Tonic water
Carbonated soft drink with quinine, originally a malaria prophylactic.
Tonic water is a carbonated soft drink made with dissolved quinine. While it was originally developed as a malaria preventative, the modern version contains much less quinine and more sweetener than the medicinal original, and is enjoyed for its distinctively bitter taste.
The use of quinine against malaria dates to the 17th century, when Spanish colonizers learned the remedy from Indigenous peoples in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, who used the bark of Cinchona trees. In the early 1800s, British officials and soldiers in India and other tropical colonies were advised to take medicinal quinine to prevent malaria. To mask its intense bitterness, they mixed it with soda and sugar, creating the first tonic water. The first commercial version was patented in 1858 by Erasmus Bond, owner of Pitt & Co., who called it "An improved aerated liquid" or Quinine Tonic Water, and manufactured it at a London factory. The gin and tonic cocktail also originated in British colonial India, where soldiers combined their medicinal tonic with their gin ration to make the medicine more palatable. The earliest known mention of a gin and tonic appeared in an 1868 issue of the *Oriental Sporting Magazine*, where it was described as a refreshing drink for horse-racing spectators, not a medicine.
Medicinal tonic water originally contained only carbonated water and a large amount of quinine. Today, most tonic waters have much less quinine, are often flavored with citrus, and are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or sugar. Diet versions may use sugar substitutes like aspartame. Traditional high-quinine tonic water is less common but still preferred by some for its bitter taste. In the U.S., the FDA limits quinine content to 83 mg per liter; in Europe, the limit is 100 mg per liter—about 0.25 to 0.50 percent of the original medicinal strength. (For effective malaria prevention, the therapeutic dose is 10 mg per kilogram of body weight every eight hours, or about 2,100 mg daily for a 70 kg adult.) Until around 2010, quinine was often recommended for leg cramps, though medical research later advised caution with dosing. The FDA now warns against using quinine drugs "off-label" for leg cramps due to associated risks.
Tonic water is most commonly used as a mixer for cocktails, especially gin and tonic and vodka tonic.
- Type
- Carbonated soft drink
- Key ingredient
- Quinine
- Origin
- British colonial India (early 19th century)
- First commercial production
- 1858, by Erasmus Bond in London
- Quinine limit us
- 83 ppm (83 mg per litre)
- Quinine limit europe
- 100 mg per litre
- Known for
- Distinctive bitter flavour; mixer for gin and tonic
Lore & Background
As early as the 17th century, the Spanish used quinine from the bark of Cinchona trees to treat malaria after being shown the remedy from the Indigenous peoples of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. In early 19th century India and other tropical posts of the British Empire, medicinal quinine was recommended to British officials and soldiers to prevent malaria, where it was mixed with soda and sugar to mask its bitter taste, creating tonic water. The first commercial tonic water was produced in 1858 when a new invention 'An improved aerated liquid' known as Quinine Tonic Water was patented by the owner of Pitt & Co., Erasmus Bond and manufactured at their Wharf Road, City Road London factory.
Reader's Guide
Tonic water's significance lies in its dual history as both a medicinal prophylactic against malaria and a popular beverage mixer. Originating in British colonial India, where quinine was mixed with soda and sugar to mask its bitterness, it later became commercially produced in 1858. The drink's association with gin and tonic emerged in colonial India, where British soldiers mixed their medicinal quinine tonic with gin rations. Modern tonic water contains far less quinine than the original medicinal form, with regulatory limits of 83 ppm in the United States and 100 mg per litre in Europe. Its distinctive bitter flavour continues to make it a staple in cocktails, particularly gin and tonic and vodka tonic. The quinine in tonic water also causes fluorescence under ultraviolet light, a property visible even in direct sunlight against a dark background. Negative effects include fixed eruptions and exacerbation of muscle weakness in individuals with myasthenia gravis.
Did You Know?
- The first commercial tonic water was patented in 1858 by Erasmus Bond in London.
- Quinine in tonic water fluoresces under ultraviolet light and even in direct sunlight against a dark background.
- The US FDA limits quinine content in tonic water to 83 ppm; in Europe the limit is 100 mg per litre.
- Repeated intake of tonic water can cause fixed eruptions, a type of skin reaction, due to quinine.
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