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The drink
Bombay Sapphire Gin & Tonic and Bombay Sapphire Gin & Tonic Light, $5.99 for a four-pack
The back story
Just in case you hadn’t marked it on your calendar, April 9 is National Gin and Tonic Day — yes, another made-up holiday that serves as a marketing promotion. But we’ll celebrate this one because it doesn’t take much to convince us to sip a G&T, a cocktail that serves as the ultimate refresher with its bright, herbaceous notes.
And that brings us to this new offering from Bombay Sapphire: a canned gin and tonic using its namesake gin. Granted, there’s nothing much involved in making the two-ingredient cocktail. But the folks at Bombay, the British-made gin that’s now part of the Bacardi conglomerate, recently launched the product with the idea of tapping into the surging canned-cocktail market.
Indeed, global sales of such RTD (or ready-to-drink) products, as they are known in the industry, are expected to grow 12.1% annually in the coming years, reaching $1.6 billion in 2027, according to one research report. A Bombay Sapphire brand spokesperson says the brand is looking to target “those who appreciate a good cocktail but are attracted to the convenience of the (canned) format without compromising on taste.”
Bombay has also brought some star power for the debut of its canned G&Ts, enlisting Bill Nye (as in the Science Guy) to host some videos explaining the appeal of the classic cocktail. Nye has long been a Bombay fan, though in 2014 he said his drink of choice is a Bombay martini.
What we think about it
At first glance, we laughed at the product because it’s so ridiculously easy to prepare a G&T. But then we remembered the laziness factor, as in, we never seem to have a bottle of tonic water in the house and we’re always too lazy to go out and buy one when the mood strikes. Plus, when we tried the product, we had to agree it hit all the right notes — bitter and citrus-y, with the perfect degree of fizziness. The light version is nearly as tasty and will “cost” you only 90 calories.
How to enjoy it
While you can drink this straight from the can, we suggest giving it the proper treatment by pouring it into a glass and serving with a lime garnish. Here’s wishing you a happy National Gin and Tonic Day!
