Once upon a time, a gin and tonic was built from an ounce or two of gin poured over rocks, followed by a swell of tonic water. Probably Schweppes. Or maybe Canada Dry. Fever-Tree, the sparkling beverage brand best know for its tonic waters, hit the scene in 2005 and quickly became the go-to bitter effervescent embraced by better bartenders looking to deliver a distinct drink. Other brands have since hit the market like Q Tonic and Fentimans, rebuilding the mixer with better ingredients. In the case of Q Tonic, organic agave and Peruvian quinine (a compound derived from cinchona bark, from which tonic traditionally derived its bitter flavor) stand in for Schweppes' high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and "natural flavors."
Similar to the history of alcohol and its use in medicinal tinctures centuries ago, quinine was originally administered as an anti-malaria medicine. But to combat the ingredient's aggressively bitter flavor, some added sugar and carbonated water—hence tonic water was born.
While Fever Tree has continued to reinvent itself with variations on its original tonic water, bartenders have recently started turning to bottled tonic syrups, which they mix with gin and sparkling water to build a new age gin and tonic. Such is the case for Miami bartender Angelo Vieira who spearheads the bar program at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Matador Room inside Ian Schrager's Edition Hotel. Vieira explains that he went with Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Tonic (listed below) for the house gin and tonic, aka the Barcelona G&T, because of the brand's "slightly vegetal nature," which serves to complement the sage and rosemary in his drink. And he's especially keen on concentrated syrups because they make it "... much easier to control the sweetness in [a] cocktail."
With so many new tonic syrups up for grabs, Eater decided to taste through most of what's on the market. We built gin and tonics using Beefeater London Dry gin—a solid, standard gin that many bars use—and followed the recipe suggested by each brand. Displaying a range of hues from salmon pink to yellow-brown to almost clear, we found that the tonics fell into two camps. Those bearing a more traditional bitter flavor profile and those lighter on the bitterness, displaying, sometimes, more spice or citrus. Below, out of the bunch we tried, our eight favorite tonic syrups.
Eight Great Tonic Syrups
True Syrups & Garnishes
Authentic Sonic Syrup ($15/12.5 oz.)
True strives to replicate pre-Prohibition recipes with wholesome ingredients, and in the case of the company's tonic syrup, that translates to botanicals like turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and other spices. Not surprisingly, the murky brown tonic yields a sweeter, cinnamon-forward drink, with the turmeric, lemongrass and ginger adding depth of flavor and bitterness coming in on the finish.
Porter's Tonic Syrup
Original ($16/8 oz.)
Hailing from Calgary, Alberta in Canada is Porter's Tonic Syrup, produced in three flavors: Original, Grapefruit and Cardamom Orange. For the sake of consistency we sampled the Original flavor and found it to show a sour flavor profile from the lemon and lime (lemongrass is also listed on the label though we didn't taste it), though the actual flavor of the fruit was less powerful and balanced by the cinchona bark's medium bitterness.
Liber & Co.
Spiced Tonic Syrup ($9/8.5 oz.)
Though they don't list specifics on the label, some of the ingredients that make up the "natural flavors" in Liber & Co.'s Spiced Tonic Syrup are orange and lime peel, lemongrass and allspice. Regardless, expect this syrup to build a more classic-flavored gin and tonic that's slightly floral on the nose, with a hint of citrus and medium bitterness.
Pinckney Bend Distillery
Classic Tonic Syrup ($15/16 oz.)
Pickney Bend is actually, first and foremost, a distillery, located in New Haven, Missouri. And, in addition to producing this rose-tinged tonic, the distillery makes a range of sprits, from gin to sherry cask-finished whiskey, part of the company's special edition series. With a mildly sour flavor and a bounty of botanicals (juniper, rose petals, lemongrass, blackberry leaf, hibiscus), Pinckney's gin and tonic is the fruitiest of the bunch, tasting of citrus and a hint of grenadine. For those who aren't especially keen on tonic's classic bitter taste, this is the syrup for you.
Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.
Small Batch Tonic ($16/17 oz.)
Brooks Reitz named Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. after his grandfather. And in devising recipes for his few cocktail syrups, as explained on his website, "Our goal is to take long forgotten staples of the American bar and reinvent them ... " This is probably the most common tonic out of the bunch and one you might have tried before. Yielding a clear drink sweetened with cane sugar, Jack Rudy derives its balanced bitterness from quinine concentrate, and channels a pronounced citrus character thanks to the addition of lemongrass and orange peel.
5by5 Tonics Co.
Tonic Syrup ($12/8 oz.)
Interestingly enough, 5by5's tonic syrup uses the bitter root gentian (a plant with medicinal roots that often appears in amaro) in place of the more common cinchona bark. In fact, it's the first tonic syrup that derives the entirety of its bitter taste from gentian, and though Saaz hops are listed on the label, their flavor doesn't come through. Overall, 5by5 yields a clean-flavored gin and tonic, slightly sweet, with a mellow bitterness.
Small Hand Foods
Yeoman Tonic Syrup ($12/17.5 oz.)
Don't be put off by this murky brown tonic from Small Hand Foods. "Separation is natural" the bottle states, so be sure to shake before pouring. Note this tonic pairs especially well with the Beefeater gin that we used to build our cocktails, and that's because Small Hand Foods founder Jen Colliau created her tonic in collaboration with Beefeater's master distiller, Desmond Payne. This bottle is another great option for those less keen on sharp bitterness. Despite its dark color, its bears more of a subtle tonic flavor, with a hint of cinnamon and citrus. Colliau also produces a basic tonic, and she agrees that Yeoman is "more delicate ... less bitter and with more citrus notes." Also for Yeoman, she used white sugar in place of organic sugar "to eliminate the molasses notes and really highlight the color of the red cinchona bark."
18.21 Bitters
Tonic ($19/17.5 )
18.21 Bitters sells a medley of shrubs, tinctures, bitters and other cocktail agents. The company's slightly off the beaten path tonic syrup displays a spicy, clove-forward flavor blended with lemony citrus that imparts good acidity. Expect less bitterness and a more playful gin and tonic thanks to the spice notes.