Best Tonic Water?

[MGades]

I'm a big fan of gin and tonic, especially when it gets hot out.

Which Tonic Water have people enjoyed the most as their mixer?

My standard for a long time was Shweppes, but I came to that decision long ago and I don't remember exactly why I stuck with that one over its main competitor, Canada Dry.

Recently I tried "Fever-Tree" brand "Premium Indian Tonic Water", and it seems a true step above the others. It is cleaner, crisper, making the Schweppes seem thick and syrupy by comparison. Maybe partly because Fever-Tree uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup. It went perfectly with Beefeater gin, my favorite, I think it will do very well with my other gins too.

Any thoughts on this?

[scratchline]

Where'd you get that Fever-Tree? I've been dying to try their stuff. Stirrings has some good mixers that are available at World Market on the east coast. Can't answer for the tonic but the ginger ale is good and dry. Overpriced but unique. I'd really like to try all the Fever-Tree products.

-Mike

[MGades]

I found the Fever Tree at a local BevMo. It is a new product there I guess.

They have a website too and it looks like they ship to all states.

http://www.bevmo.com

From a quick web search, I didn't see anybody else in the US selling it, but I found a little write-up about the product here,

http://www.kqed.org/weblog/food/2007/04/in-fever-for-tonic-water.jsp

[fussychicken]

I personally have always liked Canada Dry better than Shweppes. The Fever-Tree sounds very interesting though! I'll have to see if I can find some.

[MGades]

The fever-tree is by far the best among those I've seen sold in my area.

Last time I went to Bev-mo they were sold out. Apparently somebody had purchased all their stock for a wedding.

If you want the best Gin and tonic, then certainly beyond finding the best gin (Beefeater is still my favorite for this) you must find the best tonic. Fever tree is it.

As for a martini, it gets more complicated on the gin side (Tanqueray 10, Bombay Saphhire). But for a 2:1 tonic:gin cocktail (with a squirt of lemon or lime) then look no further than the fever tree and Beefeater.

Just my 2 cents as a someone who has tried all possible combinations for gin-and-tonic.

Of course if Budget is a prime concern, then Shweppes + Gordon's is ok.

[scratchline]

Fever-Tree recently hit Food Emporium groceries in NYC. It's good but pricey. The ginger ale is similar to the Stirrings brand. Again a very good mixer but dry and mild. Not too much ginger bite. I have yet to try the "Q" brand tonic. All three of these were the subject of a recent piece in the Wall Street Journal.

-Mike

[mythrenegade]

It's a toss up for me between stirrings and fever tree. Not sure which I like more because I haven't tried them side by side. Maybe we'll do a tasting at thanksgiving when I visit some friends. Either one though is a big step up from shweppes, which is a step up from CD IMHO.

Joel