Gin and Tonic Sorbet (You heard me)

 
 
Alternate title: Oh, Look At What I Done Did.

 
Some weeks ago, Pam and Maggy of Three Many Cooks invited me and my family over for dinner. Maggy and I had been exchanging emails for some weeks, and really hit it off online. But normally, my shyness would have made me less ready to accept the invitation. More often than not, I’m perfectly happy staying in the background, letting typed-out words do the socializing for me. This time though, I said yes.

 
I didn’t start stressing about it until we were on the road. Then I started giving myself a pep talk. “Good grief, woman, just relax,” I’d remind myself. “Be yourself!” Then of course, the other voice started talking too. “Oh yeah? Be yourself? But yourself is a dork! A major goob!” By the time we finally pulled into their driveway, I was a mini-tangle of nerves. So nervous that when I stepped out of the car, I think part of my foot slipped out of my sandal and I almost—ALMOST—fell to the ground, still holding my camera. “Yep. I’m Dork, nice to meet you.”

 
Of course, I had no reason to be nervous. Maggy, Pam, and David could not have been more welcoming, and all my stress melted away. And almost as soon as we walked in the house, Pam offered us something to drink. Her recommendation: a gin and tonic.

 
I need to come clean here. As far as drinks go, I’m a lightweight. In fact, make that a featherweight. Airweight, if possible. Helium-weight even. You get the picture. A few sips of alcohol, and my cheeks are flushed and burning. I blame this on my dad, who gets just as red with a only few sips of anything potent. When I do have something to drink, it’s usually a beer. A light beer. And the smaller the bottle, the better.

 
But I took a sip of that gin and tonic, and loved it. It was so refreshing and light, and the way Pam made it was just right for me. And yes, it might have taken me the entire evening into night to finish my one drink, but let me tell you, I enjoyed it.

 
Now, if you know me and my current ice cream craze, it was only a matter of time before the idea of a gin and tonic sorbet crept into my brain. And once it got there, it wouldn’t budge.

 
The Ivory Hut: Gin and Tonic Sorbet (You Heard Me) data-recalc-dims=

 
 
I ran the idea by Maggy, who told me I should totally go for it. So I did. I think it’s great for an outdoor party, either served in between courses to cleanse your palate, or even as a refreshing appetizer. Better yet, even if you happen to leave it unattended, you don’t just end up with semi-melted sorbet; you end up with a nice cold shot of gin and tonic, albeit slightly sweet.

 
It took me a couple of tries to get just the right mix I wanted, and here is my recipe. I’m know I’m not much of a drinker, but if you’re thinking of making this a more potent sorbet by adding significantly more gin, you might end up with slush rather than sorbet. (Unless slush is what you’re going for, in which case, pour away!) Remember that alcohol won’t freeze, which is why you can store a bottle of vodka or gin in the freezer without any problems.

 
The Ivory Hut: Gin and Tonic Sorbet (You Heard Me) data-recalc-dims=

 
 

Gin and Tonic Sorbet

1/2 cup sugar
1 large or 2 medium limes, zested and juiced
2 1/2 cups tonic water
3 fl. oz. shot gin

In a saucepan, make simple syrup by heating 1/2 cup water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat and add lime zest and juice. Let cool. Once cooled, add tonic water and gin. Taste it and make any adjustments according to taste. Let everything cool in the refrigerator, then strain into the bowl of your ice cream machine. Follow your machine’s directions to freeze the sorbet. Store in a freezer-proof container in the freezer to allow it to harden some more.

Serve in pretty little glasses garnished with more lime zest, thin little slices of lime, or rim the glass with lime sugar (a mix of lime zest and sugar pulsed together in the food processor).

 
 
The Ivory Hut: Gin and Tonic Sorbet (You Heard Me) data-recalc-dims=

 
 
Make this sorbet, keep it in the freezer, and the next time you have a cookout, surprise your guests with this. It’s absolutely refreshing, and a great way to cool down on a hot day.

 
In the meantime, take some out in the morning and tell everyone that you’re shooting photos for your blog.

