Ingredients Of Tonic Water
Tonic water was first introduced to the United States in the mid 20th century. Before that, in the mid 19th century, tonic water was first patented in England. It has now gained popularity all over the world. The name ‘tonic water' arouses curiosity of the people. Very few people know how tonic water is made and what it contains. Here is a brief overview of ‘making of tonic water'.
What is Tonic Water
Tonic water is a carbonated soft drink flavored with quinine. Quinine gives the typical bitter taste to tonic water. Tonic water has its origin in British colonial India, where malaria was predominant. As people came to know about the medicinal properties of quinine in the 17th century, they started using it for curing and preventing malaria. It was necessary to take quinine regularly in tropical areas of South Asia and Africa. Owing to the wretched taste of quinine, the British started taking it with gin, some lemon and sugar. To make quinine dilute and more palatable, it was added to gin or water and it thus helped the British officers to stay healthy. It was then brought back to Europe. As British officers drank tonic water, people started believing that gin and quinine can prevent malaria and would be good for the health. Quinine was obtained from the bark of the Cinchona, a tree found in the Andes and in the rainforests.
Tonic Water Components
In those old days, tonic water ingredients were water, soda, gin and quinine. These days, quinine is produced chemically and is used in much larger doses to treat malaria. It has been proved now, that quinine therapy does not exactly kill malaria; but it helps lower fever and malarial symptoms. Most of the time, a person has to take antibiotics to experience full recovery from malaria. Tonic water actually contains a very small amount of quinine, added just to enhance the flavor of the drink. If tonic water is considered as a cure for malaria, then the patient may have to drink at least 1.77 liters of tonic water a day or at least ten ‘gin and tonics'! This would be quite expensive and it might give rise to other health complications!
Though it doesn't have enough quinine to reduce the symptoms of malaria, the drink is still known as "tonic water" meaning essentially healthful, perhaps because it contains quinine. Tonic water is sweetened and flavored with fruit extracts too. It does not contain caffeine. Following are the ingredients of tonic water.
Spring water, Natural quinine, Sugar, Citric acid, Some ‘botanical' flavors (presumably some of the usual bitter herbs), Carbonated water, Sodium citrate, Natural fruit flavors, Sodium benzoate (preservative), Saccharin (5.1 mg per fluid ounce), Tonic Water Nutrition Facts.
Do you know that tonic water works great for leg cramps? Tonic water with grape juice helps relieve pain and discomfort associated with leg cramps. But excessive intake of tonic water can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. Tonic water calories depend upon the sugar content in the drink. Let us take a look at the diet tonic water nutrition facts. The following table shows the amount of food ingredients in 1 Cup/8 fl.oz./240 ml of diet tonic water.
Tonic Water Elements Amount Present
Calories 0 kcal
Total Sugars 0 g
Carbohydrates 0 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Protein 0 g
Total Fat 0 g
Calcium 0 mg
Iron 0 mg
Sodium 65 mg
Tonic Water Recipes
There is a lovely version of tonic water with added lemon zest. The slight variation of flavor can hide the bitterness that keeps people away from the drink. I also tried for some variation and found that it was good! Following recipes are all soft drinks, if you want, you may add vodka or gin to any tonic water recipe.
Add sliced lime, orange and chunks of fresh pineapple to Indian tonic water and enjoy.
One third glass Indian tonic water, one third glass lemon barley squash and one third glass mango squash with lots of ice cubes will make a good drink on a hot day.
Take equal parts of Indian tonic water and fresh pineapple juice. Add to it halved maraschino cherries and slices of fresh orange. Great combination!
Sprinkle sugar over a few fresh strawberries, leave them in fridge overnight, then put them in a tall glass and fill the glass with tonic water.
If you want, you can substitute tonic water with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Tonic water is loved by people as a drink mixer for cocktails, especially those made with gin or vodka. It is considered as a versatile drink base and can be combined with a number of soft drinks, juices, fruits or alcoholic drinks. Whatever be the chinafooding ingredients of tonic water, many drink applications are possible with it. Experiment and have fun this coming summer!
