Quinine-Free Tonic Syrup
A homemade tonic syrup, free of cinchona bark, offers a bright flavor perfect for crafting gin and tonics.
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Instructions
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Start boiling 3 cups of water with quassia bark, optional hops, and dandelion root in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes.
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Reduce heat, add optional lavender, cardamom, allspice, rehydrated lemongrass, and salt; simmer for 20 minutes, then cool.
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Peel two to three lemons/limes and one small orange.
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Combine the cooled aromatic water and citrus peels in a quart jar, seal, shake, and refrigerate for three days, shaking daily.
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Strain the infused water through a fine-mesh strainer and cheesecloth to remove botanicals, yielding about 2 1/4 cups.
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Separately, boil 3/4 cup water, dissolve sugar, then cool to create about 1 1/2 cups of simple syrup.
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Mix 1 cup of the simple syrup and 2 teaspoons of citric acid into the strained aromatic water.
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Taste test with soda water, then adjust sweetness or tartness with additional simple syrup or citric acid as desired.
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Store the finished tonic syrup in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, shaking before each use.