THE EVOLUTION OF THE G&T

It’s world G&T day!

The oh so humble gin and tonic has quite a tradition, going back to the good old days when Quinine, a compound extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree, was used to prevent or treat malaria.

It was horribly bitter stuff so it became common practice to mix quinine with water, sugar and lime in a “tonic” to help the quinine go down – still quite an ordeal.  

Enter the officers of the British East India Company who went one step further and added gin - now they were getting somewhere!

The unpleasant daily dose of essential medicine became a reward after a hard day in the tropical sun, and before long gin and tonic had become quite the thing.

In 1870 Schweppes carbonated this ‘tonic’ and given its popularity in India, dubbed it Indian Tonic Water. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Tonic water has evolved over the years and the levels of quinine in modern tonic water is modest. A gin and tonic may make you feel better but don’t be fooled - it won’t cure your malaria!

Today our gin scene is so well developed that you can tailor your G&T to suit your gin and your palette. There are endless combinations of flavours.

We hope you enjoy a lovely ice cold Ink G&T tonight, and raise a glass to this historic and humble classic.