Is this the "cleanest" gin and tonic you will ever drink?

Whether you’re interested in skipping the sugar or saving our seas, SKINNY TONIC™ in August’s Gin of the Month box is making both easy – even while you’re enjoying a G&T!

Ian Minton, the founder of SKINNY TONIC™ in your August Gin of the Month box, has a very big goal – and he’s determined to have as much fun as he can whilst achieving it.

As he explains, “We just want to set the benchmark of doing good, of having nothing to hide. We’re sticking to our guns, and hopefully the journey will be a fun one!”

For Ian, doing good means making a range of tonic waters that cut out sugar completely. But he’s going one step farther: produced in cans and shipped in recycled cardboard, Skinny Tonic is also doing its bit for our beaches and oceans. It’s a journey that began with a shock diagnosis of Type One Diabetes.

He says, “The problem wasn’t so much food – you know what you’re eating. But on a night out, I wouldn’t be able to tell how much sugar was in a G&T, so I’d have to test my blood sugar in the middle of the bar, sometimes after every drink.”

The more combinations of gins and tonics that Ian tried, the more he came to realise that promises made on labels weren’t always accurate. A low-sugar tonic could still make his blood sugar spike, regardless of what it said on the bottle.

At the same time, Ian was growing more aware than ever of the perils facing our planet. Along with the rest of the world, he was watching our oceans fill with plastic and our beaches strewn with glass bottles.

“I went on a journey of creating a drink that was built around not having to compromise,” he says. That went for what was in the drink – no artificial sweeteners or hidden sugar – and how it was packaged.

“Plastic wasn’t a big worry, because I had no intention of using plastic bottles for my tonic range,” he says. “But glass is also a big environmental issue. We want to stand out and do right by the environment.”

The result of Ian’s vision is SKINNY TONIC™, which is included in your August Gin of the Month box. The tonic is made using an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener called stevia, which is blended with premium ingredients from the best sources. Crafted meticulously, every flavour in the SKINNY TONIC™ range has great taste at the forefront of its existence; nothing is compromised. In addition, SKINNY TONIC™ proudly supports the Survival charity, which gives back to the local tribes living in the areas where quinine is gathered.

SKINNY TONIC™ is produced in aluminium cans. Easier to recycle and crush than glass, cans are far less likely to end up scattered on beaches and littering byways. Plus, they keep the tonic carbonated more effectively and cool down more quickly, providing the gin lover in your life with the perfect measure of chilled, fizzy tonic for a double G&T.

This drive to zero waste is hugely important to Ian, even down to aspects of production that gin lovers can’t easily see. For example, these cans are shipped to the supermarket in recycled cardboard. No plastic is involved at any point. It’s an expensive swap, but it’s central to the ethos of the business.

As far as Ian is concerned, going the extra mile – whether it’s to keep our beaches clean or bring transparency to the tonic shelf – is a no brainer.

With two new flavours set to launch this year, the team is optimistic about the future of SKINNY TONIC™, and the sea of change it can help create amongst tonic producers and gin lovers alike. “We’re hiding nothing,” he says. “We’re a very clean business – the curtain is always open. As far as we’re concerned, if you’ve got something to hide, you’re doing it wrong.”