Ginger from three countries, drawn out as oil and stirred into carbonated spring water. That is the whole recipe, and yet it sits a long way from the sweet soda most people grew up on. Eight half-litre bottles, waiting for the evening whisky.

The expert's description

Fever-Tree Premium Ginger Ale x 8 pcs - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 50 cl is a Ginger Ale made from carbonated spring water and oils from three different varieties of ginger, supplied here as eight bottles of 50 cl.

Fever-Tree was started in 2004 by Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow, who wanted mixers that could stand beside serious spirits without apologising. The ginger comes from three places. Cochin in India supplies the warm, spicy core. Green ginger from the Ivory Coast brings a freshness close to lemongrass. Nigerian ginger provides the aromatic intensity.

There is no quinine here. That is the decisive difference between a Ginger Ale and a Tonic Water, and it shows up on the first sip. Where tonic runs dry and bitter, Ginger Ale is warm, spiced and lightly sweetened. So it points a different way behind the bar: Ginger Ale belongs with Whisky, bourbon and dark rum, while tonic belongs with gin.

The 50 cl format is built for several glasses at a time. One bottle covers three highballs of normal size, and with eight bottles in the case nobody has to ration. The sweetness is measured enough for the spirit to keep talking, and the finish stays clean rather than sticky.

Tasting notes

Nose

Freshly grated ginger straight away, dry and sharp, with lemongrass and dried lemon peel sitting behind it.

Palate

The sweetness lies underneath the ginger, which burns lightly and dryly across the tongue. Citrus cuts through the middle and keeps the whole thing from turning heavy.

Finish

Short and clean. The warmth lingers at the back of the throat for a moment, then the mouth is ready for the next sip.

Specifications

Name: Fever-Tree Premium Ginger Ale x 8 pcs - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 50 cl
Producer: Fever-Tree
Region/Country: United Kingdom
Type: Ginger Ale
Size: 50 CL
Bottles per pack: 8
Ingredients: Carbonated spring water, sugar, citric acid, natural ginger flavouring with other natural flavourings, plain caramel colour
Serving suggestion: Ice cold in a tall glass packed with ice, dark rum or Whisky and a strip of lemon peel

Flavour profile

Ginger · Spiced · Citrus · Gently sweet · Dry finish

Did you know?

Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow built the whole of Fever-Tree on one plain observation: up to three quarters of a highball is mixer. Pour an ordinary soda into a good bottle of spirit and the ordinary part is what you taste most of.

See our full range of Tonic Water

Floral aroma is the first thing to leave a glass. It travels with the bubbles, and once the carbonation lets go, the elderflower has gone with it. That is why the small format earns its place here: the bottle is empty while the scent is still sharp.

The expert's description

Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 20 cl is a Tonic Water from Fever-Tree, made with carbonated spring water, sugar, elderflower extract and natural quinine, and bottled in 20 cl.

Elderflower is a fugitive aroma. It lives in the oils of the blossom and disappears faster than citrus or quinine, which makes the single serve an advantage rather than a convenience. One bottle becomes one drink, and the aroma never has time to tire in the fridge.

The flavour is softer and more floral than a dry Indian Tonic Water. The quinine is still there, laying a mild bitterness underneath, but the sugar sits higher and the blossom sets the direction. The carbonation is light, which suits that floral profile.

With gins carrying blossom, cucumber or gentle citrus among their botanicals, the two pull in the same direction. Beyond gin it works with vodka, with rose vermouth over ice, and as the base of alcohol-free drinks where elderflower alone can carry a glass. At a gathering the format is practical, because each guest gets their own tonic and picks their own gin.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh elderflower, more blossom than honey, with a trace of green stem and a hint of lemon.

Palate

Light and floral from the first sip. Sweetness arrives early and lingers across the middle of the tongue, while the bitterness keeps to the background and only shows up at the close. The bubbles are small and quick.

Finish

Short and clean, with blossom left in the nose more than in the mouth. The bitterness is only a faint imprint.

Specifications

Name: Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 20 cl
Producer: Fever-Tree
Region/Country: United Kingdom
Type: Tonic Water
Size: 20 CL
Ingredients: Carbonated spring water, sugar, elderflower extract, citric acid and natural flavourings including quinine
EAN no.: 5060108450843
Serving suggestion: Poured ice cold over ice in a balloon glass with a floral gin and a thin slice of cucumber

Flavour profile

Elderflower · Fresh · Lightly Sweetened · Soft Bitterness

Did you know?

The elderflowers for Fever-Tree are picked by hand across the English countryside in late spring and distilled into an oil before they ever meet water. The oil can be dosed precisely, so the tonic tastes the same whether or not the elder had a generous flowering that year.

