Ever wondered how tonics got introduced to the beverage culture? The story goes like this: Back in the 19th century in India, the British had prescribed an unpalatable medicine called quinine to the Indian army to help them fight malaria at the time. But given the sour taste of the powder, the soldiers started mixing it with soda and sugar. And that’s how Indian tonics water was invented. Over time, some soldiers decided to start adding a nip of gin to the mix, giving rise to the classic G&T.
While tonic water was invented in India, up until a few years ago, tonic was imported from overseas and was commercially manufactured and artificially sweetened. Given the fact that 70 per cent of a cocktail is the mixer, finding the right tonic is as critical as the spirit itself. Identifying this gap in the market, people started researching on the topic and brought back the original homegrown Indian tonic water to the country.
4 Mixer brands that were born and raised in India.
Bengal Bay, founded by Rishabh Gupta, prefers to make its tonic water in small batches. Their popular variants include Organic Indian Tonic, Spiced Orange and Basil Tonic, and Bengal Bay Indian Tonic. According to the company, the quinine used in their products are sourced from Peru.
Jade Forest: Using a British-Indian recipe, this Delhi-based brand offers what it says is a smooth and fresh tonic water, balancing sweet citrus notes with soft bitterness. Besides tonic water, it also retails ginger ale, infused with notes of lemon and lime. Find them on Amazon and select restaurants in Delhi-NCR.
Svami is known for its all-natural drinks that are also available as low sugar variants. Apart from tonic water flavours like cucumber and grapefruit they also launched ginger ale, a “healthy measure of lemon that rounds off the flavour of the Indian root,” As part of its portfolio of premium mixers, they’ve expanded their products to Rum & Cola, Pink G&T etc.
Delhi-based Sepoy & Co, founded by Angad Soni, too made a triumphant entry. Their strength lay in signature citric flavours with a spicy quotient. According to the company, it uses ‘low–sugar botanical mix of the finest oils and flavours’. Some of their popular varieties include Mint Tonic Water, Elderflower Tonic Water, and Hibiscus Tonic Water.
There are several other brands making topnotch tonics. Goa-based Western Beverages Private Limited markets its tonic water, which consists of three flavours, under the Twist brand.
These beverages can also be sipped by itself chilled with a dash of lime or a preferred garnish.
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