:
Delicious – so clean, cooling and refreshing! The juniper comes through well, followed by luscious, fruity, juicy notes. Floral notes round this off, making it thoroughly tasty.
Overall I was very impressed with the Schweppes Heritage range both as stand alone drinks and as mixers with gin. I think that the cardamom was my favourite although the pink peppercorn had great versatility.
In Spain Schweppes bottle their regular Tonic, Soda Water and Límon (a variation on Bitter Lemon) in the same bottles. Lets look forward to having availability over here, Orange Blossom and Lavender, Cardomom and Ginger, Pink Peppercorn, – we Brits like our Tonica too!
