[imagesource: Joseph De Leo]

Rejoice!

Now that the sale of alcohol is once again allowed, that Friday after-work drink that heralds in the weekend is finally back on the menu for everyone who didn’t ration their supply during the prohibition.

One more day until you can close your laptop and forget about the grind for a while…hang in there.

Now that we know what it’s like to teetotal against our will, a celebration is necessary, and if you aren’t treating yourself to some quality tipple you aren’t doing it right.

In South Africa, gin and whiskey are tried and tested favourites, and while you can enjoy the good stuff neat or with a block or two of ice, some prefer to add a mixer.

Add the wrong mixer, however, and you compromise the taste of your drink. You’re drinking top-shelf stuff, after all, and you need to do it justice.

Let’s start with gin, per IOL, which looked into the gin mixers people are snapping up at the moment.

The list contained some of those brands we’re all familiar with – you know, the ones you’ll find in the fridge at a service station.

We wanted to elevate your drink experience, so we chose five of our favourites, all of which come with a bit of a twist on old classics, and which you can find all in one place through those purveyors of fine craft mixers, Fitch & Leedes.

Made with quadruple filtered water for ultimate purity to meet the highest standards in terms of quality and taste, Fitch & Leedes takes you back to an era when things were still made with the utmost care and craftsmanship.

In other words, you’re correct in feeling a little fancy when drinking it.

Some of the suggestions below also do double duty as a mixer for a whiskey.

Bitter Lemon

There’s a reason that you pop a slice of lemon or lime into a classic G&T, as gin goes really well with citrus flavours.

Bitter Lemon goes fantastically with most gins, so it’s handy to have a couple in the bar fridge. It’s also delicious on its own if you like your fizzy drinks a little dry.

Lemon, surprisingly, also pairs well with whiskey. Mix a bourbon into your dry lemon for an earthy, lemony infusion, perfect for winter.

Spicy Ginger Beer

Gin and ginger ale is fast becoming a widespread drink trend. Personally, we prefer to kick it up a notch by swapping it out with a ginger beer like the Spicy Ginger Beer from Fitch & Leedes to give it a little more personality.

Ginger beer is also a wonderful companion to whiskey as its complexity of flavour ranges from sweet to hot, medicinal, and earthy. Spicy ginger beer is flagged by VinePair as the perfect mixer for an Irish whiskey.

Cranberry Juice

Yeah, you can get some regular old cranberry juice from the shop, but part of the joy of a mixer is that fizz you get from a finely carbonated beverage.

The Cheeky Cranberry from Fitch & Leedes also contains caffeine to give you that little extra boost with your sundowner. Drink it on its own for a delightful way to make it through the workday, until you can add your favourite craft gin into the mix.

A list of ideal gin mixers wouldn’t be complete without the classic tonic.

Tonic Water

You can’t go wrong with a classic G&T. Just make sure you’re mixing your gin with an Indian Tonic worthy of its greatness.

Fitch & Leedes Indian Tonic and Dry Lemon also come in Sugar-Free and Low Kilojoule, options, so you can enjoy them guilt-free.

If you want to mix your whiskey while still sustaining its core flavour, VinePair recommends:

Soda

Take your whiskey chilled and with some fizz, and you’re right on trend, because the whiskey and soda Highball is having something of a renaissance at the moment.

Soda works best with boldly flavoured whiskeys, especially if they’re on the sweeter side.

All of the above can be ordered online from Fitch & Leedes, or found wherever fine mixers are sold.

Bring on the weekend.

[sources:iol&vinepair]