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Gin and Tonic Water are like a match made in heaven and nowadays fining varieties of Tonic water just takes a visit to your nearest departmental store and you will be spoiled for choices.

But Tonic Water wasn

’t really made as a mixed to enhance the taste of Gin, it was rather a medicine. Read on to know some interesting things about Tonic Water that you may or may not have known before. Tonic water, or Indian tonic water as it’ s also known, is a classic addition to many mixed drinks. You probably didn 't know that carbonated soft drinks were originally invented to give quinine to British soldiers in India to fight malaria. Tonic water is a soft drink made from quinine from the cinchona tree ' s bark. Several islands in the Caribbean, parts of West Africa, and Central and South America are home to this tree. Despite the fact that quinine is no longer required to combat malaria, some people believe it can relieve muscle cramps and restless legs as well. Among the 25 alkaloids found in Cinchona bark, quinine is the most significant. The white powder does not have an odour, but has a strong sense of its own purpose: it fluoresces or glows, even at 1:100,000. Despite a ratio of 1:50,000, it still has a distinct taste. Erasmus Bond from London was awarded the first patent for tonic water in 1858. Known as the purveyor to the British court since 1831, Johann Jacob Schweppe ' s company introduced its mineral water infused with lime and quinine in 1870. In 1821, Schweppe passed away before he could see such a day.

In comparison with the amount of quinine present in today ' s tonic water, the current amount is a mere speck compared with the amount present when tonic water was used to treat malaria. But still the more bitter the tonic water, the more quinine it has. If you wanna try your hand at making your own Tonic Water, here ’ s the recipe of acclaimed American bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler: 4 cups of water, 1 good handful of coarsely chopped lemongrass, 1 bowl each of the juice of 1 orange, 1 lemon and 1 lime, 1 teaspoon of allspice berries, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of powdered cinchona. Boil it all up and then let it simmer in a closed pot for 20 minutes. Strain it through a sieve and then boil it again with 3/4 cup of agave syrup. Pour it into a bottle, cool and store it in dry conditions. Add soda water to this syrup to turn it into tonic water.