Recess4GrownUps

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Gin, Tonic, and Mosquitoes

Malaria’s Subtle Gift to Mixology

Gin and tonic, also called a “G&T”, is a classic highball cocktail. Comprised of gin (juniper berries provide the unique herbal flavor of this liquor) and tonic water (a carbonated beverage flavored with quinine) served with lime or lemon over ice, it’s a popular drink, especially in hot weather.

But its origins belong to one of the most deadly killers of the 18th century. Gin and tonic was originally concocted by the British East India Company…as a weapon in its fight against the devastatingly lethal mosquito-borne disease, malaria.

The name malaria comes from Medieval Italian (virtually identical to the modern Italian taught today). The name derives from the phrase mala aria, which literally translates to “bad air”. (This is due to the popular belief at the time that the disease was a result of breathing in toxic “miasmas”, or “bad air”. Germ theory would not gain credibility for many decades yet.)

Malaria is endemic to tropical and subtropical regions, and British East India Company employees involved in spice, opium, and tea trading in Southeast Asia were dying by the scores. Mortality rates topped 70% in some areas, and British officials and military personnel in the regions were equally hard-hit – Europeans had never traveled to malarial regions before, and had no resistance to the disease.

It was discovered that quinine, at the time extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree and often called “Jesuits’ bark” because Jesuit missionaries in Latin America were the first Europeans to uncover its magic, had antimalarial properties. (Today, quinine can be synthesized in labs.) If taken regularly, quinine could dramatically reduce the incidence, severity, and mortality of malaria. A solution of carbonated water and quinine, called tonic, proved an effective method of dosing.

However, quinine is one of the most bitter substances known to man – so bitter that many patients will vomit after ingesting it if it is not diluted or masked with another flavor.

The juniper berry flavor of gin proved effective at masking quinine’s natural bitterness – and so, as a prophylactic medication against malarial infection in British Imperial endeavors in Southeast Asia, the G&T was created.

It is still a popular beverage in bars and restaurants the world over, though most tonic water today is flavored primarily or wholly with an artificial imitation rather than true quinine – even quinine-containing tonics contain only a small quantity of true quinine, relying instead on artificial substitutes for the bulk of their flavor. And thanks to the advances of modern medical science, in today’s world of numerous anti-malarial medications, no doctor in his or her right mind would prescribe you a daily gin and tonic.

Interested in shaking up a gin and tonic? Take a bartending class!