Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 50 cl

The half-litre belongs to the evenings where more than one gets made. It sits cold in the fridge door, and out of it come two or three proper drinks while the conversation carries on and the ice cracks in the glass.

The expert's description

Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 50 cl is a Tonic Water from Fever-Tree, made with carbonated spring water, cane sugar and natural quinine, and bottled in 50 cl.

Fever-Tree built its whole range on one plain observation: in a Gin and Tonic, most of the glass is tonic. So they went after the raw materials instead of trimming the recipe down. The quinine comes from cinchona trees on the border between Congo and Rwanda, and on top sit eight aromatic botanical oils, among them bitter oranges from Tanzania that are pressed by hand.

The flavour is dry, bitter and taut. There is sugar in it, but only enough to hold the bitterness in place, and there are no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. A complex gin with many botanicals is given room to open up, while a straightforward London Dry Gin is never drowned. It also works with vodka, blanco tequila and white rum, where the same dryness lifts rather than blurs.

The 50 cl format is the practical choice when several pours come from the same bottle. The bead is fine and holds well, but it loses strength from the first opening, so the bottle is best used the same evening. Always pour the tonic down the inside of the glass and over the ice rather than straight into the gin, and the bubbles stay put longer.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dry citrus with clear orange peel, a touch of blossom and something herbal waiting underneath. Discreet, but a long way from neutral.

Palate

The bitterness arrives immediately and stays. Cane sugar rounds the edges without turning it sweet, and the botanical oils lay a coat of orange and grapefruit over the top. The carbonation is tight and dense.

Finish

Dry and long for a tonic. Quinine sits at the back of the mouth, and a trace of peel remains right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 50 cl
Producer: Fever-Tree
Region/Country: United Kingdom
Type: Tonic Water
Size: 50 CL
Ingredients: Carbonated spring water, cane sugar, citric acid and natural flavourings including quinine
EAN no.: 5060108450980
Serving suggestion: Poured ice cold down the side of the glass over large ice cubes, ideally with a wide piece of orange peel

Flavour profile

Dry · Bitter · Citrus Peel · Tight Carbonation

Did you know?

Fever-Tree was founded in 2004 by Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow, and their starting point was arithmetic rather than a recipe: three quarters of a Gin and Tonic is tonic. If that part is not right, no amount of good gin will save the drink.

See our full range of Tonic Water

Frequently asked questions about Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 50 cl

How many drinks does a 50 cl bottle make?

Two to three, depending on how high the glass is filled. With 4 cl of gin and roughly 20 cl of tonic it makes two generous drinks with a little left over, while a lighter hand gets three. The bottle is best used the same evening, since the carbonation fades from the first opening.

What are the eight botanical oils in the tonic?

They are aromatic oils drawn from fruit and plants, with bitter orange from Tanzania as the most pronounced. They supply citrus, blossom and a light herbal note that sits beneath the bitterness of the quinine and makes the tonic far more aromatic than plain quinine soda.

Which gins suit Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water?

Both classic and modern ones. Because the tonic is dry and low in sugar it does not paper over botanicals, so it handles a juniper-heavy London Dry Gin just as well as a gin built on layers of spice and citrus. See our full range of Gin.

How cold should the tonic be?

Around 4 degrees is ideal. Cold liquid holds carbonation, and a lukewarm tonic loses its bubbles the instant it hits the ice. Give the bottle at least four hours in the fridge, and chill the glass as well before pouring.

How do you pour without losing the fizz?

Tilt the glass and let the tonic run down the inside over the ice. A free fall straight into the gin breaks the bubbles apart and the drink goes flat before it is finished. Stir once at most, with a long spoon.

Can the tonic be used with anything other than gin?

Yes, it works well with vodka, blanco tequila and white rum. The dry bitterness lifts spirits that carry a little sweetness, and with tequila a wedge of lime and a touch of salt on the rim turns it into something quite different from a Gin and Tonic.