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Tonic water’s history started when British colonists in 1825 India mixed quinine from Peruvian tree bark with carbonated water to prevent malaria.
This bitter drink became essential across the Empire, with officers often adding gin to mask its sharp taste.
In the 1600s, Spanish colonists in Peru documented the use of cinchona bark to treat fevers.
While popular narratives attribute its discovery to indigenous knowledge, the historical record remains unclear.
However, we do know that Spanish Jesuit missionaries observed the bark's effects and sent samples to Europe in 1631.
The bark's active compound, quinine, proved lethal to malaria parasites.
Before quinine, tropical regions had remained largely impenetrable to European settlement due to malaria's devastating toll.
Jesuit missionaries brought bark from the cinchona tree to Spain in 1631.
This powder from the bark stopped the fever and chills that killed thousands of malaria victims each year.
Colonial doctors prescribed the ground bark to soldiers, settlers, and traders who ventured into the mosquito-filled swamps and rainforests of Africa and Asia.
The treatment saved countless lives, though it caused ringing ears and nausea in many patients.
Quinine remained the only reliable defense against malaria until 1934 when stronger drugs were formulated.
In 1858, Erasmus Bond launched the first commercial tonic water through his London company, Pitt & Co.
Each pint contained 30 milligrams of quinine.
The drink's sharp, bitter taste made it unpleasant to drink alone.
In 1825, British East India Company officers began distributing quinine-based tonic water to their troops stationed across India.
The British Army followed suit in 1831, making tonic water a mandatory daily ration for soldiers in malaria-prone regions.
Ship doctors in both organizations noticed that sailors often mixed their daily lime juice ration—meant to prevent scurvy—with tonic water to mask its bitter taste.
Each sailor received two ounces of lime juice per day, as required by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1867.
British officers in India mixed gin into their quinine water to mask its sharp taste.
In the 100-degree Indian heat, officers poured two ounces of gin into tall glasses of tonic, added ice, and sipped this cooling drink on shaded verandas.
The gin masked the medicine's bitterness while the tonic protected them from mosquito-borne malaria.
This unpleasant daily medication became the gin and tonic cocktail we know today.
Today's tonic water contains far less quinine than its 19th century predecessor.
While doctors once prescribed tonic water to prevent malaria, modern versions use just enough quinine to create its signature bitter taste.
Major brands like Schweppes and Canada Dry (now part of Dr Pepper) produce tonic water for the mass market, while craft producers make small batches with unique flavor profiles.
People drink tonic water both alone and mixed—its bubbles and bitter edge still make it a perfect addition with gin.
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