Fever-Tree has become a renowned name in the world of premium tonic waters, and for good reason. This article delves into a comprehensive review of Fever-Tree's tonic water offerings, including their Premium Indian Tonic Water and Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic Water, comparing them to other brands and exploring their unique characteristics.
The Fever-Tree Legacy
Fever-Tree Tonic is one of the first waves of "high-quality tonic waters" that burst onto the G&T scene in the late 2000s and early 2010s. But all of this is possible because of Fever Tree’s flagship Fever Tree Tonic.
Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic Water
Fever Tree Light Tonic Water- or more completely, Fever Tree Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic Water is a low-calorie tonic water, but not a zero calorie tonic water. At the time of its launch, Fever Tree Light Tonic Water was significantly lower in calorie than most mainstream tonic water offerings. At a mere thirty calories per 6.8 oz. However, with changing tastes and a trend towards “less sweet” tonic waters, Fever Tree’s light offering has fallen a bit more in line with other tonic water’s main offerings.
Tasting Notes
Poured, there’s a voracious effervescence with a surprisingly durable and foamy head. Gentle citric acid tang to the nose- clean with a hint of lime zest oil. The palate has a surprising sweetness up front. You might not expect that from a light tonic water, but Fever Tree does not cut out the sweetness entirely. The finish is quiet with a slight, clean note of quinine. It’s more mild than Fever Tree’s full calorie Indian Tonic.
Pairing with Gin
Further, Fever Tree Light has continued to shine as my go-to for testing new gins. It doesn’t overpower the gins you mix it with. If you- like many in the gin community- are wanting to get more from the botanicals in your gin, Fever Tree Light is one of the best offerings out there today.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water
Fever Tree Tonic often has a reputation for not being sweet. Or as sweet as the competition, but it’s important to note that Fever Tree’s Indian Tonic is far from a light tonic. 70 Calories in a 6.8 oz serving size compares favorably to the Whole Foods’ house brand in terms of calories. However, where they can’t compare is in terms mouth-feel.
Effervescence and Appearance
When pouring, Fever Tree Tonic’s bubbles absolutely erupt. They create a brief lasting head. Looking at it in the glass, you can see an immense amount of carbonation sticking to the bottom and sides of the glass.
Flavor Profile
The palate is sweet with effervescent citrus at first. Fever Tree Tonic sits mildly on the palate before an assertive quinine and bitter finish. I find the quinine note in here to be a bit more rounded than others.
Enhancing Gin
With gin, the Fever Tree maintains its tight bubbles. They lightly amplify the aroma. Mid-palate, what tastes like a bit of a hole in Fever Tree Tonic on its own seems custom designed for the gin flavor to come through. The finish is a nice balance of gin’s notes and a gentle bitterness. I tried it with Seagram’s Gin; citrus notes with orange on the nose and juniper on the finish. Overall, it’s a well balanced tonic. Certainly detractors might comment on its sweetness; however, to me that’s part of the package. Quinine + Sugar + Effervescence = a good tonic. And fever tree hits all three marks.
Availability
Fever Tree Tonic is available from Amazon, and available in grocery stores often for about $8 / 4 pack of 6.8 oz.
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A Look at Other Tonic Water Brands
Q Tonic
At first, Q Tonic dominated boutique grocery store shelves, but now Portland is starting to have a choice, with the addition of Fever-Tree Tonic Water. Two things catch my eye: First of all, the bottles are quite nice - I’d even call the Q Tonic elegant. The prices also catch my eye. I’ve seen them between $2 and $3 per bottle, which the packaging claims is the perfect size for one drink. For that reason, I never bought any until I ran out of my homemade tonic.
If you’ve ever compared really good tonic water to the more common mass-produced brands, you know what a huge difference it can make. Looking for the reason, a comparison of ingredients is a good place to start:
Q Tonic: purified water, organic agave (for sweetening), Peruvian quinine, Lemon juice extract, natural flavors.
Fever-Tree: spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavors, Rwanda/Congo quinine.
Schweppes: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium benzoate, quinine.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
While it’s nice to have a tonic with natural, healthy ingredients, what matters more is the taste. I recently sat down with fellow gin lover Nancy Rommelmann for a comparison.
The first thing that got our attention was the smoothness of both Q Tonic and Fever-Tree. I could see drinking either of them over ice. This is something I would never try with the mass-produced varieties. Q tonic has a somewhat medicinal taste from the cinchona bark, which reminded me of my homemade tonic. I also noticed a very slight tartness and tang, and a clean-tasting light fruitiness that matches the elegance of the bottle.
