I often wondered why the taste of a Tanqueray® and Tonic drink seemed to become ever more bland. At first I blamed the change on the gin. Later I realized the tonic water we buy has changed a lot since the 1980’s. This became really apparent when I happened to buy a four bottle pack of the very expensive product, Q-Tonic®. That tonic water has real flavor, but I’m damned if I’m going to pay their rip-off price. Thus, I went looking on the Internet for recipes to make tonic water. I decided to pick the best five recipes I could find and then assimilate them into one recipe. But first, each recipe is presented individually, so you can understand the various ingredients used, procedures, problems and different, ultimate results.

My recipe follows the five Internet recipes shown immediately below.

Recipe #1:

4 cups of water

1 cup of chopped lemongrass (roughly one large stalk)

¼ cup of powdered cinchona bark

zest and juice of 1 orange

zest and juice of 1 lemon

zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. of whole allspice berries

¼ cup of citric acid

¼ tsp. of Kosher salt

Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and strain out solids using a strainer or chinois. You’ll need to fine-strain the mixture, as it still contains quite a bit of the cinchona bark. You can use a coffee filter and wait for an hour or more, or do as I do and run the mixture through a French coffee press.

Once you’re satisfied with the clarity of your mix, heat it back up on the stovetop or microwave, and then add ¾ cup of agave syrup to each cup of your hot mix. Stir until combined, and store in the attractive bottle of your choice.

You now have a syrup that you can carbonate with seltzer water.

To assemble a gin and tonic, use ¾ ounce of syrup, 1½ ounces of gin and 2 ounces of soda water over ice.

Recipe #2:

Many contemporary tonic waters include a host of preservatives and the oft-maligned high-fructose corn syrup. It was these additions that led me to experiment with developing my own tonic, using only natural ingredients and unprocessed sweetener. For ease, I created a flavored syrup that can be added to soda water and gin as needed, controlling the sweet-bitter balance of each drink. A good source for cinchona bark is herbspro.com. This tonic has a more pronounced flavor than any store-bought tonic, so try pairing it with a gin that has some weight, like Aviation® from House Spirits®, or Gin 209® from Distillery 209®.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

3 cups of pure cane sugar

3 Tbsp. of quinine (powdered cinchona bark; available in some herb stores or

6 Tbsp. of powdered citric acid (found in the bulk section of most well-stocked grocery stores)

3 limes, zested and juiced

3 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil until the sugar dissolves, then turn the heat down to low.

Add the quinine, citric acid, lemongrass, lime zest and lime juice. Stir well and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the powders are dissolved and the syrup is thin and runny.

Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out the large chunks through a colander, then filter through cheesecloth or coffee filters to refine. This step can take a while—and many filters—as the bark is a very fine powder, so be patient.

Funnel the syrup into sterilized glass bottles, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.

Recipe #3:

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

3 cups of pure cane sugar

3 Tbsp of quinine (powdered cinchona bark)

6 Tbsp. of powdered citric acid – check bulk bins at grocery stores

3 limes – zested and juiced

3 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped

Directions:

Make a simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Turn heat to low.

Add the quinine, citric acid, lemongrass, lime zest and lime juice. Stir and simmer for 25 minutes. The powder should be dissolved and the syrup thin.

Remove from heat and cool. Strain out any large chunks, then filter through cheesecloth or coffee filters to refine. This can take quite a bit of time and many filters. It helps to let the mix stand over night in the refrigerator to settle out some of the fines, and then carefully pour the liquid off of the top.

Pour into sterilized glass bottles, cover and store in refrigerator.

Process notes:

With a bit of testing, it became obvious that the simple syrup mixed with quinine bark is what really slows the filtering. I made concentrate of the herbal ingredients, filtered it separately, and then added it to the simple syrup. This worked well, and I was able to cut the entire process to a couple of hours, but I found the tonic didn’t stay in suspension as well as it should. One has to keep stirring the drink, which waters it down. It also left a bit of an edge to the drink, that didn’t mellow over time. Being a purist, this was unacceptable, but in a pinch …

Kevin Ludwig suggested that I make the tonic according to his recipe, and let it settle out for five days or so before filtering. Most of the sediment settles out into a gluey mass at the bottom of the jar. If you pour it off carefully and then do the filtering, it is much easier. The tonic also mellows a bit during the process. I think this is the best solution so far, though the filtering is still a bit of a pain.

Here are the best gins to use when making a gin and tonic:

Junipero® Gin, made in small quantities by the distilling branch of the Anchor brewery in San Francisco, comes on strong with the traditional gin flavors of juniper and citrus, hitting all the right notes.

