Tonic Water
Oh, tonic water. Loved and hated by many people who imbibe.
Commercial tonic water is a mixture of carbonated water, a bit of quinine, citric acid, and sweetener. The carbonation and quinine are both bittering agents, so depending on your palate, there is a clear line if you like it or not. The citric acid offers a bit of a lemon taste and helps mask some of the bitterness when paired with the sweetener which, depending on the style and brand, comes in the form of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, greatly influencing the final flavor of your cocktail.
Coming from the reddish-brown bark of the South America cinchona tree, quinine has a history dating back to the 1800s when it was used as a medicine to treat malaria. Today, tonic water is commonly served as a soft drink with a bit of ice or as a mixer for classic cocktails such as the gin & tonic or vodka tonic. People around the world, including myself, have fallen in love with this bittering agent.
A fun fact about tonic water made with quinine is that if you shine ultraviolet light through a bottle or glass, you will stimulate the quinine alkaloid. This causes the electrons to absorb the light, taking on its energy, and expressing itself in a bright radioactive blue - it’s super cool!
In the market today, there is an array of tonic waters with varying ingredients. A general rule of thumb is to pick Indian Tonic Water over Tonic Water. Several brands also offer Light Indian Tonic Water, which contains significantly less sugar than the regular version, but generally results in a slightly more bitter finish. Some of the larger tonic brands have recently expanded their product offerings to include more flavors, varying from elderflower to citrus, cucumber, and a mixture of several other botanicals. All of these expanded tonics are generally much sweeter and aromatic than regular tonic water. For someone who says they don’t like tonic water, I guarantee there is at least one flavor that will be pleasant to them.
Tonic water is fun to experiment with and it can vastly improve with the liquor you pair it with. A great example is when you might be trying to make a gin & tonic. Using Beefeater (a London Dry Gin) as your base, you’ll want to stick with an Indian or Light Indian tonic water and avoid any botanical flavored tonic waters. This is because the Beefeater itself already has a flavor profile with a bold juniper character and strong lemon notes, and additionally, botanicals will only compete with or hide those notes.
(Read more about different types of gin here.)
However, if you desire a more floral and botanical gin & tonic, and are using a gin like G’vine Floraison as your base, you might want to pick a more floral tonic water such as the elderflower. This result blends the ginger, cardamom, juniper, and grape spirit into a wonderful, smooth, and crisp cocktail. Unfortunately, G’vine Floraison Gin is not sold in Utah and can be a bit tricky to find unless you are traveling internationally. But if you ever do come across it, definitely pick it up!
On that note, I think it’s time to make a drink. You can find some great Indian Tonic Water and more at Harmon’s Grocery Stores, Liberty Heights Fresh, and Caputo’s Market & Deli. I would recommend Fever-Tree, Q Tonic, or Fentimans. All three brands have both regular and light versions to enjoy, all with their distinct profiles! Or you can just leave it to the experts and grab a Simplicity Gin & Tonic at your State Liquor Store.