Fever-Tree is a bit lighter. The aroma is fresh and citrusy, as is the taste. It is quite a bit smoother than Q Tonic; balanced and very easy to drink by itself. My only complaint is that the flavor is a little bit too limey, but for those who prefer their tonic drinks with lime, this may be the best choice for you.
The particular characteristics of various brands of alcohol make a big difference in how well they match with mixers. I’m not a huge vodka fan, but over a few evenings, I tried both brands with several varieties. Every version of Q Tonic vodka tonic was excellent; a good match that perked up even the banalest vodka. I had to determine if I was looking for the authentic, somewhat medicinal clash between the two liquids, or complementary smoothness. It is definitely a matter of personal taste. For a smoother, citrus taste, I would go with Fever-Tree, but for a more homemade, traditional tonic taste, I choose Q Tonic. Both, however, are excellent and far better than Schweppes.
With gin, the brand you use makes a big difference. Of course, all of them need to have juniper as their dominant flavor, but other botanicals distilled into each set them apart. My everyday drinking gin is Plymouth because it is decent and relatively inexpensive. I thought the two worked well together, though the tonics tended to overly smooth some of the herbaceous notes. If you like a really mellow combination, this might work well for you. The same was true with some excellent Bluecoat American Dry gin I had leftover from Tales of the Cocktail. With big gins like Beefeater, I found it completely overwhelmed - you might as well use soda water. When it comes down to it, the tonic you are going to like depends on your personal taste and what brand of liquor you want to mix it with. The biggest question is whether the boutique versions are worth the price. I like my own recipe, and if I had lots of time and energy, I’d make it every time. However, both of these tonics will satisfy; choose by the characteristics that are important to you.
Other Brands
- Seagram's tonic isn't bad; it's just not amazing. It has several drawbacks that earn it the lowest spot on the list. First, the flavor is mediocre. It doesn't have a strong quinine taste or any aromatics to bring out the subtleties of the gin, nor to help it stand alone as a beverage in its own right. The bitterness of the quinine is one dimensional and unimpressive. It's sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, with a 12-ounce can clocking in at a whopping 20 grams of sugar per serving. Furthermore, it's difficult to locate this tonic on store shelves, and it's not as widely-available as the other options on this list. Seagram's tonic water makes a lovely ginger ale and is the classic go-to whiskey for a seven and seven cocktail.
- Betty Buzz is a woman-owned company that makes a line of zero-alcohol soda and mixers. Betty Buzz gets definite points for style. It has cute, retro-inspired stubby bottles, vibrant red packaging, and a charming brand aesthetic. The tonic water itself has a lovely level of bubbles, but they do seem to fizzle out quickly. It's refreshing on its own, though suffers from being a tad boring. The flavor profile has only the lightest essence of quinine, so it comes across a bit weak. For those who truly enjoy tonic and the bitter herbaceous quality of quinine, Betty Buzz's light flavor leaves something to be desired. It's also one of the most expensive options in this ranking.
- Schweppes started in England in 1783 and has been making tonic water since the 1870s. Although it has roots in England, it's owned by Coca-Cola today. As a result, it's widely available and very affordable. It is delightfully bubbly, though, and the sour lime flavor makes you want to gulp it down rather quickly. It doesn't make a great beverage on its own, but when mixed into a cocktail, it works decently well. It's lacking a little depth and unfortunately, it's not as wildly interesting as some of the other top brands on this list.
- Owen's Mixers is a family-owned business and relative newcomer to the world of tonic water. It was established in 2016 by two brothers-in-law. Owen's Mixers uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup in its products, and also opts for real juice in its flavored mixers. Although the company is young, it's made a splash in cocktail culture and has expanded rapidly. Owen's Mixers are now available at large chains, such as BevMo! Owen's Mixers American Tonic has a sweet lemon-lime scent, vigorous bubbles, and a light and airy quinine flavor. It's on the sweeter end of the tonic water spectrum, with less herbal complexity than Fentimans but a richer flavor profile than Schweppes - partly due to its use of cane sugar. It comes in convenient 8.2-ounce cans, which maintain carbonation perfectly for individual servings. It falls about average for cost, making it neither a splurge nor a bargain.
