A Tonic Water for What Ails You

BY DAVID NUTTALL

ack when you were young, soda pop was probably your favourite cheat drink, coming in a wide variety of flavours. As you hit adulthood, pop transitioned more into the mix part of mixed drinks, and was dominated by cola, club soda, ginger ale, lemon-lime, and tonic water. All were familiar from your youth, except tonic water, which you never drank, and your parents used for only one reason: the gin and tonic.

So why has this beverage remained such an enigma? Its history starts with quinine, a drug which was used in the tropics to help treat malaria, lupus, arthritis, and leg cramps. Derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, its bitter flavour became more palatable when combined with soda water and sugar, creating tonic water. The British army stationed in India in the early 1800s found the drink blended well with gin and thus the gin and tonic was born. Indian Tonic Water became the common name for the beverage, and in addition to its ability to ward off malaria, many found it refreshing on its own.

By the mid-19th century, commercial tonic water was being produced and it has remained a bar staple ever since. In Alberta, two major brands have dominated the market: Canada Dry and Schweppes. Both are made with much less quinine than the original recipes and use carbonated water with high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. Essentially tonic water came in only one flavour - that is, until artisanal brands began to appear in the past decade.

While major soft drink producers began adding multiple flavours to the main pop varieties several years ago (cherry, vanilla, lemon, raspberry, cranberry, green tea, etc.), tonic water had stayed one-dimensional. However now, finally, it too joins the realm of other sodas. The quintessential quinine bitterness remains but varies greatly between products. Furthermore, tonic syrup has become a new sensation, where the concentration of the drink can be controlled. As more distilleries and breweries diversify into the soft drink business, expect more brands to appear.

The classic G & T used to be a one trick pony, but since gin has exploded in flavour profiles (see September 2020 Culinaire), it almost demands tonic water keeps up. As new arrays of tonics arrive, it is becoming a popular mix with all types of spirits; vodka tonic has long been

Bpopular, but also try it with blanco tequila. Today, it’s even being promoted as a drink to be enjoyed on its own, something you almost never saw in the past. In Alberta, you can find tonic waters in liquor stores and anywhere that sells soft drinks. The craft versions may also be found in selected or specialty stores. All should be available online.

THE TRADITIONAL

Canada Dry and Schweppes are still the top sellers, available almost everywhere, and have a nice balance between sweet and bitter, making them prototypical mixers. The others vary slightly in bitterness, sweetness, and fruit flavour, depending on what additional botanicals were added.

Canada Dry (Canada) and Schweppes (Canada/UK), $7 (12-pack cans) Barker and Quin Finest Indian Tonic Water (South Africa), $9 (4-pack bottles) Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water (UK), $8 (4-pack bottles) Double Dutch Indian Tonic Water (UK), $8 (4-pack bottles) Fentimans Tonic Water (UK), $12 (4-pack bottles)

LIGHT AND REFRESHING

These tonics are less bitter, lighter tasting, with up to 60% less calories than regular tonic water.

Eau Claire Original Tonic (Alberta), $8 (4-pack bottles) Sparkmouth Artisanal Dry Tonic (B.C.), $10 (6-pack cans) Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic Water Barker and Quin Light At Heart Tonic Water Double Dutch Skinny Tonic Water

FRUITY

By using a variety of fruits and botanicals as ingredients, these tonics are sweeter and less bitter, making them very drinkable on their own. Because of the use of natural ingredients, some varieties are cloudy.

Fever-Tree Aromatic Fever-Tree Lemon Fever-Tree Mediterranean Fever-Tree Pink Grapefruit Double Dutch Cranberry and Ginger Barker and Quin Hibiscus Barker and Quin Honeybush Orange

FLORAL

This style of tonic relies mainly on herbs and flowers for flavour, resulting in very little bitterness.

Fever-Tree Elderflower Eau Claire Elderflower Barker and Quin Marula Sparkmouth Cucumber Mint

TONIC SYRUPS

Syrups of all kinds have arrived in the market in the last few years, with tonics being especially popular.

Porter’s Tonic Syrups were created in Calgary in 2013, by Nicole Fewell, out of her dissatisfaction with the range of tonic waters available at the time. Wild Life Distillery in Canmore added tonic syrup to their product line soon after, and a few other brands are also available in Alberta. These concentrates can be blended with soda water at different ratios, depending on the flavour profile desired.

Porter’s Original, Grapefruit, Cardamom Orange, and Hibiscus, all $15 per 237 mL bottle Wild Life, $15 per 500 mL bottle

David has worked in liquor since the late 1980s. He is a freelance writer, beer judge, speaker, and since 2014, has run Brew Ed monthly beer education classes in Calgary. Follow @abfbrewed.

We’re back, and we’re excited to be able to move ahead with the multicourse pairing dinners we’ve been missing for so long!

One-Off Special Fine & Dine at Oxbow Thursday July 15. Executive Chef Quinn Staple and Chef de Cuisine Miles Perry are creating a special pairing menu for our one-off evening at Oxbow, in Hotel Arts Kensington. Vine & Dine at Franca’s Italian Specialties Wednesday July 21, and

Friday July 30

Italian is our most often requested cuisine, and we are coming back to Franca’s, one of Calgary’s hidden gems, for two super delicious 6-course pairing dinners!

Vine & Dine at Foreign Concept

Wednesday August 11, Sunday August 22, and Wednesday August 25

It’s our fifth season at Foreign Concept, and almost every evening here sells out, so reserve your places for these superb 6-course pairing dinners from Chef Duncan Ly! Special Evening at Buffalo Mountain Lodge, in Banff Friday August 13 A fabulous multi-course pairing dinner and overnight stay at Banff’s Buffalo Mountain Lodge and their brand new restaurant, The Prow!

One-Off Special Fine & Dine at Rendesvouz Wednesday August 18 A one-off, special 5-course pairing menu in the private dining room at Calgary’s newest upscale restaurant, Rendesvouz, from Executive Chef Mike Skarbo.

Menus and restaurants are added regularly, so check out culinairemagazine.ca/events for details and to reserve.