Q Tonic

It's getting hot and that might make your thoughts turn to... the perfect gin and tonic. You might be quite particular about the brand of gin that you use but have you ever put much thought into the other half of the equation? We hadn't either until we heard an interview with Jordan Silbert, the president of Q Tonic (if you want to hear the interview it was during the May 19th Food Talk). He tells us that the typical tonic waters that you find at the grocery or liquor store are loaded with so much high- fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors that you are basically adding the equivalent of a soda to your drink. In other words, you're insulting your gin. So, we picked up a 4 pack of Q Tonic from the Sam's Wine and Spirit website and Mr. WYA! was given the tough assignment of assembling his buddies to do a little taste comparison between Q Tonic and what we will call Grocery Brand "S".

The blind taste test began (jokingly referred to as the "blind-drunk" test). All the participants agreed to equal amounts of gin, tonic and ice. Limes were not served with the drinks, as not to alter flavors, and to contrast the qualities of the Q, we purchased the absolute cheapest store brand tonic water we could find.

Round one- we made the drinks in the kitchen as the participants sat out on the back deck and discussed world events, celebrities and how cool it was to get free gin. The men sat in the shade and sipped their drinks, at times in silence; at times, in near confrontational conversations about global topics that didn't affect us, and we can't control anyway. (Typical conversations when four men get together). This was the Q round.

Round two- This round was delivered with the store brand tonic. We made the store brand the second round to give it somewhat of a leg up in the competition. After all, by round two, ALL of the participants had been drinking. Clearly, the participants were aggrieved. "The first one was better." "Did you change gin?". The lamentations began. The Q tonic water made the drink smoother, with an almost silky texture. The gin seemed to have no trace of harshness, the store brand was harsh by comparison. If you spend money on premium gin, we would recommend running out for a four pack and trying this yourself.

The winner in 2 rounds with a 4 to NOTHING decision, Q.