I came home after a long day and was seriously in the mood for the nice Gin and Tonic.
Hendriks is of course my goto gin and the garnish must be cucumber. If you put lime in a Hendricks G&T, I still respect you, but it’s clear you are a beginner. And this isn’t amature hour.
Unfortunately, I was all out of the cukes. So in my search for long and green in the fridge, I came across karela (aka Bitter goard). For those of you who’ve never been to India (because it is never served in Indian restaurants outside of India), the karela is a bumpy, dinosourish pregnant cucumber that tastes a bit like licking a battery and eaying a clover at the same time. Since you’ve likely done neither, I can tell you it’s the bitterest green taste you can imagine.
Pure magic. The bitterness makes it twice as dry and gives a green leafy flavor which cleans up any of the tonic sweetness. For good measure I added a few curry leaves and… Mr. Reddy’s Half Lungi:
Ingredients
- 1 part Hendricks Gin
- 3 parts Tonic
- 1 2" piece of karela, sliced in the middle
- 3–4 curry leaves
- a *little* lime juice
Method
Muddle the karela and the curry leaves with the gin. Fill the glass with ice. Pour tonic. Squeeze a little lemon on top. Hike up your lungi a couple inches and enjoy.
