So, erm, here are some thoughts:

Whilst I still mainly buy tanq (it’s just so easy to drink, and v. nice), I prefer drinking Miller’s neat, or Old Raj for hair-of-the-dog/breakfast
(seriously: in a high balloon’d wine glass, a couple of inches, swirl, knock back before brushing teeth/going to the khazi).

I’m also rather partial to Blackwood’s — particularly to add a little more to Pimm’s, and other drinks.

If i’m poaching fish, i’ll use blackwoods’ too: it’s not too over-powerful in the taste department.

Afternoon gin: Hendrick’s is quite nice — if you like cucumbery tastes.

Drinking nice gins, however, does encourage me to buy nice tonic-water (fentimans’ or fever tree – stupid fucking javascript URIs.). I’m not really a fan of Schweppes’ tonic: too much sugar for me. I quite like Sainsburys’ & Waitroses’ own brands of tonic; the Sainsbury’s with lime’s quite nice on its own, too.

As for Pimm’s, well, I have been known to make it without a ‘conventional’ mixer: my approach falls along these lines (but is always a case of each top-up will be different):

• ⅓ ‘garden’
• various fruits
• various legume
• sprigs of mint
• a couple of handfulls of ice-cubes
• ⅓ Pimm’s Number 1 cup
• a very generous slug of either
• gin,
• cider,
• beer (ale),
• good quality white wine

– gin & cider sometimes work well together;

If there’s space, fill the rest up with lemonade, and stir well. Allow to fester for a couple of minutes, and serve.