“It is a curious fact, and one to which no-one knows quite how much importance to attach, that something like 85 percent of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonyx, or gee-N’N-T’N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand variations on this phonetic theme.
The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian ‘chinanto/mnigs’ which is ordinary water served just above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan ‘tzjin-anthony-ks’ which kills cows at a hundred paces; and in fact the only one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that their names sound the same, is that they were all invented and named before the worlds concerned made contact with any other worlds.”
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Douglas Adams
The gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water (what a surprise) poured over ice and garnished with lemon, lime, or sometimes cucumber. While the ingredients are relatively simple, the ratio of gin to tonic water varies depending on personal taste and the type of gin one uses.
Douglas Adams, as one of the masters of the quirky detail, takes the idea of the gin and tonic and turns it into a trans-galactic treat. Even though the recipe differs from planet to planet, the idea that there is something connecting most of the known worlds is enough to make you raise your glass to the stars before enjoying that first sip.
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