You may have come across tonic water many times. A tonic water is a carbonated water or a soft drink. In this article, you will get in-depth information on tonic water. Still, one question arises, is there sugar in tonic water?
1. What Is Tonic Water?
As mentioned above, tonic water is a kind of carbonated water or a soft drink. Tonic water is often mixed with cocktails as it has quinine dissolved in it. Quinine is the reason why the tonic water has a bitter taste. 1The main ingredient of tonic water quinine can be cultivated in Indonesia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The Chichona tree is where one could obtain quinine.
Many of us are not familiar with the benefits of quinine. Quinine is known for its ability to cure malaria2. It has been utilized to treat malaria for centuries now. It found its way in the late 1800s. Let us have a look at the benefits and side effects of quinine and then get to know does tonic water has sugar.
2. Benefits Of Quinine
As mentioned previously, quinine has been used and continues to be included in the treatment of malaria. Quinine has also proved to be effective against leg cramps. 3However current health experts advise that malaria treatments may lower the inclusion of quinine. This is because quinine has various side effects. Some of them may even get adverse.
The excerpts advise that the intake of quinine dosage should be minimal. Patients may get allergic reactions to the dose. If such is the case then one should avoid taking doses that include quinine or tonic water.
Who else should avoid taking doses that include quinine? People with abnormal heartbeats, women who are breastfeeding, people suffering from low blood sugar, and liver or kidney disease should avoid quinine.
2.1 History Of Quinine
Quinine found its way at the end of the year 1800s.4 When commercial carbonation came into existence, Jacob Schweppes began to set up a factory to manufacture fizzy water in London in the year 1720.
When malaria was spread during the British rule in India, we all are aware of the reach of British rule in India. In the year 1870 quinine was added to the water known as ‘Indian Tonic Water’. The water was considered to be the tonic that killed the disease. Tonic water was also known as fever tea because of quinine’s ability to reduce fever.
2.2 How Does Tonic Water Tastes
By adding quinine the tonic water has a bitter taste. However, the taste changes according to the various ingredients added to it. These ingredients include sweeteners, citric acid, carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, quinine, and natural flavours. In the end, the tonic water tastes sharp, a little bit bitter, and sugary. Why does the tonic water taste sweet?
3. Benefits Of Tonic Water
There are countless benefits of drinking tonic water. The key ingredient of tonic water is quinine which is proven to be effective against malaria. In addition to that, other ingredients possess health benefits, such as lemon juice, sugar, and citric acid.
It is also said that similar benefits can be achieved by drinking soda or mineral water. However, there is a special mixture of ingredients in tonic water. When one drinks quinine tonic water the flavour is more concentrated. This water can be effective against certain illnesses or symptoms.
3.1 Immune Booster
Similar to quinine, other ingredients of tonic water have their benefits. Citric acid is efficient in improving the process of digestion5. Lemon juice on the other hand is a rich source of Vitamin C.
There is also a report that regular intake of tonic water can boost the immune system. So if you are to drink tonic water instead of soft drinks or coke then you will surely experience some positive changes.
3.2 Lose Weight
When it comes to losing weight everyone seeks easier options. One of them is drinking carbonated water. Tonic water is carbonated water dissolved with quinine. Quinine is a bitter ingredient that is proven to boost metabolism and promote weight loss. It burns extra calories in the body. If you are planning to lose extra pounds, then you may consider drinking tonic water over diet cokes and whatnot!
3.3 Stay Hydrated
Tonic water is a refreshing drink that can be enjoyed alone or it is usually mixed with cocktails and alcohol. Most of the time, tonic water is paired with gin. It is beneficial to drink it alone to stay hydrated. Since it is carbonated water with various ingredients such as lemon juice, citric acid, and quinine, they act as energy boosters. As mentioned earlier, it has medicinal properties and is used to treat malaria.
Today quinine is just added to get bitter flavor. Nutritional value is not present in tonic water. Even then it can help us stay hydrated. Since tonic water has sugar it increases glucose levels and keeps us energetic for a long time. So, rather than drinking high-calorie energy drinks, switch to tonic water.
3.4 Daily Dose Of Vitamins And Minerals
You may be surprised to hear that a kind of water may increase our vitamin and mineral levels. But, tonic water does have such capacities. Tonic water is filled with vitamins A, B, C, and E.6 It is also a rich source of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It means that we can consume essential nutrients just by drinking water.
