How tonic water is made

Tonic water began as malaria medicine, and US law now caps its quinine at 83 milligrams per liter.

stations: 5
things upstream: 58
raw sources: 19
steps from the ground: 9

The short version

Tonic water is carbonated water with a little quinine dissolved in it, taken from the bark of the cinchona tree, plus sweetener and often citrus flavor. The quinine gives it a bitter bite. Modern tonic holds a tiny fraction of the quinine of the medicinal original, with the US limit set at 83 parts per million.

Strip the cinchona bark

Quinine comes from the bark of cinchona trees, which remain the only economically practical source. The tree is native to Peru and neighboring countries.
Pull out the quinine

Quinine was first isolated from cinchona bark in 1820. It is drawn out of the bark and purified into the bitter compound used in drinks.
Mix the bitter syrup

A tiny amount of quinine goes into a syrup with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and citrus flavor. Diet versions swap in sugar substitutes.

Goes in
Sugar Corn syrup Water
Carbonate the blend

Carbon dioxide is dissolved into the water under pressure, and the syrup is blended in.

Goes in
Carbon dioxide
Bottle and seal

The sparkling tonic is sealed into bottles or cans so the gas stays in.

Goes in
Glass bottle Aluminum can

End of the lineTonic water

Worth repeating

The first commercial tonic water was patented in 1858 by Erasmus Bond of Pitt and Co. and made at a factory in London.
British officials in India mixed their anti-malaria quinine with soda and sugar, and the gin and tonic grew out of it.
Europe's limit of 100 milligrams of quinine per liter is only 0.25 to 0.50 percent of the strength of the original medicinal tonic.