Kumquat Gin & Tonic | Something New For Dinner
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Kumquat Gin & Tonic

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SKILL LEVEL :
Easy and quick
The beauty of a gin and tonic is that it is like a blank canvas just waiting to be turned into a beautiful and tasty painting. The possibilities are endless and gin and tonics love to be flavored with seasonal ingredients. So on this drizzly winter day in Southern California, I ventured out into my garden to pick some fresh kumquats, lit a fire and began experimenting with a bottle of Hendrick's gin, some Fever-Tree Elderflower tonic water, St. Germain, Grand Marnier, kumquats, star anise and a few splashes of orange and angostura bitters. Kumquat Gin & Tonic The interesting thing about kumquats is that of all the varieties of citrus, it has the sweetest rind, but a puckery sour fruit, more like a lemon than an orange. In fact, you are supposed to eat the whole fruit, rind and all. The contrast of the sweet rind and sour fruit is what makes kumquats work so well in a cocktail. I also use kumquats and gin in an unusual, but delicious Blood Orange Sangria.

Kumquat Gin & Tonic

I love serving gin and tonics in oversized Pinot Noir or burgandy glasses. I learned this presentation while researching Spanish-style gin and tonics in Spain. The Spaniards do gin and tonics better than anyone and these glasses allow for large spheres of ice that keep the drink cold, but minimize dilution, and allow a generous pour of good tonic water while leaving plenty of room for tasty garnishes.

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Kumquat Gin and Tonic

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Kumquats come into season during the winter and this Kumquat Gin and Tonic is just the thing to add a little sunshine to a cold and stormy winter’s day. 

  • Author: Kim Pawell
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 Cocktail 1x
  • Category: Cocktails
  • Cuisine: New American

Ingredients

Scale

2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce St. Germain

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

7.5 ounces Fever-Tree Elderflower tonic water

2 kumquats, sliced

1 squeeze lime

1 star anise pod

1 sprig thyme

Orange bitters

Angostura bitters

Instructions

Place two large ice spheres in an over-sized pinot noir glass. Add gin, St. Germain and Grand Marnier. Top with tonic water and garnish with kumquats, lime, star anise and thyme. Add orange and Angostura bitters to taste. 

Notes

To fully bring out the flavor of the kumquat you can lightly muddle the kumquat slices in the glass or in a cocktail shaker before adding the remaining ingredients. 

   
8 COMMENTS

Comments

  1. Stacy says:

    I decided to look up a drink with gin and kumquats, since my tree’s fruit is ready. I couldn’t believe I found this recipe. I amazingly had all of the ingredients (except the thyme), even the Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic (so good!). This a vibrant and tasty drink. So fresh and beautiful. Not too sweet and definitely citrusy, but not bitter. I used Tanqueray Rangpur gin to enhance the citrus attributes.

    1. Kim Pawell says:

      Hi Stacy, I am so glad you enjoyed the drink. I have loved kumquats since I was a kid and I love this adult use of them. Next on my to-do list is to develop a kumquat mojito. Check back soon!

  2. Liz says:

    This was my favorite cocktail of the evening…not too sweet, and a citrusy punch. I think I put grapefruit bitters in mine as we were making our own in your lovely setting. Love that you can improvise and still have a fantastic drink with the basics. I’m done with plain ‘ole gin and tonics with lime.

    1. Kim Pawell says:

      So glad you enjoyed it Liz!

  3. Diane Dales says:

    Love this drink! I was looking for something to make with kumquats and this drink caught my interest. I followed the recipe and it was perfect. It’s pretty and refreshing.

    1. Kim Pawell says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Diane. Reminds me I have a bunch of kumquats left on my tree. time to break out the gin!

  4. Michelle says:

    Hi, 2 questions, does it matter which gin and does it have to be the elderflower tonic? Can Fever tree Mediterranean work?
    Thank you

    1. Kim Pawell says:

      Hi Michelle, Good questions. The short answer is you have lots of flexibility. There are literally hundreds of different gins, each with their own flavor profile. So what you use is largely a matter of personal taste. Check out my post What Makes Spanish-Style Gin and Tonics So Delicious? to learn more about the main categories of gin. This article and a little taste testing will help you learn what you like best. As far as tonic goes, I do love FeverTree, but am comfortable with any tonic that is not made with corn syrup. FeverTree has a variety of tonics and they all add their special taste profile, but the differences are subtle. So absolutely, feel free to substitute FeverTree Mediterranean tonic.

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