Comments on: DOTW: Tequila & Tonic

By: Doug

Doug — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:37:00 +0000

I’d like to add that I wish there was a source for good quality quinine extract that I could mix with water to mix with a soda charger.

By: Doug

Doug — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:16:15 +0000

I first had this drink in 1991 at a bar in Reno. A friend who had been reading too much Tom Robbins (not that I hadn’t been doing the same myself, we were all underage students at UNR) ordered a round of these for all of us (this combination seems like a drink that a Tom Robbins herione would drink alongside a Camel cig and a couple of lines of blow; I figured that’s why Jerry thought of it) and for a little while I was hooked. After I gained 21 power I picked up a taste for other hooches and later went through a quality-wine-and-microbrew-only phase for a long time, but I recently rediscovered this drink. Once you’ve had it you have to wonder why it isn’t more popular; it’s such a natural combination, especially with the better quality tequilas that are availble everywhere these days.

By: Ted

Ted — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:05:08 +0000

Tequila has the taste of dirt. Mexican friends keep bringing me the stuff… and it’s quality, not cheap, hooch. So tonight I mixed it with tonic. Hey it was Ok! Then I tossed in some lime juice it was better.

Next time I’m in Mexico I wonder what sort of Americano-loco look will be received. I’ll order Tequila with tonic and a squeeze!

By: JD

JD — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:36:40 +0000

I ‘invented’ this concoction tonight, after wanting a drink but being too lazy to make a margarita.

I love cold tonic water by itself, it quenches my thirst like nothing else, but I wanted a kick to it. So I added 100% agave tequila, and two cubes of ice and love it. Then I thought I’d search online to see if there’s other people doing it, and sure enough, I’m glad I’m not the only one.

To me, it taste just like a margarita, even better. I’m lovin it!

By: Anita

Anita — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:28:43 +0000

Here’s a follow-up post comparing Fever-Tree to Q Tonic and Schweppes Indian Tonic:

http://marriedwithdinner.com/2008/01/04/dotw-granada/

By: Neal

Neal — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:31:40 +0000

The drink sounds interesting, but how are you able to use it as your standby when most places aren’t going to carry boutique tonic waters? I think Canada Dry is probably the most common one, and few bars would carry multiple tonics. Disgusting tonic is the major reason I never order “X and tonic” drinks normally.

I was searching for something like this too, and I haven’t really found anything ideal yet; Campari and soda was my best candidate so far. It’s a similar idea, but this way the burden of the taste is squarely on the Campari, which most bars seem to have, though the taste is not going to be for everyone.

Since this post, have you come across any other good “standbys”?

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:35:19 +0000

Fever-tree tonic and Hendrick’s gin is seriously a drink to die for. Anyway, fever tree is exploding at all Bevmo’s right now (i work at one fyi) and it seriously can make any drink seriously better, but i’ve noticed it doesn’t work so well with vodka’s. I had a fever tree tonic with Stoli Elit and it was a bit better but i’d rather have stoli elit alone and the tonic alone. Combo not as good.

By: Jordan Silbert

Jordan Silbert — Thu, 31 May 2007 15:10:15 +0000

I also wanted to add one more thing: from my perspective the biggest difference between the different tonic waters is the type and amount of sugar used, even more than the type and amount of quinine.

For example, Canada Dry uses a gram more high fructose corn syrup than Schweppes per serving, and that’s why it tastes more sticky sweet. And Stirrings, while it uses Cane Sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, uses 19g per serving, which is 20% more than what Fever Tree uses and more than double what I use. Finally, Q Tonic is using organic agave rather than even cane sugar. If any of you have ever tried replacing simple syrup with agave in a drink you’ll know what I’m talking about – agave has a longer and more complex flavor profile, and as a result I think makes a better match for the quinine as well as the fantastic and often quickly sharp gins that have been coming out. And for anyone that wants to experiment, I’m using sweet cactus farm’s organic agave. I tested a bunch of different ones, and it was the best tasting and had the roundest sweetness. If that’s all too confusing there are some graphs on q tonic’s website that try to explain it all.

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:33:24 +0000

Inspired by this post, I bought some Fever Tree and made myself a tequila & tonic last night. I was pleasantly surprised! I’ll probably stick with my gin & tonic most of the time, but I’ll rotate this one in on occasion. Thanks for the tips.

P.S. If anyone is having trouble tracking down Fever Tree and there are several BevMos near you, you can check availability at each store at bevmo.com.

By: gilrain

gilrain — Thu, 24 May 2007 05:54:16 +0000

The Fever Tree sounds worth a shot — but before I add it to my next BevMo order, can anyone compare it with the Hansen’s offering? I’ve found the Hansen’s has the most distinctive quinine bute of the few I’ve tried — perhaps too much, but it’s certainly more interesting than the larger brands. Any opinions?