Recipe #4:

This was my first time making tonic syrup, and I was extremely pleased with the result. Not only does it save me from pouring half-full bottles of flat tonic down the drain, it is less sweet and far tastier. In perusing tonic water recipes online, one of the things that surprised me is that most call for cinchona bark powder. Filtering powders out of liquids can be annoyingly time-consuming, and is something I’d like to avoid if at all possible. Fortunately, cinchona bark is also available in "cut" form, although it is a bit harder to come by. I wound up purchasing a 16 oz. bag from Penn Herb Company®. It’s a large amount, but it’s totally worth it if you’re a big tonic drinker. And I only wound up straining the mixture twice: once through a sieve to catch the big stuff, and once more through a coffee filter to remove the small particulates. Less filtering time = more drinking time!

Homemade Tonic Water

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

1/4 cup of cut cinchona bark

1 small lemongrass stalk

zest and juice of 1 orange

zest and juice of 1 lemon

zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. of whole allspice berries

1/4 cup of citric acid

1/4 tsp. of kosher salt

3/4 cup of agave (or a little over 1 cup of granulated sugar)

Directions:

Avoid direct hand-to-bark contact as much as possible. Amidst all those large chunks are zillions of teeny tiny splinters.

Combine all ingredients except the agave/sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for a bit, then pour mixture through a sieve to remove the large pieces.

Run remaining mixture through a coffee filter to remove the small particulates. (You may need to stir it a little bit to keep things from backing up.)

Once you’ve finished filtering, return the mixture to the stove and place over medium heat.

Add agave/sugar, and stir until combined.

Remove from heat and let cool, then transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator.

To make your tonic syrup last even longer, add an ounce of high-proof vodka.

To make a gin and tonic, combine 3/4 oz. syrup, 1 1/2 oz. gin, and 2 oz. of seltzer over ice.

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe #5:

The Ultimate Tonic Water

Ingredients:

A scant 1/4 cup of cinchona bark

One quart (four cups) of water

Juice and zest of two limes (or lemons if you want a brighter "right of the pond" taste)

1/4 cup of citric acid (also known as sour salt at some local grocers)

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1 3/4 cups of cane sugar

Sparkling water

Directions:

In a small pot, boil the water with the cinchona bark and lime juice at a low simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

Filter the resulting "tea" through a coffee filter to remove the debris from the cinchona bark and lime zest.

While the liquid is still hot, add the sugar, salt and citric acid and stir vigorously.

Cool the syrup in your refrigerator.

After the syrup has cooled, if you want to try plain tonic water, add 1 part syrup to 2 to 3 parts sparkling water to taste. You’ve just created the most elegant, woodsy and deep-flavored tonic water. Ever.

To make the perfect homemade gin & tonic, start with a hearty gin such as Junipero® or Tanqueray Classic®. Into your favorite gin & tonic glass pour:

2 parts gin

1 part tonic water syrup

3-4 parts sparkling water

Drop a few ice cubes into your glass, admire the unique amber color of your beverage, and quaff with delight.

My Food Nirvana Recipe:

Like many of my attempts to develop a "best" recipe, my first assumptions about ingredients, amounts and procedure did not result in my sought result. I was not happy because the flavor of the quinine, the sought aromatic character of the drink, was lacking. The gin was fine and the drink somewhat tart as I violated my own recipe by using only half the amount of sugar my recipe specified. I also learned that at least two good sized stalks of lemongrass are necessary to make 1/2 cup of chopped lemongrass, so I actually used two stalks instead of one. Beyond that, my vacuuming apparatus was faulty and it didn't seem to matter very much because the tonic tea that I had made and allowed to settle, and decanted, flowed through the coffee filter just fine without any vacuum assistance. On one hand, I need to work on improving my vacuuming apparatus. On the other hand, the tonic tea flow through the filter was plenty fast, which suprised me, for in all the other recipes the guys whined about very long filtrations and plugging of filters with cinchona powder. In other words it is possible that a vacuum apparatus will not be necessary at all.

These learnings lead to a variety of thoughts. First, I need a target taste, and for that I have to buy some Q-tonic, for without a well determined goal point I will be chasing a rainbow. Second, I have be sure the cinchona powder I purchased is of decent quality, for I was most unimpressed by the lack of quinine flavor. I will check out my tonic syrup with ultraviolet light and see how it measures up to a product like Q-tonic®. Third, I will use a proper Rubbermaid® container instead of the brand I actually used for the first attempt at vacuuming the tea through a coffee filter. Fourth, I think I will use a better quality coffee filter as the one(s) I used too easily develop holes in the bottom seam/crimp area. Perhaps I will use a basket type filter and avoid any seam or crimp. Finally, once I am sure of the aromatic quality from the Q-tonic® I will be able to experiment with different herbs and spices, and likely better quality cinchona powder, to achieve my goal of having perfect tonic water.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

¼ cup of cinchona powder or bark

3 limes, juiced and zested

¼ cup of citric acid

¼ tsp. of sea salt

2 cups of sugar

1 large stalk of lemongrass, chopped

Directions:

Avoid all direct contact between the cinchona bark/powder and your skin to avoid getting splinters.

Add all of the ingredients except the sugar into a 2 quart saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat and simmer it on very low heat for 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a 1½ quart canning jar or similar jar with a lid.

