Your own tonic and bitters...

[smokinghole]

I love gin and tonics but I can't help but believe that Canada Dry or "fill in blank company name" is leaving a lot of flavor off the table.

So I finally found a herb supply website that sold everything I needed to make a very unique bottle of bitters as well as the bark powder necessary to make my own tonic water.

Here's the recipes I'm following.

http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2008/how-to-make-your-own-tonic-water/

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/woodland-bitters

I likely bought WAY more than I need, but that's okay. I have also bought myself a soda carbonator cap. This allows me to use smaller soda bottles for my tonic water that I can carbonate with my CO2 tank. I can't wait to have the first batch made! The bitters takes a while but I'm really looking forward to that recipe being completed.

http://www.herbaladvantage.com/ Not only does this site have everything I needed. It was decently cheaper than all other websites I was looking at buying from. One of them wanted to charge me $20 to ship just over a pound of herb powders from WA to PA. I know that shit would fit in a flat rate box for much less than $20!

 

[aherzing]

Wow impressive, Gin and tonic is definitely my go to drink other than beer when out at a bar! I guess i didnt know what there was to be me missing tho? Pretty cool stuff

 

[Alwayslit]

Nice, love g&t during the summer. Cool sites.

 

[iCraig]

Have to let us know how it turns out, Adam. I'm curious myself. Love gin and tonic. Wonder how home made tonic will turn out with it.

 

[smokinghole]

Well I finally got around to making my own tonic. The first batch I followed this recipe and I don't like the allspice addition. So I made a second recipe and modified the recipe in the following fashion, I think it has a better flavor for my pallet. I also left out the lemon grass since I don't have any.

4cups water
1/3 cup Cinchona bark
1/4 tsp kosher salt
zest and juice of one lime
zest and juice of one lemon
zest of one bitter orange (I have it frozen so no juice)
1/4 cup Citric acid solution (I used a 50% solution I got at work, and I don't know what they used in the recipe since it is not specified)

I list 4 cups water but I basically juiced the lemon and lime into the measuring cup and then measured my 4 cups water with the juice taking up a portion of the liquid rather than ALL water. I made a vodka tonic last night to see how it tasted with out gin to mix other flavors into the drink. The allspice omitted recipe was not ready at the time of drink mixing but the other one was ready. It's good and the next batch will be MUCH better with out the allspice (I hate allspice flavor for the most part).

Then to make it a tonic syrup for mixing I just make simple syrup and add about 2/3 - 3/4 cup simple syrup per cup of tonic (post filtering of course). I will play with this more. I might just forgo the simple syrup addition and instead just add some sugar to the tonic water. That will allow for a more concentrated tonic flavor. I will keep you guys posted.

I haven't made my own bitters yet but I do have some stuff to do it. I just haven't done it yet.

 

[vivalanation734]

Sounds tasty

 

[daniyal]

Man I love reading about your experiments keep them coming bro

 

[ironchefscott]

I acutally live in the town where Jeffery is a bar manager here....great cocktails http://www.clydecommon.com/

Tried his house made tonic water....It is very different. What gin are you using? I dig tanqueray or their upscale product tanqueray ten for gin and tonics. Call me a old fashion man. I also can't get away from the gin made by martin miller for martini's....so great

 

[smokinghole]

I keep Tanqueray, Boodles and Blue Coat in the house. I rotate Plymouth, Bombay, and Whitley Neill from time to time. I really like Whitley Neill but it's tough for me to get my hands on. I can't find it in the states surrounding me, so I have to buy it when I visit friends in Chicago and I hit up a Binny's while there.

 

[ironchefscott]

If you ever come to my neighborhood.....I have some amazing cocktail places to show you. I guess we could smoke some cigars too. I have not tried whitley neill. But sadly I live in a state controlled liquor situation....which limits stuff quite a bit..

I keep Tanqueray, Boodles and Blue Coat in the house. I rotate Plymouth, Bombay, and Whitley Neill from time to time. I really like Whitley Neill but it's tough for me to get my hands on. I can't find it in the states surrounding me, so I have to buy it when I visit friends in Chicago and I hit up a Binny's while there.