At the Veneto Lounge, bar manager Solomon invented a style of the gin and tonic named after the owner of the Hotel and Lounge Mr. Danzo. Its called … the Danzo.
Basically it’s some fine Hendricks Gin, Q tonic, Bitter Truth celery bitters…. with some sliced cucumbers served on the side with Pink Himalayan Salt sprinkled on top.
Head bartender Simon says Q tonic is the best tonic you can get to mix with your gin. So if you’re a G&T person and you’ve spent a few bucks on your bottle of gin… you would be wise to spend well on the tonic too.
They serve up the Danzo all pretty. The presentation is fantastic. Your glass comes on a plate with a single cube of ice and the bitters. A serving of gin is in a little glass to the side and you have your bottle of Q tonic as well. Cucumbers are on the plate. You then get to pour the gin and splash of tonic into the cup to your liking. Take a bite of the salted cucumber then dive into the smooth gin and tonic. It is for sure one of… if not THEE best gin and tonic I’ve ever had. Then Simon drops this bomb last night… “oh, I can make you a better gin and tonic than that…”
SWA?
Tracking all this stuff stuff down in Victoria is a mega challenge. It would be wise to just enjoy one in the lounge. I wanted to make something similar at home, but like I said… hard to find the stuff. So I created the junior Danzo.
+ Whatever Gin you can find in your cupboard. (I had Victoria Gin and Tanqueray… and opted for the London Dry Gin… Tanqueray).
+Western Family Tonic Water (hey, its a Pattison Company… he owns the Zone… and its just a buck for 2 litres.)
+ cucumbers (super duper on sale with my Save-On card)
+ aromatic bitters (I went with Angostura Bitters from Trinidad. The most common bitters you can find in a grocery store)
+ celery salt (it wasn’t very pink, but it served)
result: well hmmm… I drank it.
Go with yourself.
The Morning After 