Tonic water
Also called Indian tonic water, quinine water
Carbonated water bittered with quinine from cinchona bark and sweetened, the partner of gin in the Gin and Tonic. Modern tonics range from the classic sweet style to drier, citrus and botanical versions. Quinine is capped by law, so today's tonic is bitter by taste, not by dose.
- quinine bitterness
- citrus
- light sweetness
- faint floral
- crisp carbonation
Origin
Quinine from cinchona bark was used against malaria from the 17th century, and British officials in India took it mixed with soda and sugar. Erasmus Bond patented a quinine tonic water in London in 1858, and a gin and tonic is recorded in 1868 as a refreshment rather than a medicine. Today the US FDA caps quinine at 83 mg per liter, and most tonics are sweetened with sugar or corn syrup and flavored with citrus.
Production and safety
Keep chilled and sealed until service; small bottles hold their fizz best. Quinine can provoke reactions in rare sensitive individuals and interacts with some medicines; the dose in tonic is small and legally capped, but a guest who asks deserves a straight answer. Diet tonics use artificial sweeteners.
Allergens: None
Common uses
- Gin and Tonic
- vodka tonic
- tequila and tonic
- amaro and tonic as an aperitivo
- a Scotch and tonic
Sources
- Tonic water (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · tertiary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
- 21 CFR 172.575 Quinine, Cornell Legal Information Institute · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11