How to Make Quinine Syrup for a Better Gin and Tonic

Last summer, I shared my favorite trick for instantly upgrading your gin and tonic: use a better tonic water.

And what’s the best tonic water? That’s likely a matter of taste, but, as we usually advise on ManMade, it’s the one you make yourself.

Portland, OR based bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler shares his technique, which is to make a quinine syrup from chinchona bark and some aromatics, and then using that as a base to mix with club soda to create a stunning tonic water. The bark is added to vodka to make a shelf-stable tincture that lasts forever, then combined with other spices and citrus peels to create the syrup.

 There’s still many many weeks of summer and gin and tonic weather left, so hit up the spice shop and mix up a batch this week!

How to Make Quinine Syrup for a Better Gin and Tonic [Food52.com]