Spirits Gin Toasty Cocktail 5.0 (1) 1 Review All it takes is a bit of hot water to give this warm alcoholic drink—a riff on a gin and tonic—a hot toddy–like edge: When heated, the botanicals in gin act like mulled spices. Using tonic syrup instead of tonic water is crucial to the drink; hot water does the same trick that effervescent bubbles do to ferry the aromatics in the gin and the syrup right up to your nose. The result is an ingeniously simple warm cocktail, perfect for a snowy winter day. By Brooks Reitz Brooks Reitz Restauranteur, designer, and entrepreneur Brooks Reitz is one of the most influential figures in Charleston's food and beverage industry. He created celebrated restaurants Leon's Oyster Bar, Little Jack's Tavern, Melfi's, and Monza Pizza Bar. Brooks also founded Jack Rudy Cocktail Co., an internationally distributed brand of non-alcoholic cocktail mixers, bar tools, and accessories.Experience: Brooks Reitz got his start in hospitality working in restaurants in his native Kentucky. At 24, he was promoted to general manager of Proof on Main, a restaurant at the original 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville. Brooks then moved to Charleston, where he worked with James Beard Award-winning chef Mike Lata at FIG and later helped him open The Ordinary, a nominee for the 2013 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. The success of Jack Ruby's Cocktail Co., named in honor of his great grandfather, afforded Brooks the means to design and launch his acclaimed restaurant concepts with partner Tim Minks. He made the list of Eater's Young Guns Class of 2013. The city's Post & Courier named Brooks one of "the 25 most powerful food & beverage industry players in Charleston" in 2017.Brooks is a creative who travels widely, reads voraciously, and eats enthusiastically for inspiration, to connect with others, and to stay on top of trends. He invites subscribers into his world of food and drinks through his newsletter "A Small and Simple Thing." During the pandemic, Brooks also hosted an Instagram video series called "Brooks Cooks."Education: Brooks graduated from Transylvania University in Kentucky with a bachelor of arts in English and drama. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 10, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Active Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Servings: 1 Ingredients ¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp. hot water (3 1/2 ounces) 3 ½ tablespoons (1 3/4 ounces) gin 1 ½ tonic syrup (3/4 ounce) (preferably Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Classic) Orange peel twist Directions Stir together 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons hot water, gin, and tonic syrup in a mug until combined. Garnish with orange peel twist. Rate it Print