INGREDIENTS:

1000g water
1000g sugar
20g (1%) dried gentian root, sifted
30g (1.5%) citric acid
30g (1.5%) lactic acid
60g (3%) malic acid
Optional: preferred aromatics (big fans of fresh bay leaf, coriander seed, and fresh lemongrass here)

PROCEDURE:

Bring a volume of water greater than 800g to a boil. Weigh and combine remaining dry ingredients in a heatproof container large enough to hold the total volume of dry ingredients and water combined. When the water has come to a boil add 800g of boiling water to the dry ingedients, stirring to incorporate. Steep, covered for 5-20 minutes, until desired bitterness is achieved. Allow to cool. Label, date, and reserve. Will keep refrigerated 30 days (indefinitely, in theory).

Before we begin, let’s make something perfectly clear: homemade tonic syrups that use cinchona (especially powdered cinchona) are dangerous, and can lead to cinchonism, a well-documented condition caused by essentially overdosing on quinine. You can safely make tonic syrups using cinchona, but you shouldn’t – ever. It’s not worth it, so don’t do it.

So, uh, how do you make a tonic syrup then? You use another bittering agent, of course! Just so long as it doesn’t contain quinine. The jury is still out on whether other alkaline-containing compounds such as gentian root, artemisia, dandelion, etc. in high enough quantities can cause similar effects to cinchonism, but thus far they are generally recognized as safe.

So with that, we use dried gentian root, sifted in order to limit surface exposure during infusion. When you purchase dried gentian root in bulk it tends to come in a package that has pieces of gentian root in various sizes, including a bunch of smaller pieces and dust. You’re going to want to sift all of those smaller pieces and dust out and discard that. This makes for a safer, more consistent product.

The recipe itself is the same as our neutral cordial, with gentian root added at 1% by weight. Depending on how you like it, the infusion can take as little as five minutes, or as long as 15-20, with larger batches leaning toward the latter. You can put as many or as few aromatics into the tonic syrup as you like – this bitter world is your bitter oyster. To use, here’s a base recipe for a whatever and tonic:

” ” & TONIC

2oz preferred spirit (optional)
1oz tonic syrup
4-5oz carbonated water
1 pinch kosher salt

PROCEDURE:

Combine preferred spirit and tonic syrup into glassware of choice, stirring to incorporate. Add carbonated water, stirring briefly enough to combine but not enough to lose carbonation. Add ice if desired. Enjoy.