Perfect G & T

Whatever kind of Christmas you're planning be sure to remember that the single most important thing on that ever expanding shopping list is bottle of good gin. There is no other liquid that will get you through the minefield that is Christmas relatively unscathed. The girlfriend insists that most of Christmas day is spent in a mild gin and tonic induced haze, arguing that this limits the scope for any of the major Christmas disasters. That evil-incarnate maiden aunt getting you down? Through the gin goggles she'll transform from cantankerous old witch to jolly eccentric game old bird. However, be aware that the gin buzz is a delicate beast and can easily descend into self loathing and recriminations if not nurtured carefully, gin will make you sicker than the sickest dog in a dog hospital if you go too far.

You'll be horrified to learn that traditionally the recipe for a gin and tonic calls for a 1:1 ratio of gin to tonic. This was in the bad old days when you couldn't trust the water so now it is more usual to adopt 3 parts tonic to one or two parts gin. Now, most old school bartenders will tell you that as a spirit mixer this will need to served in a lowball, I prefer a highball filled with ice. Coat your ice cubes in the gin and then pour your tonic water and wipe the rim with a lime wedge and then throw it in. Lemon is wrong. I don't care if you like it. Wrong. One other tip, you've probably bought good gin, like Bombay/ Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray or Citadelle (yeah, I know it's French, but it's still good gin). Don't then ruin all that hard work with cheap tonic, I don't know how many times I've watched in slack jawed horror as someone pours flat shitty tonic into my drink.