What is Tonic Water
Tonic water is a carbonated soft drink flavored with quinine. Quinine gives the typical bitter taste to tonic water. Tonic water has its origin in British colonial India, where malaria was predominant. As people came to know about the medicinal properties of quinine in the 17th century, they started using it for curing and preventing malaria. It was necessary to take quinine regularly in tropical areas of South Asia and Africa. Owing to the wretched taste of quinine, the British started taking it with gin, some lemon and sugar. To make quinine dilute and more palatable, it was added to gin or water and it thus helped the British officers to stay healthy. It was then brought back to Europe. As British officers drank tonic water, people started believing that gin and quinine can prevent malaria and would be good for the health. Quinine was obtained from the bark of the Cinchona, a tree found in the Andes and in the rainforests.
Tonic Water Components
In those old days, tonic water ingredients were water, soda, gin and quinine. These days, quinine is produced chemically and is used in much larger doses to treat malaria. It has been proved now, that quinine therapy does not exactly kill malaria; but it helps lower fever and malarial symptoms. Most of the time, a person has to take antibiotics to experience full recovery from malaria. Tonic water actually contains a very small amount of quinine, added just to enhance the flavor of the drink. If tonic water is considered as a cure for malaria, then the patient may have to drink at least 1.77 liters of tonic water a day or at least ten ‘gin and tonics'! This would be quite expensive and it might give rise to other health complications!
Though it doesn't have enough quinine to reduce the symptoms of malaria, the drink is still known as "tonic water" meaning essentially healthful, perhaps because it contains quinine. Tonic water is sweetened and flavored with fruit extracts too. It does not contain caffeine. Following are the ingredients of tonic water.
Spring water, Natural quinine, Sugar, Citric acid, Some ‘botanical' flavors (presumably some of the usual bitter herbs), Carbonated water, Sodium citrate, Natural fruit flavors, Sodium benzoate (preservative), Saccharin (5.1 mg per fluid ounce), Tonic Water Nutrition Facts.
Do you know that tonic water works great for leg cramps? Tonic water with grape juice helps relieve pain and discomfort associated with leg cramps. But excessive intake of tonic water can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. Tonic water calories depend upon the sugar content in the drink. Let us take a look at the diet tonic water nutrition facts. The following table shows the amount of food ingredients in 1 Cup/8 fl.oz./240 ml of diet tonic water.
Tonic Water Elements Amount Present
Calories 0 kcal
Total Sugars 0 g
Carbohydrates 0 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Protein 0 g
Total Fat 0 g
Calcium 0 mg
Iron 0 mg
Sodium 65 mg
Tonic Water Recipes
There is a lovely version of tonic water with added lemon zest. The slight variation of flavor can hide the bitterness that keeps people away from the drink. I also tried for some variation and found that it was good! Following recipes are all soft drinks, if you want, you may add vodka or gin to any tonic water recipe.
Add sliced lime, orange and chunks of fresh pineapple to Indian tonic water and enjoy.
One third glass Indian tonic water, one third glass lemon barley squash and one third glass mango squash with lots of ice cubes will make a good drink on a hot day.
Take equal parts of Indian tonic water and fresh pineapple juice. Add to it halved maraschino cherries and slices of fresh orange. Great combination!
Sprinkle sugar over a few fresh strawberries, leave them in fridge overnight, then put them in a tall glass and fill the glass with tonic water.
If you want, you can substitute tonic water with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Tonic water is loved by people as a drink mixer for cocktails, especially those made with gin or vodka. It is considered as a versatile drink base and can be combined with a number of soft drinks, juices, fruits or alcoholic drinks. Whatever be the chinafooding ingredients of tonic water, many drink applications are possible with it. Experiment and have fun this coming summer!
Source...