The Art of the Gin and Tonic
Far West is permanently closed but the recipes and this story live on.
Springtime is a charming enchantress. As soon as tender green shoots crest and unfurl, I too feel inclined to stretch my limbs in search of fresh new flavors of the season. A round at Providence’s newest speakeasy should do just the trick to quell my latest bout of spring fever.
Destination: Far West, Providence.
Upon arrival, I seek out the pint-sized “drinking den” which is nestled inside a reimagined former manufacturing plant on Providence’s West Side. Perched at the marble bar, I’m transfixed by a most attractive gin and tonic haloed with marigolds, fresh mint and cucumber wheels. Since opening in May 2019, Far West’s “G&T’s” have fostered a bit of a cult following. Co-owners Michele Fryer and Luke Tabor explain, “We use our G&T’s as a vehicle to display and imbibe seasonal flavors.” Here they’ve highlighted a celebratory New England trio that captures the essence of spring.
In the Classic Far West G&T (otherwise known as “The B.A.G.N.T” for “Big Ass G&T”), Tabor pairs minty, floral notes of Boston-based Bully Boy Estate Gin with Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water, allowing delicious botanicals like lavender and woodsy notes of red cedar berry to surface. The wisdom behind the recipe is its template: Swap in a different gin and another flavored tonic water, and you have a new drink.
For Far West’s Aromatic G&T, Tabor complements honeyed juniper notes of Vermont’s Barr Hill Gin with the lovely pink-hued Aromatic tonic that’s infused with angostura bark. Sweet and spicy fragrant botanicals enliven a zesty oasis festooned with marigolds, fresh rosemary and pink peppercorns.
The crowning jewel of the trio is The Violet G&T, a splash of violet cordial and fresh lemon to punctuate Maine-distilled Bimini Gin’s botanical basket of grapefruit peel, hops and chamomile. Notes of quinine and lemon thyme from Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water balance the swell of floral acidity while the raft of early spring pansies signal spring at last!