See our full range of Tonic Water

The elder flowers for only a few weeks, and then it is over for the year. The blossoms for this tonic are picked in exactly that short window, when the heads stand white and carry the strongest scent. Some of that scent is still there when the glass reaches the table.

The expert's description

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

The elderflowers are hand-picked across the English countryside in late spring and distilled into an oil before they ever reach the tonic. That detour makes it possible to hit the same aroma every time, because blossom strength shifts from one week to the next. The result is a floral note that reads clearly without turning perfumed.

The quinine comes from cinchona bark, but it sits lower here than in a classic Indian Tonic Water. Sweetness is a shade higher, and together those two things make a softer, rounder tonic. It takes up more room in the drink and should be used with that in mind.

It flatters gins built on floral, cucumber or citrus notes, and gins that already carry elderflower or chamomile among their botanicals. A heavily juniper-led London Dry Gin pulls the other way and can end up wrestling with the blossom. Vodka works too, and there the elderflower has the stage to itself.

The 50 cl bottle covers several glasses from the same pour. The bead is fine and lively, but it fades from the moment the bottle is opened, so it is best finished over the course of one evening.

Tasting notes

Nose

Elderflower straight away, sweetish and lightly honeyed, with a puff of lemon peel behind it. The quinine registers only as a dry undercurrent.

Palate

The blossom takes up the most space and lies softly across the tongue. Sweetness is more evident than in a dry tonic, but it is held in check by a mild bitterness that only arrives at the end. The carbonation is light and prickles neatly.

Finish

Soft and floral with a short bitter note right at the close. A faint sweetness stays on the lips.

Specifications

Name: Fever-Tree Elderflower 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, sugar, elderflower extract, citric acid and natural flavourings including quinine
EAN no.: 5060605060286
Serving suggestion: Ice cold in a large glass with plenty of ice, a gin with floral or cucumber notes and a slice of lime

Flavour profile

Floral · Elderflower · Lightly Sweetened · Mild Bitterness

Did you know?

The quinine in Fever-Tree comes from one of the last surviving plantations of original Cinchona Ledgeriana trees in eastern Congo. That species historically gave the highest yield of quinine, which is why it was planted on such a scale during the colonial era.

See our full range of Tonic Water

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

Twenty-four small bottles lined up in the case, and every one of them covers a single drink. That is the whole point of the format: the carbonation never gets tired, because nothing is left standing in the fridge door. Open, pour, drink.

The expert's description

Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water x 24 pcs - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 20 cl is a Tonic Water from Fever-Tree, made with carbonated spring water, cane sugar and natural quinine, and supplied as a case of 24 bottles of 20 cl.

Quinine is the main ingredient and the source of the dry bitterness. Fever-Tree takes it from cinchona trees on the border between Congo and Rwanda, where the bark is regarded as some of the purest quinine in the world. On top of that sit eight aromatic botanical oils, among them hand-pressed bitter oranges from Tanzania, and they are what lay citrus and a faintly floral note underneath the bitterness.

Sweetness comes from cane sugar and is kept low. The tonic therefore does not settle over the gin like a layer of syrup, but pulls juniper, coriander and citrus peel forward instead. A classic London Dry Gin with clear juniper is the obvious match, and because the profile holds back, it can carry almost any gin without stealing the picture.

The bead is fine and lasts. In the small format that really pays off, since one bottle equals one Gin and Tonic. With 4-5 cl of gin the drink lands around a ratio of 1:4, which is where most Gin and Tonic works best. A case of 24 covers a gathering without anyone having to judge how much fizz is left in a half-empty bottle.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sharp bitter orange first, dry and faintly resinous, with a floral trace behind it. Underneath it all a clean, almost mineral tone from the spring water.

Palate

Dry and only lightly sweetened. Quinine settles as a clear bitterness across the middle of the tongue, citrus peel cuts over the top, and the small bubbles hold it up without prickling.

Finish

Short and clean. The bitterness lets go quickly and leaves the mouth dry and ready for the next sip.

Specifications

Name: Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water x 24 pcs - Perfect for Gin and Tonic 20 cl
Producer: Fever-Tree
Region/Country: United Kingdom
Type: Tonic Water
Size: 20 CL
Bottles per pack: 24 pcs
Ingredients: Carbonated spring water, cane sugar, citric acid and natural flavourings including quinine
Serving suggestion: Ice cold over plenty of ice in a classic Gin and Tonic with a wide strip of lemon peel

Flavour profile

Dry · Bitter · Citrus · Lightly Sweetened

Did you know?

The name Fever-Tree is the old English nickname for the cinchona tree. Its bark was boiled down for quinine against malaria, and that bitter medicine is exactly what British officers in India mixed with gin and sugar to get it down. Hence both the name and the whole idea behind Indian Tonic Water.

See our full range of Tonic Water