- Fentimans is another English company that has been brewing non-alcoholic beverages only since 1905. Remarkably, the brand is still owned by the original Fentiman family - no corporate consolidation here. The intricate interplay of these ingredients imparts a light, bright, and almost lemony flavor. It's not too sweet and has a light hit of bitterness just at the finish. The quinine doesn't hit you over the head, but it's definitely present. It's complex and interesting, but not very satisfying on its own. Rather, where Fentimans tonic truly shines is in a gin and tonic. Once mixed with gin, the tonic's unique character shines, while still allowing the quality of the gin to unfold. It enhances, rather than covers, the complex aromatics present in a quality gin. Since it's made by a small English company, Fentimans' tonic water is a bit harder to source worldwide and is therefore pricier than other options, at least outside of the U.K.
- Despite the less-than-ideal plastic packaging, Canada Dry's tonic water has almost explosive levels of fizz that last long after you pop the top. It initially smells like lemon-lime soda; it's very sweet with a strong citrus aroma. It's not as sweet once you taste it, but still one of the sweeter options out there, courtesy of a pretty large amount of corn syrup. While it's not as dry or as flavorful as a lot of the other tonic water choices, it avoids crossing the line into sugary sweetness. Canada Dry one of the most affordable tonic waters on the market, which makes it a standout among bargain options.
- Trader Joe's tonic water is delightfully effervescent with strong carbonation, but sadly the carbonation dissipates quickly. The quinine is well balanced, perceptible but not overpowering, and in beautiful proportion to the sweetness. It also has natural lime flavor added, which has benefits and drawbacks. It creates a handy shortcut for mixing up tonic-based cocktails, since a great many of them incorporate a twist of lime. However, the additional lime flavoring also limits the versatility of Trader Joe's tonic water. It's sweetened with natural cane sugar rather than corn syrup, and comes in at a middle-of-the-road 90 calories per 12-ounce aluminum can. It's affordable and widely available at any of Trader Joe's 600-plus locations nationwide, though it is a Trader Joe's exclusive.
- Next in the ranking comes a product not from a beverage brand at all, but rather from retail giant: Walmart. Its store brand, Great Value, offers tonic water in 1-liter plastic bottles, or petite, 7.5-ounce aluminum cans. The mini cans are a useful size for mixing individual drinks without losing carbonation, while the bottles are perfect for making batch drinks for a crowd. It has decent carbonation levels, though it's not especially long-lasting. The quinine offers strong bitter notes. Where Great Value tonic loses points is its flavor. It's one of the sweetest tonic waters that was sampled - likely due to the fact that one of the mini cans contains a whopping 21 grams of added sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. That sweetness overpowers the quinine and requires a generous squeeze of lime to balance it out in a cocktail.
- 365 is the store-brand for Whole Foods Market, and its tonic lives up to the natural foods ideals that underpin Whole Foods' entire brand identity. This product is made with invert cane sugar rather than corn syrup and features a BPA-free liner on its cans. 365's tonic water is sweeter and less complex than the higher ranking tonic brands. The quinine and other flavorings are less prominent, so it's walking right up to the edge of being too sweet. It's just slightly less fizzy and a tiny bit less crisp than the other brands, but it's not bad at all.
- Topo Chico tonic water has a strong quinine aroma and offers an equally bold taste of the bitter bark. Topo Chico is known for its mineral water, which has gained a cult following in recent year. The additional minerals impart a difficult-to-define and somewhat resinous quality to this tonic water. If you like the forceful bubbles and crisp taste of Topo Chico mineral water, you're likely to enjoy the brand's take on tonic water as well. In a G&T, the mineral sharpness of the tonic water marries beautifully with gin's juniper aroma. It loses a few points only because while the taste is quite distinct, it's a less-traditional take on classic tonic water.
- Boylan Bottling is a heritage soda company that's been around since 1891, so it's safe to say they know a thing or two about craft soda. Flavor-wise, this tonic water is citrus-forward with mild quinine, complemented by notes of lemon, key lime, and orange bitters. It tastes fresh and juicy without being sweet. The layered citrus flavors allow this tonic to easily stand on its own, or hold up beautifully in a gin and tonic. With its strong citrus profile, one might expect the standard G&T squeeze of lime to be too much. This is a tonic water that's truly been taken to the next level. It ranks third only because it's by far the priciest option on the list; it costs two to three times more than any other tonic brand listed here. It can also be difficult to get your hands on it, since it's carried only at select retailers and is made in smaller batches than brands like Seagram's and Schweppes.
