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Tonic Water

Tonic Water
  • Category

    American

  • Cusine

    American

Ingredients

Water

Citric acid

Quinine powder

Lemon or lime juice

Directions

1. Pour the water into a medium-sized nonreactive saucepan. Add the zest from the grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime. Halve, then juice the citrus fruits and add the juice to the saucepan. 2. Add the lemongrass, citric acid, chinchona bark, allspice, cardamom, star anise, salt, and black peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid, leaving it slightly askew, and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and cool to room temperature. 3. Pour into a container, such as a large screw-top jar, and chill for 2 days in the refrigerator, shaking it gently a couple of times a day. 4. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer, preferably into a large measuring cup . Discard the spices, lemongrass, bark, and citrus peels. Strain the mixture again, this time through a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth, muslin, or a coffee filter. 5. Add the sugar syrup, then pour into clean bottles or screw-top jars and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pour off the tonic water, avoiding disturbing any bark and spice sediment that might settle into the bottom of the bottle or jar, then add an equal amount of sparkling water to obtain the quantity that you need. So to make 1 cup of tonic water, you’ll use 1/2 cup of the tonic water mixture, and 1/2 cup sparkling water.