The gin and tonic is one of the classic cocktails of the world, available almost anywhere, and inevitably one of the most refreshing.
It has a fascinating history, spanning time, countries, and even the world of medicine and health. Alton Brown gives us a brief history of one of the world’s most popular cocktails. We’ve included some historical references to gin, just for added flavor.
As per Wikipedia’s description:
The cocktail was introduced by the army of the British East India Company in India. In India and other tropical regions, malaria was a persistent problem. In the 1700s, Scottish doctor George Cleghorn studied how quinine, a traditional cure for malaria, could be used to prevent the disease. The quinine was drunk in tonic water but the bitter taste was unpleasant. British officers in India in the early 19th century took to adding a mixture of water, sugar, lime and gin to the quinine in order to make the drink more palatable, thus gin and tonic was born. Soldiers in India were already given a gin ration, and the sweet concoction made sense. Since it is no longer used as an antimalarial, tonic water today contains much less quinine, is usually sweetened, and is consequently much less bitter.
5 comments
Love seeing all the old imagery! Yes, the tale of the gin and tonic is so interesting.
I too found Tanqueray in the 70s.I was a medic in an Air Force Clinic in Izmir, Turkey. It’s still my go-to gin today after 44 years.
I too found gin (Tanqueray) in Vazagaputnam India in 70’s. I was an engineering officer aboard the SS Green Harbor Victory and was put up in the Sun and Sea Hotel after a crack was found in vessel’s hull. The influx of water into the cargo hole containing fish meal caused a foul ammonia odor throughout the vessel.