Vodka Tonic
Vodka and tonic water over ice with a lime wedge. The Gin and Tonic with the botanicals removed — tonic's quinine bitterness and lime over a clean spirit, and one of the most-ordered drinks in the world.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a highball glass with ice.
Add the vodka.
Top with chilled tonic water.
Squeeze a lime wedge over the drink, drop it in and stir once.
A thoughtful finish
- The tonic is the flavour; a dry, light premium tonic (Fever-Tree, Q, Fentimans) makes the drink.
- Everything cold and lots of ice — a warm highball goes flat fast.
- A grapefruit twist or a lemon wedge changes it more than you would think.
Common mistakes
- Flat or warm tonic.
- Too little ice, which dilutes it as it melts.
- Flavoured vodka with a sweet tonic, which doubles the sugar.
A few good questions.
What does a Vodka Tonic taste like?
Tonic — bitter quinine, light sweetness and lime — with vodka's warmth and little else.
Vodka Tonic or Gin and Tonic?
Gin adds juniper and botanicals; vodka lets the tonic lead. It comes down to whether you want to taste the spirit.
How strong is it?
About 12% at two to one.
Lime or lemon?
Lime is the standard; lemon is softer; grapefruit is the modern bar choice.
Variations
- Gin and Tonic — Gin and tonic.
- Vodka Soda — Vodka and soda water.
- Vodka Cranberry — Vodka and cranberry juice.
- Vodka Collins — Vodka, lemon, sugar and soda.
Where it comes from
c. 1950s · United States
The Gin and Tonic came out of British India in the 1800s; the Vodka Tonic followed vodka’s American boom of the 1950s, when Smirnoff’s marketing made vodka the spirit that ‘leaves you breathless’ and bars swapped it into every gin highball. With a neutral spirit the tonic does the talking — quinine’s bitterness, sugar, citrus — so the quality of the tonic matters more than it does with gin. The modern premium-tonic wave of the 2010s made it a better drink than it was, and a wedge of lime (or lemon, or a grapefruit twist) is the only garnish it needs.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Vodka Tonic, 2010 (reference)
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Liquor.com, Vodka Tonic, 2019 (reference)
Strength. About 1.33 US standard drinks at an estimated 11.6% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.
Your next sip.
More Vodka drinks ↗
Adios Motherfucker
Four white spirits, blue curaçao and lemon-lime soda. The Long Island Iced Tea in a blue coat — as strong as it…
Appletini
Vodka and sour apple liqueur, shaken, served up and bright green. The 1996 West Hollywood invention that defined the 'tini' decade, and…
Black Russian
Vodka and coffee liqueur over ice. Two ingredients, invented in Brussels in 1949 for an American ambassador, and the parent of the…