Friday, August 31, 2007
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits
Prophylaxis to the Max
High-end tonic water
Stirrings Bitter Lemon Soda
CREDIT: Stirrings |
By Jason Tesauro and Phineas Mollod
The history of tonic water follows the classic colonial script. Spanish viceroys in Peru were told of the miraculous quina tree bark and its prophylactic properties against malaria and other ailments, and soon began exploiting the Andean resources, with quinine becoming as valuable as gold for its medicinal properties. In apparent gratitude, Pizarro soon arrived on horseback and wiped out the Incas. Later, hard-drinking British colonials in India took their quinine mixed with gin, lime and sugar, making the first gin and tonic. By WWII, quinine was synthetically produced, and today, most unknowing drinkers slurp down a sorry tonic water, riddled with cheap ingredients and producing a taste profile akin to baby aspirin muddled with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
But wait! Enter Brooklynite Jordan Silbert, who, in late 2006, manufactured Q Tonic, a high-end tonic water worthy of top-shelf gins and cocktail mixing; his only qualifications were being a gin-and-tonic enthusiast and being told by his grandmother that gin was good for your teeth. The outcome is a wonderful balance: delicate sharpness; slight carbonation; gentle, natural sweetness; and a finish of the bitter quinine—all without overpowering gin’s subtleties. The Sunday Paper recently sat down with Silbert to learn more about his creation.
Q Big picture: What is the ethic of Q tonic?
A Q Tonic has a quick sharpness and gently rounded sweetness that makes a real three-note cocktail that complements the juniper in a good gin. Tonic should allow you to taste the gin, giving sophisticated drinkers more choice. Also, we use a higher quality carbonating stone to make champagne bubbles, small and crisp.
Thank you for eschewing the evil goop known as HFCS in favor of agave syrup.
Agave is just better than cane sugar (and not even appropriate to use in the same sentence as HFCS). In particular, I really like the length and roundness of its sweetness, its crispness, as well as its earthy notes. All in all, I think agave matches much better with the juniper in gin than cane sugar and, again, makes a true cocktail out of a gin and tonic with three major notes and a host of minor ones.
Tell us about your quinine source and how vital this ingredient is to Q Tonic?
I literally named the company “Q” because of how important I felt the difference was in our quinine compared to what big corporations like Schweppes use. We use quinine from real South American trees, not synthetic quinine developed in a lab in New Jersey. They value cost effectiveness, and we value making the best possible product we can.
During early experimentation with tonic recipes, were there lots of burnt pans and sticky beakers languishing in your small Brooklyn kitchen, causing neighbors to think you were starting an urban meth lab?
It wasn’t as much my neighbors as my roommate. We had pots and pans filled with various quinine extracts everywhere … a disaster. Fortunately, we were—and still are—pretty good friends. Though, he did move out a year or so after I started with the science fun. SP
Phineas and Jason are the authors of “The Modern Gentleman” and “The Modern Lover.” E-mail them at booze@sundaypaper.com.
Q leads the pack, but its boutique run makes it a tough find (ask about it at Whole Foods Market). To upgrade your highballs without having to join a waitlist, check out Stirrings, makers of fine bar products. From garnishes to handsome liquid gift sets, they’re an excellent go-to for smart mixology.
TASTE TEST
We lined up Stirrings Bitter Lemon Soda, Ginger Ale and Tonic Water with an assortment of white (gin, vodka, rum) and brown (bourbon, Irish whiskey) liquors. The Bitter Lemon earned mixed reactions, but its intense bitterness was a huge hit with amaro fans who enjoy the likes of Fernet Branca and San Bitter. It made a lovely whiskey sour with Jim Beam, but there was no luck with the Irish. With vodka and gin, it showed floral notes nicely and made for a refreshing cooler.
The Ginger Ale sang with Maker’s Mark. We also made a gin and ginger cocktail, which we conjectured was originally the result of a drunken stutter for something nonalcoholic for the road. Somewhere between ginger ale and ginger beer, the heat on the nose mellowed in the mouth to a smooth finish.
The Tonic stood out proudly from our control group grocery store tonic, yet still seemed sweet compared to the Q. Nevertheless, we’ll stick to a QRS philosophy … when there’s no Q to pour, reach for Stirrings.