 
Then “accidentally” leave it to melt.

 
And then do this.

 
The Ivory Hut: Gin and Tonic Sorbet (You Heard Me) data-recalc-dims=

 
And then just go back to bed because that’s it, there’s no way your day can get any better.

 
 

32 thoughts on “Gin and Tonic Sorbet (You heard me)”

  1. What a lovely idea and it does look totally inviting and refreshing. This should be on every host’s *must serve* list. Thanks for posting. Now I’m really thirsty.
    BTW, you sound like me. Guess we are a couple of oxymorons, shy, basically private people who like to blog publicly. Go figure!

  2. Genius! I’m also a complete lightweight with alcohol, though I did just make bourbon mint ice cream. Guess it’s the only way girls like us can handle booze, in dessert form :)

  3. Oh my! Now you are speaking my language!!! This looks spectacular. My husband and I are both Tanqueray and tonic fans – this will have to be on my summer recipe list for sure.

  4. I’m the same way when I drink. My cheeks usually look like I’ve got a fever. But this, this looks worth the red cheeks and all. It looks perfectly pleasing in so many ways. And you’ve totally got me thinking of all kinds of combos/possibilities.

  5. mmmmmm… cool…delightful… want to try this! But is it 1/2 cup of sugar? Or 1/2… tablespoon? Or…? I’m presuming 1/2c, but….. ??

  6. Wow, I used to drink far too much until I got cancer earlier this year. Now I’m a lightweight too LOL. Anyway I do enjoy the occasional G&T, even a V&T sometimes too.

    This sounds delicious & I have to make some soon. My OH used to always drink Gin, but now for some reason he’s into Vodka.

    Can I steal your recipe & make a Vodka version instead?

    Brilliant photos too BTW.

  7. Erika, this post had us belly-laughing out loud. You are so funny. And totally not a goob (although I will continue to call you that, because the name is just too good.) I’m so happy that we introduced you to the G&T so that you could make this fine creation. I’m literally speechless. Needless to say, we’ll have this made at the Anderson house in no time! Also, I was totally nervous too. I think I changed clothes like three times before you came over, haha. So funny that within 90 seconds we were like old friends. All that fretting for nothing.

  8. I really don’t think I’m going to be able to put off an ice-cream maker purchase much longer. Gin and tonic sorbet? Really? That just looks amazing. Brilliant, even.

  9. That looks incredible! I’m currently sweating like crazy…I also recently just developed a taste for gin & tonics, they’re incredibly refreshing.

  10. about how much sorbet does this recipe yield? i’m trying to adjust the amount of ingredients to the size of my ice cream maker.

  11. hi! i would love to try this. this might be a silly question but where do you buy lime in the philippines? cuz i can’t seem to find any. thanks!

  12. Oh my, oh my, oh my. I just did a post on cocktails and if you don’t mind, I’d love to follow up with a link to this post of yours. This sounds FANTASTIC. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of it. It’s a perfect flavour for sorbet! Thank you for doing the prototype!

  13. A long overdue “thank you”. I have been making this for 3 summers now. When guests are invited to dinner, they often ask,”Are we having gin and tonic sorbet?” It has become a staple in our freezer. It is delicious and refreshing. So, thank you for sharing this great recipe.

  14. Here I am commenting again 6 years later! This is now a signature of summer at my house. Friends ask if they can come by just for gin and tonic sorbet. I’ve had strangers come up to me and introduce themselves saying a mutual friend told them about this sorbet. Really! I make it and give it unfrozen to friends to christen new ice cream machines. I take it summer parties, packed in dry ice. I cannot thank you enough. If you are ever in Knoxville, TN, I owe you dinner…and G/T sorbet!

    1. Well, this just made my day. Like your last comment. Thank you so much, Tim! And now I want to make a trip out to Knoxville. :)

  15. We went out and purchased a 2qt Cuisinart ice cream and sorbet maker. Just got this on purpose after our local small town distillery took this sorbet off of their bar and restaurant menu. This is absolutely wonderful! We serve this up with two of our friends poolside. Nothing like it on a hot summer day.

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