The Alcohol-Free Gin and Tonic Recipe
with 0.0 gin and plenty of ice
Place the Copa glass in the freezer for ten minutes, then fill it to the rim with large, hard ice cubes.
Pour the alcohol-free gin over the ice and stir with a bar spoon for five seconds, so the glass and gin are equally cold.
Slowly pour the tonic into the glass along the twisted bar spoon, so as little carbonation as possible is lost.
Squeeze the grapefruit zest over the drink with the peel side facing the glass, then hang it between the ice.
Rub the sprig of rosemary briefly between your hands, place it in the glass, and stir no more than once.
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The story
The Gin & Tonic originated, according to the familiar story, in British India, where the British drank quinine against malaria in tonic and added gin to soften its bitter taste. The alcohol-free version is much newer. In 2015, British company Seedlip launched an alcohol-free distilled drink and showed that botanicals also release their aromas in water. The major gin houses followed: Gordon's 0.0% was launched at the end of 2020, and Tanqueray 0.0% in Spain and the United Kingdom in March 2021. Tanqueray uses the botanicals from its London Dry, including juniper, coriander, angelica root, and liquorice, and distils each one separately in water instead of alcohol. Officially, it cannot be called gin: European regulations require gin to contain at least 37.5 percent alcohol.
The right glass
Serve it in exactly the same type of glass as the original: a stemmed copa glass of around 50 cl. The rounded bowl retains the aromas of juniper and grapefruit, which is especially important with a 0.0 gin, because without alcohol, the aroma rises from the glass less readily. There is also enough room for plenty of ice to keep the drink cold without quickly diluting it, while the stem keeps your hand away from the ice. Choose from our gin and tonic glasses.
RCR Alkemist Gin and Tonic Glass 53 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Timeless Gin and Tonic Glass 50 cl (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 83,90.
The right tools
For an alcohol-free gin and tonic, in addition to the glass, use a bar spoon to stir, a jigger to measure precisely, a zester for the twist, and large ice cubes. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 4 bar tools together € 126,75.
What do you use to make an Alcohol-Free gin and tonic?
For an alcohol-free gin and tonic, you need an alcohol-free base. Well-known bottles include Tanqueray 0.0% and Gordon's 0.0%. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
For a pink version, place three raspberries in the glass and lightly press them with a bar spoon before adding the ice. With cucumber and a Mediterranean tonic, it becomes softer and greener; with a slice of fresh ginger, sharper. Prefer coffee to juniper? Try the Espresso Tonic. Looking for an alcohol-free aperitif with more bitterness? The alcohol-free negroni and the Alcohol-Free Spritz are the logical next step.
Serving tip
Buy tonic in 20 cl bottles instead of a large bottle. One bottle is exactly enough for two glasses and is then finished, so you never pour tonic that has already gone flat. Pour the tonic at the table: that hissing moment is part of the experience.
Good to know
Why 0.0 gin works differently from regular gin
Alcohol does more in a gin and tonic than you think. It gives weight in the mouth, a slight warmth, and carries the aroma of the botanicals to your nose. A 0.0 gin is essentially water with distilled botanicals and lacks those three things. That is why this recipe uses 1 part gin to 2 parts tonic instead of 1 to 3: more tonic dilutes the flavor to almost nothing. For the same reason, fill the glass to the rim with ice, because meltwater is the biggest enemy here, and garnish more generously than you are used to.
Tanqueray 0.0% or Gordon's 0.0%
Both are made with the botanicals of their own London Dry, and both are intended for tonic. Tanqueray describes its 0.0% as citrusy, with juniper at the forefront, and uses, among other things, juniper, coriander, angelica, and liquorice. Gordon's describes a robust, juniper-led flavor and serves it with tonic and a wedge of lime. In practice: give Tanqueray a strip of grapefruit zest, which complements the citrus, and Gordon's a wedge of lime. Taste both neat with an ice cube first, because the difference is clearest without tonic.
Which tonic goes with alcohol-free gin
Choose a classic Indian tonic with a clear quinine flavor. That bitterness gives the drink the backbone otherwise provided by the alcohol. Light and sugar-free tonics can quickly make the whole drink taste thin, because sugar also adds body; if you want less sugar, use a little less tonic rather than a lighter one. Tonics with a pronounced flavor of their own, such as elderflower or rosemary, can completely overpower a 0.0 gin. Use them only if you mainly see the gin as a spicy background, and keep the garnish simple.
How long does alcohol-free gin keep
Shorter than you are used to with gin. Alcohol preserves, and without alcohol, an opened bottle is more comparable to a bottle of syrup. Tanqueray states for its 0.0% that you should store it in the refrigerator after opening and finish it within two months; check the label for other brands. Don't put it in the freezer, as you can with regular gin: without alcohol, it simply freezes. A bottle from the refrigerator is ideal, because then the ice has less work to do and the drink retains its flavor longer.
Alcohol-free gin and tonic without 0.0 gin
If you don't have a bottle of 0.0 gin at home, you can also build the flavor directly in the glass. Crush six juniper berries with the back of a spoon, place them in the glass with a strip of grapefruit peel and a sprig of rosemary, fill it with ice, and pour in 15 cl of cold tonic. Wait two minutes before drinking so the aromas can infuse. The result is lighter than with 0.0 gin, but it is still recognizably a gin and tonic. Leave out bitters: Angostura contains 44.7 percent alcohol, so a few dashes mean the drink is no longer alcohol-free.
For a group: with and without alcohol side by side
Pour the 0.0 version into the same coppa glass as the regular gin and tonic, so no one has to explain what is in their glass. Do give them their own garnish, for example rosemary for alcohol-free and lime for regular, so no one mixes them up. Allow 5 cl per glass: a 70 cl bottle makes fourteen glasses, with 1.4 liters of tonic. Measure it, because when pouring by eye, you quickly use too little with 0.0 gin and taste only tonic. You can find a good measuring cup among our jiggers.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make an alcohol-free gin and tonic?
Fill a chilled coppa glass to the rim with large ice cubes, pour in 5 cl of alcohol-free gin and stir for five seconds. Add 10 cl of cold Indian tonic along a bar spoon and garnish with grapefruit zest and a sprig of rosemary. Using less tonic than with regular gin keeps the flavor intact.
Which alcohol-free gin is best for a gin and tonic?
A 0.0 gin with a distinct juniper flavor, such as Tanqueray 0.0% or Gordon's 0.0%. Both are made with the botanicals of their regular London Dry and intended to be drunk with tonic. Soft, floral varieties quickly disappear beneath the bitterness of the tonic, so taste it neat with an ice cube first.
Is there really no alcohol in alcohol-free gin?
Almost none. Gordon's and Tanqueray state 0.0 percent on the label, and Tanqueray adds that it contains at most 0.015 percent. Do pay attention to what you add: tonic is alcohol-free, but bitters are not: Angostura contains 44.7 percent alcohol.
Which glass do you use for an alcohol-free gin and tonic?
The same coppa glass as for a regular gin and tonic, holding around 50 cl, on a stem. The rounded bowl retains the aroma of the botanicals, there is plenty of room for ice, and the stem keeps your hand away from the drink. This way, the 0.0 version fits right in at the table with the rest.
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