Quinine and the Colonial Era
History of the Gin & Tonic
The Gin & Tonic didn't begin in a bar, but in the travel medicine chest of the British colonial empire. Quinine, extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree, protected officials and soldiers in India from malaria, but tasted bitter. Out of this necessity came a drink that would later conquer the entire world.
Why did the British in India need quinine?
In the 19th century, Great Britain governed large parts of India, and malaria was a constant threat to the officials and soldiers stationed there. Quinine, extracted from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, was the most effective known remedy against the disease. Doctors prescribed daily doses, because without prevention, more men died from fever in the tropics than from combat.
Pure quinine tastes so bitter that it was almost impossible to swallow. So pharmacists and traders dissolved the powder in soda water and added sugar to make the taste bearable. This simple mixture of water, carbonation, quinine and sugar gave rise to the drink we now call tonic water — originally pure medicine, not a refreshment.
How did medicine become a branded drink?
In 1858, businessman Erasmus Bond filed a patent in London for quinine-infused soda water and named it Quinine Tonic Water. It was the first commercially produced tonic water and was initially aimed at travelers and colonial officials, who could now take their daily quinine dose more conveniently. Production took place in a factory in London's City Road district.
In 1870, the beverage manufacturer Schweppes followed suit, launching its own Indian Quinine Tonic aimed specifically at the clubs of British officers and officials in India. Schweppes used citric acid instead of sulfuric acid to make the quinine more soluble and give the taste a rounder character. This made tonic water a branded product with nationwide distribution for the first time.
How did gin end up in tonic water?
British officers in India already had access to gin, the juniper spirit that was an everyday drink back in the United Kingdom. Rather than drinking the bitter tonic water straight, they began adding a splash of gin. This made the daily quinine dose more bearable — and more sociable — turning a medical obligation into a ritual in the officers' clubs.
When officials and soldiers returned to Great Britain, they brought this habit with them, and the Gin & Tonic spread across the world along the trade routes of the British Empire. To this day, the combination of bitter quinine and juniper spirit recalls this colonial origin, even though the risk of malaria is no longer relevant for most drinkers.
How did the Gin & Tonic become a world drink?
In the 20th century, the Gin & Tonic completely shed its medicinal reputation and became a fixture of Western bar and living-room culture. Films, travel accounts and the growing availability of tonic water in supermarkets all helped spread its fame far beyond Great Britain. At the same time, the quinine content in many commercial tonics decreased, since the medical necessity had disappeared and milder recipes found broader appeal.
In recent years, a new generation of small tonic producers has revisited this history, producing varieties with historically higher quinine content or unusual botanicals. So the Gin & Tonic remains a drink with two faces: on one hand, a global classic, and on the other, a direct reminder of the colonial past from which it emerged. Those who know this history also understand why the Gin & Tonic is often specifically mentioned in travel guides and bar books, rather than treated as just another long drink. This origin also explains why many brands still advertise with the term Indian Tonic today, even though the medical necessity vanished long ago.