Evde Tonik Nasıl Yapılır?
Evde Tonik Nasıl Yapılır?

How to Make Tonic Water at Home?

To make tonic at home, a carbon filter obtained from aquarium stores is used, and it is placed inside a coffee filter cone. Ethyl alcohol is then filtered through the carbon filter. The more times the alcohol passes through the filter, the smoother it becomes. After the alcohol is softened, it is mixed with gin, cinnamon aroma, and water in a container. With these steps, the process of making tonic at home is completed.

What are the Ingredients Needed for Homemade Tonic?

The ingredients needed to prepare homemade tonic are as follows:

  • Ethyl alcohol,
  • Carbon filter (obtained from aquarium stores),
  • Cone and a deep container,
  • Filter paper,
  • 1 ml cinnamon and 2.1 ml gin aromas,
  • Syringe for adding aromas,

By using these ingredients, you can make tonic at home. The gin and cinnamon aromas, which are added during filtration or distillation, help to improve the taste of the ethyl alcohol, making it more palatable. The more the ethyl alcohol passes through the filter, the higher its quality becomes.

What is the Story Behind Tonic?

The story of tonic begins with the outbreak of malaria in India and people drinking gin tonic as it was believed to have protective properties against this disease. The British in India preferred to consume tonic water containing quinine to protect themselves from malaria.
Over time, the bitterness of the tonic became an issue, and people began to look for ways to make it more palatable. To make tonic more appealing, it was mixed with gin. Initially, juniper berries, orange, lemon zest, herbs, and spices were distilled to make gin tonic.

This gin tonic was first popularized in India, and then it spread to the UK and the rest of the British Empire. Historical records show that Queen Elizabeth consumed Dubonnet mixed with tonic as an aperitif before lunch, and her great-grandmother, Victoria, also followed the same tradition.

Tonic water, known as an English beverage, was also consumed in Holland. The drink’s popularity quickly spread all over the world. During the malaria epidemic in England, it was reported that one in four homes made and consumed tonic using homemade tonic recipes. Different flavors were added to the drink by distillation on each continent where it was consumed.