Tonic water (or
Indian tonic water) is a
carbonatedCarbonation occurs when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water or an aqueous solution. This process yields the "fizz" to carbonated water, sparkling mineral water, and soft drinks; the head to beer; and the cork pop and bubbles to champagne and sparkling wine.-Effervescence:Effervescence is the...
soft drinkA soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol . Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold. The most common soft drinks are colas, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, lemonade, squash and fruit punch....
flavoured with
quinineQuinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , and anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine....
, which gives it a distinctively bitter taste.
The drink has garnered its name effects of this bitter flavouring. The quinine was added to the drink as a prophylactic against
malariaMalaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by a eukaryotic protist of the genus Plasmodium. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Each year, there are approximately 350–500 million cases of malaria, killing between one and...
, since it was originally intended for consumption in tropical areas of
South AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
, where that disease is
endemicIn epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. For example, chickenpox is endemic in the UK, but malaria is not...
. The
mixed drinkA mixed drink is a beverage in which two or more ingredients are mixed.-Types:Some popular types of mixed drinks are:* Cobbler, a beverage made with wine or sherry, citrus juice, and sugar...
gin and tonicA gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water, usually garnished with a slice of lime or lemon and often served over ice...
originated in British colonial India when the British population would mix their medicinal quinine tonic with
ginGin is a spirit flavoured primarily with juniper berries. Distilled gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has been flavoured with juniper berries. Compound gin is made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper berries without redistilling.The most common style of gin,...
to make it more palatable.
Medicinal tonic water originally contained only
carbonated waterCarbonated water, also known as sparkling water, fizzy water, seltzer, and water with gas, , is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved, and is the major and defining component of most soft drinks. The process of dissolving carbon dioxide gas is called carbonation...
and a large amount of quinine.
Tonic water (or
Indian tonic water) is a
carbonatedCarbonation occurs when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water or an aqueous solution. This process yields the "fizz" to carbonated water, sparkling mineral water, and soft drinks; the head to beer; and the cork pop and bubbles to champagne and sparkling wine.-Effervescence:Effervescence is the...
soft drinkA soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol . Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold. The most common soft drinks are colas, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, lemonade, squash and fruit punch....
flavoured with
quinineQuinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , and anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine....
, which gives it a distinctively bitter taste.
The drink has garnered its name effects of this bitter flavouring. The quinine was added to the drink as a prophylactic against
malariaMalaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by a eukaryotic protist of the genus Plasmodium. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Each year, there are approximately 350–500 million cases of malaria, killing between one and...
, since it was originally intended for consumption in tropical areas of
South AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
, where that disease is
endemicIn epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. For example, chickenpox is endemic in the UK, but malaria is not...
. The
mixed drinkA mixed drink is a beverage in which two or more ingredients are mixed.-Types:Some popular types of mixed drinks are:* Cobbler, a beverage made with wine or sherry, citrus juice, and sugar...
gin and tonicA gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water, usually garnished with a slice of lime or lemon and often served over ice...
originated in British colonial India when the British population would mix their medicinal quinine tonic with
ginGin is a spirit flavoured primarily with juniper berries. Distilled gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has been flavoured with juniper berries. Compound gin is made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper berries without redistilling.The most common style of gin,...
to make it more palatable.
Medicinal tonic water originally contained only
carbonated waterCarbonated water, also known as sparkling water, fizzy water, seltzer, and water with gas, , is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved, and is the major and defining component of most soft drinks. The process of dissolving carbon dioxide gas is called carbonation...
and a large amount of quinine. However, most tonic water today contains a less significant amount of quinine, and is thus used mostly for its flavour. As a consequence, it is less bitter, and is also usually sweetened. Sweet tonic water may contain corn syrup or sugar, making it less bitter. Some manufacturers also produce diet tonic water, which may contain artificial sweeteners. Traditional-style tonic water with little more than quinine and carbonated water is less common but may be preferred by those that desire the bitter taste. In the United States, the
Food and Drug AdministrationThe Food and Drug Administration is a Government agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of foods, tobacco products, dietary supplements, Medication drugs, vaccines, Biopharmaceutical, blood transfusion,...
limits the quinine content in tonic water to 83 ppm (83 mg per litre if calculated by mass), which is 0.25% to 0.50% of the concentration used in therapeutic tonic. Still, it is often recommended as a relief for cramps. Dr. Jim Mitterando states that "Quinine is one of the few treatments shown to help reduce nocturnal cramps. Quinine is found in low concentrations in tonic water (one-tenth of prescription dose). Drinking eight to 16 ounces at night can be a simple remedy." However, because of
quinineQuinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , and anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine....
's risks, the United States Food and Drug Administration has declared it should not be used to prevent or treat leg cramps.
Tonic water is often used as a
drink mixerDrink mixers are the non-alcoholic ingredients in mixed drinks and cocktails. There are many reasons mixers are used. They change or enhance flavors or add new ones to a drink. Mixers dilute the drink, lowering the alcohol by volume in the drink. They may make the drink sweeter, more sour, or more...
for
cocktailA cocktail is a style of mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water, and bitters, the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol....
s, especially those made with gin or
vodkaVodka is a clear distilled liquor composed of water and ethyl alcohol, made from a fermented substance of either grain, rye, wheat, potatoes, or sugar beet molasses; it also might contain trace amounts of other substances, either a flavour or unintended impurities...
(for example, a
gin and tonicA gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water, usually garnished with a slice of lime or lemon and often served over ice...
). Tonic water with
lemonThe lemon is a small evergreen tree originally native to Asia, and is also the name of the tree's oval yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and nonculinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
or
limeLime is a term referring to a number of different fruits, both species and hybrids and generally citruses, which have their origin in the Himalayan region of India and which are typically round, green to yellow in colour, 3–6 cm in diameter, and generally containing sour and acidic pulp. They are...
flavour added is known as
bitter lemonBitter lemon is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with quinine and lemon, the former giving it a bitter taste. The principal difference between tonic water and bitter lemon is the addition of lemon juice and rind....
or bitter lime, respectively. Such
soft drinkA soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol . Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold. The most common soft drinks are colas, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, lemonade, squash and fruit punch....
s are more popular in Europe than in the United States.
Tonic water will fluoresce under
ultraviolet lightA black light or UV light is a lamp emitting electromagnetic radiation that is almost exclusively in the soft near ultraviolet range, and emits very little visible light...
, owing to the presence of quinine. In fact, the sensitivity of quinine to ultraviolet light (UV) is such that it will fluoresce in direct sunlight.