Put the lid on the canning jar and refrigerate the liquid for five days. This will give lots of time for most of the cinchona particles to settle out naturally at the bottom of the jar.

Decant all but the cinchona sediment on the bottom of the canning jar into a bowl. Wash the canning jar to discard the cinchona sediment.

Use my vacuum filtering process/method to filter out all remaining cinchona bark/powder particles and thus clarify the tonic tea as described immediately below. If you cannot use my process/method then use one of the methods described in one of the earlier recipes.

My vacuum filtering process/method requires a conical style paper coffee filter, a small circular piece of fine mesh screen, a large funnel, a 1½ quart Rubbermaid® container with a soft edged, tight sealing lid that has two holes in it … one for the funnel tube (must be a tight seal, you might use a soft O-ring to assure a tight seal) and one for a vacuum seal valve/port, and a plastic tubing connection from the vacuum seal valve/port to the accessory port of a vacuum sealer. See the picture below. The fine mesh screen is very small, perhaps ½ to ¾ of an inch in diameter, and it simply rests inside the funnel at the top of the funnel tube, immediately below/beneath the coffee filter, to provide physical support to the coffee filter, so that the filter bottom is not torn out and sucked down through the funnel tube. The conical shape coffee filter should fit into the funnel snugly. All components except the coffee filter and the plastic tubing and the vacuum sealer should be sterilized before use.

Pour a small amount of the tonic tea (about ½ cup) into the coffee filter, turn on the vacuum sealer and turn it off before the vacuum level (your vacuum sealer should have a vacuum gauge) can exceed 15 inches of mercury. Avoid a higher vacuum as that will simply destroy the coffee filter. Repeat this process until all the tonic tea has been processed/drawn through the filter and is clarified and held in the Rubbermaid® container. Use a new coffee filter if the one you are using becomes clogged with cinchona bark/powder particles.

Pour the clarified tonic tea into a saucepan and add the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer and mix to dissolve all the sugar. Let the finished tonic syrup cool to room temperature. Then pour the syrup into a clean/sterilized canning jar, cold vacuum seal it with your canning jar vacuum sealer accessory, screw on and tighten the lid ring and refrigerate the sealed canning jar. The syrup should remain fresh and useable for up to a month if kept refrigerated with the lid kept tight. You might also choose to add ½ cup of your chosen gin to the syrup and mix it before storing that mixture in the canning jar, to enhance shelf life in the refrigerator. You may have to use more than one canning jar to accommodate the volume of the syrup if you have added gin.

How to use the syrup:

First, here are the best gins to use when making a gin and tonic:

Junipero® Gin, made in small quantities by the distilling branch of the Anchor® brewery in San Francisco, comes on strong with the traditional gin flavors of juniper and citrus, hitting all the right notes.

Cadenhead’s Old Raj® from Scotland, at 110 proof, or 55 percent alcohol, is by far the most powerful gin. While Old Raj® packs a punch, its muscularity comes across as bright and in control.

Tanqueray® and Tanqueray No. 10® at 94.6 proof are the next best gins.

I like to keep my gin in the freezer and my tonic water (or in this case carbonated water) in the refrigerator. That keeps the ice cubes from rapid melting and avoids diluting the drink.

Use one ounce of syrup with two ounces of gin and four ounces of carbonated water to make a gin and tonic in a chilled 12 ounce glass. Add ice cubes to the drink to almost fill the glass and use one small wedge of fresh lime, lightly squeezed around the rim of the glass and dropped into the glass. Stir/mix gently.

Enjoy!

Note: If you make carbonated water as I do then your only significant expense for the drink is the gin! Refer to the Food Nirvana recipe for lemon-lime soda to see how to make carbonated water easily and cheaply. The cinchona powder cost me $28, including the shipping, for one pound of product. That quantity is enough to make 16 quarts of tonic syrup. In turn, each quart of tonic syrup makes 32 drinks. In other words, $28 divided by (16 times 32) equals about 5½ cents per drink for the cinchona powder for the tonic syrup. The other ingredients used to make the syrup (limes, sugar, lemongrass, citric acid) for one drink add up to 8 cents. The lime slice for the drink costs 5 cents (because I buy bags of limes at Costco®) and the carbon dioxide gas to make a single drink when you make your own carbonated water is 3/4 of a cent. Thus, excluding the cost of the gin, the cost for one drink prepared my way is 18¼ cents! The gin will vary in cost from $1 per drink to $2 per drink depending on which gin you use and where/when you buy it. As I use Tanqueray® that I buy for $29 for a 1 and 3/4 liter bottle my gin cost is roughly $1, bringing the total cost of the drink to about $1.20. Now that is my way of fighting inflation! Ordering a TNT in a bar will cost anywhere from $5 to $8 (or more!) and it won't taste nearly as good because of their inferior tonic water and less than the right amount (and sometimes a phony variety) of Tanqueray® gin.