homemade tonic syrup

Now that the Fourth has come and gone, and it is officially summer in Seattle, the timing seems right to experiment with making my own tonic. Gin has long been one of my go to liquors. The bright flavors play well with others, but mixed simply with tonic and a squeeze of lime is all you need for a satisfying summer cocktail. 

I tried this recipe from Kevin Ludwig of Beaker & Flask. Let's just say I was ... disappointed?  I was overwhelmed by the tartness, but not, unfortunately, the bitterness which is what I love about quinine. Now I'm not pointing figures here. It very easily could have been user error. In a quick and dirty attempt at saving myself some trouble down the road with filtering the tonic syrup, I put the powdered cinchona bark and citric acid in a steeping bag. This could have hindered extracting as much flavor from the cinchona bark as I would have otherwise expected to get. The citric acid had no trouble exerting itself, however. Next round I would like to be inclined to cut back on the citric acid by about half. Also, I'm not yet sold on the amount of lime juice and zest the recipe calls for. I would rather add more of those flavors fresh when mixing a cocktail. Certainly I need to invest in a few coffee filters and not take any short cuts with the straining. 

So... stay tuned? I'm not promising much, yet. Check back if you would like to hear the awkward details. Yes, I will be posting them all - the good, the bad and the ugly. Knowing myself I will not keep notes otherwise. 

P.S. The best local source for the powdered cinchona bark and citric acid is Dandelion Botanical Company. Schedule extra time for poking around, as it is one of the most delightful shops you will ever pop in to.