Not to forget quinine has several health benefits. It helps us heal leg cramps and joint pain. On the other hand, our digestive system can also be improved with the help of quinine. So when the food is better digested, various nutrients can be absorbed properly. In the end, drinking tonic water is a passage towards a healthy body and in turn mind.
4. Does Tonic Water Have Sugar
We looked at the benefits of drinking tonic water and the different ingredients that indulge in it. Is there sugar in tonic water? The answer is yes. Certain amounts of sugar are present in tonic water. In most of the tonic waters sugar act as sweeteners.
Amounts of calories in tonic water come from the added sugar. The calorie count of most of the tonic waters is 32 grams per bottle. The total amount of carbs in tonic water equals the amount of sugar included in the water. You must think that if tonic water has sugar then how it has various health benefits? Sugar is mixed in the tonic water to hide the bitter taste generated by quinine.
Since quinine levels are lowered due to adverse side effects, tonic water has extra sugar levels. The only positive benefit of the tonic water is that it helps us stay hydrated. Tonic water originally had zero calories. But a drink with a bitter taste is not preferable by the consumers. Hence sugar is added to hide the bitter taste.
5. Tonic Water And Club Soda
People often confuse tonic water with sparkling water, club soda, and seltzer. It can be said that all these come under the same roof as carbonated water. The purpose of these above drinks is the same and one might also recognize them as having the same taste.
Seltzer consists of only carbon dioxide which makes it fizz. On the other hand, club soda is also made out of carbon dioxide but also contains other minerals sodium saccharin or sodium bicarbonate. Seltzers and club sodas are mostly mixed with non-alcoholic drinks. They are better suitable alone also. They form a base for flavoured syrups.
What makes tonic water different? Tonic water has a unique flavour. Quinine forms a bitter taste profile and lemon juice, citric acid, or other flavours add to its taste. Tonic water indeed contains sugar, acids, and other botanicals. One should check the calorie count on the bottle before drinking.
6. Cocktails With Tonic Water
Now that you have understood the difference between the three of them, you can choose the beverage you want to make with all of them. The difference between these three solely depends on the sugar level and the drink that you want to drink it with.
Most of the time tonic water is combined with gin. But other cocktails will also do. Some of those cocktails are gin, vodka, Campari, Japanese highball, Tequila, Whiskey, Amaro Spritz, Portofino cocktail, Lillet basil cocktail, and the list goes on.
Tonic water is just a unique mixer that enhances the taste of the plane cocktail. Even though it has some amount of sugar and calories present in it, it has multiple health benefits when consumed in a controlled manner. It is considered a great substitute for sweetened soft drinks like Coke, and flavoured sodas.
One can also make new recipes with the help of tonic water. Some of the famous tonic water brands include Schweppes tonic water, Canada dry tonic water, Regatta dry citrus water, Top Hat classic tonic syrup, London essence premium tonic water, etc. They differ in the taste and ingredients.
So, try some tonic sodas for yourself and indulge in different flavours of cocktails and mocktails. You can not only have fun with them but at the same time improve health conditions by consuming the tonic water regularly.
7.Conclusion
However, the attention of quinine in modern tonic water is knowingly lower than what was used in the past, as it’s no longer future for medicinal purposes. Today, quinine is sensibly regulated to ensure it’s safe for ingesting, and its primary function is to provide tonic water through its name flavour.
- Marjanska, E., & Szpakowska, M. (2020). Combination of instrumental and qualitative descriptive analysis for evaluation of selected tonic waters quality features. Journal of Texture Studies, 51(6), 870-881. ↩︎
- Achan, J., Talisuna, A. O., Erhart, A., Yeka, A., Tibenderana, J. K., Baliraine, F. N., … & D’Alessandro, U. (2011). Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria. Malaria journal, 10(1), 1-12. ↩︎
- Roca, A. O., Jarjoura, D., BLEND, D., CUGINO, A., RUTECKI, G. W., NUCHIKAT, P. S., & WHITTIER, F. C. (1992). Dialysis Leg Cramps: Efficacy of Quinine: Versus: Vitamin E. Asaio Journal, 38(3), M481-M485. ↩︎
- Morson, A. (1997). Quinine. In Operative Chymist (pp. 57-82). Brill. ↩︎
- Gayathri, T., Kavitha, S., Kumar, S. A., Kaliappan, S., Yeom, I. T., & Banu, J. R. (2015). Effect of citric acid induced deflocculation on the ultrasonic pretreatment efficiency of dairy waste activated sludge. Ultrasonics sonochemistry, 22, 333-340. ↩︎
- Tonic water is filled with vitamins A, B, C, and E. ↩︎
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