Homemade Tonic

[James R. Coplin]

If you are like me, and I know I am, you love your gin and tonic.  Today's
tonic unfortunately has little to do with good, old fashioned tonic.  I just
got done making a batch of my own and it absolutely blows away the store
bought stuff.  The only trick (at least in the US) is getting the powdered
cinchona bark (which is where the quinine comes from).  I had to mail order
mine from an place in Canada.  I don't know how readily available it is in
Europe.  Recipe:

2 cups water
2 tablespoons powdered cinchona bark
1 large stalk of lemongrass, chopped
1/2 orange, zest only
1/2 lemon, zest only
1/2 lime, zest only
1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
2 tablespoons citric acid
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons agave nectar

Combine everything in a saucepan *except* the agave nectar.   Simmer it for
around 20 minutes and then strain through successively finer strainers.  I
use a fine mesh strainer followed by a couple passes through paper towels
and lastly through a coffee filter.  Don't jump right to the coffee filter
otherwise it may not strain at all due to the massive amounts of small
particle solids.  Make sure you get the bark powdered, I've seen it in
granules, "teas", etc. but these will not give you the appropriate
concentration of quinine flavor.  After filtering, add the agave nectar and
store.  This makes a concentrated tonic that you can cut with soda water.
Alternately, you could add it to water and put it in a charger or similar.
I like about 50% soda water and 50% tonic but I like my tonic strong.  Maybe
start a little lighter on the tonic and work your way up.

James R. Coplin - 郭杰明
University of Minnesota
Department of History