Helbing's Sunshine Sipper

A built drink is made in the glass over one big cube and is designed to change slowly as it waters down. Dave Arnold walks through his Cliff Old-Fashioned and the rules that keep a built drink balanced.

From the English punches that became the Tom Collins to the Savoy's Hanky-Panky and the Detroit Athletic Club's Last Word, gin has an unusually well documented cocktail history.

Dave Arnold says a truly good gin and tonic is impossible with traditional methods, but a careful one is possible: frozen gin and glass, fresh ice-cold tonic, a fixed order of pouring, and the lime last. He also gives the force-carbonated version.