The global gin revival has led to a rise in premium tonic waters, and with some marketing declaring that if 3/4 of the G&T is tonic, we should choose a premium product to complement the gin.
In this tonic water review, our team taste tested 9 tonic waters that include light/low sugar versions. The tonics were chilled and blind tasted on their own then in a G&T in a 1:4 gin to tonic ratio. Each tonic was evaluated for carbonation, aroma, taste and sweetness.
Plymouth Gin was the gin of choice as we did not want to introduce highly aromatic gins or those with amplified botanicals. No ice or garnish was used in order to preserve the botanicals of the gin and avoid introducing further variations.
Here is the summary of the results of the tonic water review. The sugar content (g per 100 ml) was added after the tasting concluded and the bottles were revealed.
1. CAPI Tonic Water
Country of Origin: Australia
Carbonation: good carbonation, medium sized bubbles
Aroma: clean aroma, soft, mild
Taste: mildly flavoured, slightly floral, not too heavy on quinine
Sweetness: mild bitterness, not too sweet, lingers with a bitter finish.
Sugar (g per 100ml): 9.3
In G&T: floral notes come through, slightly sweet, but overall good balance in a G&T. Good for gins with soft botanicals.
2. Fevertree Indian Tonic
Country of Origin: England
Carbonation: small bubbles, light fizz, beads in the glass
Aroma: clean, very mild
Taste: quinine is evident, tastes like good tonic water
Sweetness: more evident than the previous tonic but not overbearing, tastes like a good tonic but not overpowering
Sugar (g per 100ml): 8.0
In G&T: mild aromas, sweeter on the finish than the previous tonic, overall a good G&T
3. Quina Fina
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Carbonation: small bubbles, light fizz, fine bubbles
Aroma: clean, is this Schweppes?
Taste: almost bitter, bitter
Sweetness: medium sweetness, like a soft drink
Sugar (g per 100ml): 6.6
In G&T: sweet at front palate then ends with bitter aftertaste, strong tonic, standard G&T
4. Schweppes Tonic Water
Country of Origin: Australia
Carbonation: large bubbles, big bubbles and fizz
Aroma: herbal, antiseptic, cleaning product
Taste: unpleasant, soft woody notes
Sweetness: mid strength, not overly sweet
Sugar (g per 100ml): 8.6
In G&T: herbal and pine element in a G&T, pleasant enough, harsh G&T
5. Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic
Country of Origin: England
Carbonation: fine bubbles, little carbonation
Aroma: lemon, floral, woody, savoury, aromatic
Taste: savoury, rosemary
Sweetness: medium sweetness, good balance of savoury sweet and bitter, has to be Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic
Sugar (g per 100ml): 9.0
In G&T: summery, good balance, gin is a little lost but most pleasant to drink
6. CAPI Dry Tonic
Country of Origin: Australia
Carbonation: medium carbonation, medium bubbles
Aroma: almost like a lemonade, floral
Taste: crisp, dry
Sweetness: medium sweetness
Sugar (g per 100ml): 6.4
In G&T: sweetness comes to the fore, gin is lost here, need to change 1:4 ratio of gin to tonic, would suit a gin with delicate botancials
7. East Imperial Tonic
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Carbonation: medium carbonation, some large bubbles
Aroma: berries, sweet, floral
Taste: soft berries, artificial flavour, too bitter
Sweetness: minimal, bitter, reminds me of artificial sweeteners
Sugar (g per 100ml): 5.0
In G&T: quite herbal, overpowers gin, bitter G&T, has artificial sweetener aftertaste, an acquired taste in a G&T
8. Fever-Tree Light Tonic
Country of Origin: England
Carbonation: fine, tonnes of fizz, forms a head
Aroma: almost like a lemonade, very sweet, like lemonade
Taste: slightly metallic, lemonade
Sweetness: low to medium, sugary
Sugar (g per 100ml): 2.9
In G&T: kind of nothing in a G&T, very lemonade-like, gin botanicals disappear
9. East Imperial Burma Tonic
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Carbonation: small bubbles, tonnes of fizz, forms thick head then dissipates
Aroma: fruit, aromatic, fruity floral
Taste: tropical fruit, sweet floral, fruity
Sweetness: minimal, good balance of sweet and bitter
Sugar (g per 100ml): 8.0
In G&T: fresh, but the gin is at the back, interesting G&T, floral and woody notes enhanced, would suit softer styles of gin, not what you may associate with a classic G&T but very pleasant to drink
Best Tonic for Gin
The results of the blind tasting were surprising in parts. Some G&T were tasted again after the reveal to ensure there was no mix up but the results were the same. The top 3 rated tonic waters were CAPI Tonic Water, Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic and East Imperial Burma Tonic. While the review begs the question of which is the best tonic for gin, the answer is dependent on the style of gin and the ratio of gin to tonic, as well as personal taste.
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