- Q Mixers' tonic water is spectacular indeed. It comes in cans or glass bottles, that pour over ice with big, voluminous bubbles that tickle your nose as you sip. It has a fairly neutral aroma, but the flavor is bold and crisp with a pleasant tang of sour citrus. It's refreshing all on is own, and it also makes a wonderful cocktail mixer. In a gin and tonic, the subtle aroma allows the alcohol's botanicals to come through strikingly well. It conveniently comes in mini 7.5-ounce cans and small 6.7-ounce glass bottles, or large 750-milliliter bottles for sharing. The brand offers both the classic tonic water and a lighter version. Q Mixers' light tonic water clocks in at a minuscule 20 calories per can, courtesy of the low-calorie sweetener erythritol. Erythritol is certainly one of the less offensive-tasting artificial sweeteners, but those who are sensitive to sugar-free additives may find its inclusion off-putting.
Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water
For its latest trick, top-shelf mixer maker Fever-Tree is bringing forth a tonic water - its third expression, if you don’t include the diet version it also sells. As the name implies, Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water is an elderflower-infused tonic water, made with Fever-Tree’s typically high-end ingredients, including cane sugar and natural quinine.
For those who find standard tonic water too bitter, this expression is just the ticket. The bitter quinine is softer here, mellowed by sweet-and-sour citrus notes that run more distinctly toward grapefruit and lime zest than elderflower specifically. The finish is clean and bittersweet, refreshing as those citrus notes endure. The tonic water pairs well with gin and vodka, though the fruitier notes tend to get overpowered by gin’s more powerful elements. I’d aim for a more citrus-focused gin over a juniper-heavy one when choosing a companion.
The History of Tonic Water
Tonic water has an interesting history; it was originally produced as a malaria preventative. That quintessential bitter flavor of tonic water comes from quinine, a substance found in Cinchona bark. It was believed to have been a cure for fever as early as the 17th century. What was used as medicine has become a bar essential today.
Tonic water’s story begins two centuries earlier, in 1638. The wife of the Spanish Viceroy in Peru, the Countess of Chinchon, had fallen violently ill with malaria. Her husband begged the local Incas for an antidote. In a show of generosity, the Incas instructed her to drink a potion containing the ground bark of the native “Quinquina” tree, which grew on the slopes of the Andes. The potion worked and she quickly recovered. In her honor, the Spanish renamed the Peruvian tree the “Cinchona” tree. They also killed off the Incas, stole their gold, and colonized their land.
The ground bark was then imported to Europe and quickly prized. But Peru prohibited exporting Cinchona seeds. Prices skyrocketed - at one point, the cost of the bark powder was its weight in gold - and the bark was overharvested. The Cinchona tree became nearly extinct.
In a coup reminiscent of coffee’s spread, 1862, Charles Ledger smuggled Cinchona seedlings out of Peru and sold them to the Dutch government. Holland set up large plantations in Java, their colony in Indonesia.
Until World War II, Indonesia supplied almost 95% of the world’s quinine. However in the winter of 1942, Japan attacked and took control of Indonesia to secure oil for its war machine. With battles raging in areas with malaria, the Allies established a mini-Manhattan project, charging scientists with finding another source of quinine. The group soon discovered a way to produce a synthetic substitute. Following the war, the corporations producing tonic water elected to switch to this cheaper, artificial quinine. Tonic water lost the authentic ingredient that had defined it for centuries. Over the last few years, however, there has been resurgence of interest in the original quinine water.
What Makes a Good Tonic Water?
The best tonic waters are indispensable tools in a bartender's lineup because of their ability to transform a shot of vodka into a refined cocktail or add depth to a more complicated beverage. A good tonic water should have plenty of long-lasting carbonation and a bright flavor profile that delicately balances sweetness with the bitterness of the quinine. Other ingredients - when present - should not overpower the quinine flavor, but enhance it. It should be aromatic, refreshing and crisp, and pleasant to drink on its own or mixed with spirits including vodka or gin.
Optimist Botanicals: A Non-Alcoholic Alternative
Some of us are trying to drink less. Some of us don’t want to drink anything at all. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to meet up with the people we enjoy and make meaningful connections. Alcohol shouldn’t be a barrier (lockdown is a different matter…) We want to offer an alternative, and envision a better way for us to hang and connect, without compromising our physical and mental wellbeing. And if we are all staying closer to home for a while, it’s good to have the ritual of making a drink to mark the transition from the end of the working day into a relaxing evening, without the morning after.
