photo: House Spirits mixology event at The Country Cat in Portland, OR.
Spring is just around the corner and I’m already thinking about and drinking light, fruity, and fizzy cocktails. Living in Portland offers a variety of options when it comes to making a delicious drink on a warm day and so I thought I’d talk about some of those and a little about what I’ve recently learned about tonic water.
So as you might know, there’s a local distillery, named House Spirits (past), and in small batches they make a fabulous ouzo and Aviation Gin. They also host weekly Mixology events at local bars and I recommend you make it to one if you’re in the area. And so in the spirit of keeping it local, one drink in my spring lineup includes 1 part House Spirits ouzo, 2 parts tonic water, and a slice of orange. Simple and delicious. Because I like the classics, I’ll most likely stick to the honest gin and tonic. That’s it. The list is short but fittingly sweet. And because they’re quick recipes, I’ll have more time to enjoy the drinks with friends.
The simplicity of these cocktail recipes allows me to focus on the ingredients. Tonic water will be my focus for now. If you didn’t already know, the flavor of tonic comes from quinine. This raw substance is extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree. And tonic water gets its name because it literally was a tonic for British occupiers stationed in India. They used it to invigorate their immune systems in hopes to avoid and cure malaria. (via Chow) For those of you who are not bored already, you can read more history here.
There are a few things you can take into consideration when storing and buying tonic water. What I’ve recently found out is that it’s better to store tonic in the refrigerator. Similar to other carbonated products, cooler temperatures keep more CO² contained. And increasing temperatures force CO² out, making the tonic lose its fizz. When you go to purchase, there are a few things you should take into consideration. You want to buy according to what you plan to use. Buying smaller bottles will prevent you from having a larger bottle of tonic go flat. Note that the luxe brands, Q Tonic and Fever-tree, only come in smaller containers, and might get a little pricey or cumbersome in party situations. I imagine they package this way as a preventive measure to keep you from producing an unfizzy cocktail.
Just like clothing, there are quality tonics and crappy tonics. And often times a deciding factor when I’m picking out a new item is the raw material. So I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t talk a little bit about the ingredients of tonics. Don’t worry, I’m not about to get into a big debate about corn syrup and how it’s used in the national distributor Schweppes instead of cane sugar. I really only want to mention that there are tonics out there that include a variety of ingredients like organic sweeteners, different acids, varieties of quinine, and last but not least different types of water. So check the ingredient label and see what’s important to you. My adventure with tonic is just ramping up. And maybe when spring arrives I can review different varieties of tonic water and give you an opinion.
If you’ve tried the tips and tonics mentioned above and you’re still not getting a satisfactory tonic—and you’re so inclined—make your own. I’ll probably just stick to my short list of cocktails and just use the small array of quality tonics on the shelves.
