Tonic Water

what was tᴏnɪc watᴇʀ ᴏʀɪgɪnallʏ usᴇd fᴏʀ nʏt’s dᴇᴇpᴇʀ sᴏcɪal ᴍᴇanɪng ɪn thᴇ tapᴇstʀʏ ᴏf hɪstᴏʀʏ, tᴏnɪc watᴇʀ was ʙᴏʀn nᴏt as a ʙᴇᴠᴇʀagᴇ ᴏf plᴇasuʀᴇ, ʙut as a ᴍᴇdɪcɪnᴇ ᴏf nᴇcᴇssɪtʏ. ɪts ʙɪttᴇʀ nᴏtᴇs ᴍasᴋᴇd thᴇ tastᴇ ᴏf quɪnɪnᴇ, a suʙstancᴇ ᴏncᴇ usᴇd tᴏ cᴏᴍʙat ᴍalaʀɪa’s dᴇadlʏ gʀɪp. ɪn thᴏsᴇ fᴏʀgᴏttᴇn tɪᴍᴇs, tᴏnɪc watᴇʀ’s ʀᴏlᴇ ᴇxtᴇndᴇd ʙᴇʏᴏnd ᴍᴇʀᴇ ʀᴇfʀᴇshᴍᴇnt; ɪt ʙᴇcaᴍᴇ a lɪfᴇlɪnᴇ, a ʙᴇacᴏn ᴏf hᴏpᴇ aᴍɪdst thᴇ shadᴏws ᴏf dɪsᴇasᴇ....

what was tᴏnɪc watᴇʀ ᴏʀɪgɪnallʏ usᴇd fᴏʀ? nʏt: unlᴏcᴋɪng hɪddᴇn hɪstᴏʀʏ tᴏnɪc watᴇʀ’s stᴏʀʏ ᴏffᴇʀs a cuʀɪᴏus glɪᴍpsᴇ ɪntᴏ thᴇ past. ᴏʀɪgɪnallʏ cʀaftᴇd ɪn thᴇ 1800s as a ᴍᴇdɪcɪnal tᴏnɪc, ɪt cᴏntaɪnᴇd quɪnɪnᴇ, a ʙɪttᴇʀ ʙaʀᴋ ᴇxtʀact ʙᴇlɪᴇᴠᴇd tᴏ cᴏᴍʙat ᴍalaʀɪa. ʙʀɪtɪsh sᴏldɪᴇʀs sᴇʀᴠɪng ɪn ɪndɪa ᴍɪxᴇd ɪt wɪth gɪn tᴏ ᴍaᴋᴇ ɪt ᴍᴏʀᴇ palataʙlᴇ, gɪᴠɪng ʙɪʀth tᴏ thᴇ classɪc “gɪn and tᴏnɪc.” tᴏdaʏ, tᴏnɪc watᴇʀ ʀᴇᴍaɪns a pᴏpulaʀ ᴍɪxᴇʀ, ɪts dɪstɪnctɪᴠᴇ quɪnɪnᴇ flaᴠᴏʀ addɪng a ʀᴇfʀᴇshɪng twɪst tᴏ cᴏcᴋtaɪls and ᴍᴏcᴋtaɪls alɪᴋᴇ....