When we talk about optimists, and optimism, we don’t mean rose-tinted, mindless positivity. It takes work to be an optimist; it takes grit, clarity of thought, and resilience to be able to envision a better future and then work towards it. We aren’t anti-alcohol but we recognise that the booze doesn’t always help with our mental wellness, or our physical well being. What we do need though are meaningful social connections, and the rituals that are involved in getting together for a drink. In order to be able to envision a better future, and help shape that future, we first need to take care of our mental wellbeing. Levels of mental illness and depression are on the rise, particularly amongst young people.
The three flavor profiles of Optimist Botanicals are very distinct, drawing inspiration from the diverse landscapes and cultures of LA and it’s environs. Each has between 10-15 botanicals which gradually unfold on your tongue. Dig into the flavor profiles for more detail on what to expect, or to find your perfect Optimist. We believe (and plenty of research supports this) that much of the buzz you feel when drinking with people you enjoy comes from the social connection, and ritual of crafting beautiful drinks. We want to untether the booze from the buzz. Contact highs all the way. You are also free to bring your own buzz, whatever that may be. It’s all about choice.
We worked with a master distiller in downtown LA for over 18 months to create the final recipes for the three Optimist Botanical flavor profiles. Each ingredient is distilled separately, using traditional steam distillation or CO2 extraction (a very clean method more commonly used in cannabis production). This gives is the true ‘spirit’ of each ingredient, the most essential flavor. These distilliates are carefully blended to create a balanced, distinct profile for each flavor.
Optimist Botanicals were created to be mixed with sparkling water, tonic water, or your favorite mixer. Experiment a little, and take a look at our recipe ideas in the journal or on Insta for some direction. They can also be used as part of a lower alcohol cocktail; sub in for vodka, gin or tequila depending on what you’re creating.
Ingredients and Production
WHAT’S IN IT? As far as possible we work with our partners to source organic ingredients (this can be more challenging for some less common botanicals), and we are mindful of sustainable and ethical practices. Our products contain no alcohol, no sugar, no calories. Cool and dry, for up to a month once opened.
The challenge of making a distilled drink without alcohol is that ethanol usually plays the role of preservative and stabiliser. Optimist Botanicals uses natural distillates and CO2 extracts to create the complex flavor profiles, but our products are regulated by the FDA (unlike the alcohol industry) and so we are required to add something else to act as a preservative. In order to keep our products as clean as we possibly can, we use the smallest amount possible, but it is a very fine balance. And without the alcohol, the liquid is more subject to ambient temperature change, which may create some condensation in the bottle. Give it a little shake for the sheer aestheticism. If you see any separation, or bonding of the flavor components within your bottle, shake a little more energetically (mixologist style).
Who is it For?
Everyone? We are super inclusive. Anyone who wants to drink something delicious, drink less alcohol, or drink no alcohol at all. Optimist Botanical evenings complement clear thinking, future planning, dawn patrol, super early ascents, scuppered lie-ins, yoga, meditation, pregnancy, Dry January, ‘Dryish February’, Sober October, and all the other calendar months either side.
Skipping the alcohol when you are creating a distilled drink makes the process curiously more challenging. Crafting and perfecting these recipes took time, as did working out the best methods and processes to capture flavor and deliver complex profiles. Unlike alcohol brands, we are entirely transparent about what makes it into our bottles. We source the finest ingredients, with a close eye on sustainability and ethical practises for ourselves and our partners. Our packaging is created to have minimal environmental impact, which means it is more expensive, for now at least. But we hope you’ll recognise the value of these decisions.
Availability
Currently we are shipping to Mainland US. If you are further afield and would like to get your hands on some Optimist, send us a message and we will work out how to make it happen. Our flat rate for shipping is $6 for a single bottle. For two bottles or more we cover shipping costs for you. If you are outside of Mainland US, shipping costs will vary, but we will try to find the most cost effective way of getting it to you.
Optimist Drinks is a nascent company, and we are operating with a small band of Optimists, particularly during the pandemic and all the other madness. If for any reason there is a delay, we will be sure to let you know. This is the year after 2020 after all….
RIght here. Place your order and we will get it to you within 7-10 days. We are working with grocery/retail partners in LA and beyond to make our products available on the ground shortly, and we will share new partner information as they leap onto the band(wagon) of Optimists. If you have a preferred retailer, and would like to see Optimist on their shelves, let us know. Let us sort it out for you. Send us a message, a text or a DM and we will expedite a replacement bottle or three for you.