Just the tonic: a natural history of tonic water (Kew Publishing, 2019)
Winner of the Fortnum & Masons Food & Drink Awards Debut Drink Book Category 2020
Link to website of Co-Author Mark Nesbitt, HERE.
Just the Tonic is an accessible yet informative history of tonic water: its connections to the major disease malaria, the cure discovered in the bitter bark of the cinchona tree and its constituent alkaloid quinine. It is a history deeply intertwined with botanical exploration and empire in the Victorian era, and the role of botanical gardens such as Kew.
The reader will discover the colourful history of the discovery and uses of the Andean tree Cinchona, as well as the role of bitters for medicines and cocktails, the history of hydrotherapy and the invention of sparkling water. The authors reveal the changing role of the G&T: the rise and fall, and rise again, of cocktails during the 19th century, the art deco cocktail bars of the 1920s, through to the Mad Men era and the recent resurgence of the gin and tonic as a drink of choice.
Written by leading experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, home to one of the largest collections in the world of historic cinchona. This is the first authoritative book on the history and role of tonic water and will make a unique addition to the popular drinks book market and an ideal gift.
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Reviews
Article based on the book, New Scientist, Issue 3261, Dec 2019
The authors successfully bring together the history of quinine, fizzy water and gin in this entertaining, highly illustrated account.
Well-presented and laid out, the writing is engaging...an ideal gift.
An immaculately researched, beautifully written, gorgeously illustrated history of tonic water in all its forms. We wouldn’t be drinking gin in such vast quantities today if it wasn’t for the tonic we slosh into it and this delightful romp through the beverage’s history tells you everything you need to know about this vital panacea.
There are graphic illustrations (those of weak disposition beware: some are very graphic but then some are very funny too), vintage labels and posters and even some fine tonic-based cocktail recipes. The perfect book to dip into as you swat that bloody mosquito and ponder your first G&T of the day.
Discoveries from this latest fact-finding expedition reveal nearly everything I learned about tonic water is a myth. The true story told here traverses the globe; from the age of exploration through the Industrial Revolution and beyond, before dropping readers off in the midst of a mixed drink renaissance. From fever trees to pharmacies and mixology; few tipples team with a tale as beguiling and quixotic as quinine
Jim Meehan, author of The PDT Cocktail Book and Meehan’s Bartender Manual
…It is fascinating in its own right, enlightening for those who love gin and visually engrossing for those who are searching for a coffee table addition, as well as being charitable. There are few books that will ever appeal to quite so many people and that’s why we consider it to be just the tonic for Gin book lovers this year.
Full review, Olivier Ward, The Gin Foundry
...a delightfully accessible — and richly-illustrated — tome.