Tonic water is a type of refreshing drink, which has a similar color to common water, which is characterized by having a slight sour taste and by containing a large amount of gas in its composition, in addition to being flavored with quinine, the latter is a type of alkaloid that is obtained from the bark of the quinine tree and is characterized by having nervous and digestive properties. Tonic water is popularly known as tonic and basically it is carbonated water, quinine and a series of sweeteners, which although its flavor does not appear to contain them, it is added.
In the beginning, the original formula of tonic water only contained carbonated water and large amounts of quinine, which gave it a really sour taste, however with the passage of time other ingredients were added such as citric acid and sugar, which help reduce the sour taste a bit. In addition to this, the quinine content was decreasing little by little, at present the amount of quinine used is very low, which has no effect on health, the reason for such decrease was because according to experts consuming quinine in large quantities amounts can generate side effects.
Currently it is possible to find several options of this drink in the market, on the one hand there is the traditional drink so to speak and on the other hand there are the types that do not contain sugar and there are even those with the aroma of lemon and yuzu, an autochthonous citrus from the island of Japan. An interesting fact regarding tonic water is that if it is put under ultraviolet light, it will shine, thanks to the presence of quinine sulfate present in said substance.
The use of quinine in beverages is something that has been done for several centuries, since it was formerly believed that it had the ability to fight malaria, in fact there is a precedent that proves this ability, it is said that in the seventeenth century it contracted the Countess of Chinchón malaria and it was thanks to the ingestion of quinine that she managed to heal and save herself from death.
Despite the aforementioned properties, it is necessary to point out that tonic water also has its effects on health, since like a common soft drink it decreases the absorption of calcium in the bones, this is due to the presence of phosphorus in said drinks.
