Have you tried the new tonic waters?

Although for some, fall marks the end of G&T (or V&T) season, I occasionally whip out the tonic water in the fall and winter when I'm in the mood for a crisp, bubbly drink. For a long time, there haven't been many options for tonic water - mostly Schweppes, Canada Dry and some private label brands (and that's still what you'll find at most stores). This summer, we found two new tonic waters in Chicago - Fever Tree and Stirrings. We also heard rumors about Q Tonic coming here, but we've not seen it yet (their website says we can ask for it at our local Whole Foods). We had a staff meeting (all 3 of us) earlier this summer to taste these new tonics with the big brands, as well as another older one we found and hadn't seen before (White Rock).

So what were the results?
All 3 of us thought that the Fever Tree and the White Rock were better than Schweppes and Canada Dry. White Rock had more citrus notes, Fever Tree had more complexity and spices. The Stirrings tonic was love-it or leave-it. One of us loved it, one thought it was too sweet, and one thought it was good on its own but not good with our Distiller's Gin No. 6 (too overpowering). Here are a summary of our findings:

Brand: White Rock
Nose: Very light, almost non-existent
On its own: Light flavor, less quinine, with tart & sweetness in mid-palate
With North Shore Vodka (you knew we'd use our own!): Light flavor, perhaps too light, but refreshing
With Distiller's Gin No. 6: Best of the Bunch - balanced and light, the gin shines through

Brand: Fever Tree
Nose: Light, citrus, fresh
On its own: Fresh, with light quinine, citrus and herbs
With North Shore Vodka: Best of the Bunch - Fresh and refreshing, with complex flavors
With Distiller's Gin No. 6: More complex flavors, with fresh citrus notes and a variety of spices

Brand: Stirrings
Nose: Citrus, sweet
On its own: Fresh, sweet, with light quinine
With North Shore Vodka: Sweet and fresh tasting, citrusy
With Distiller's Gin No. 6: Fresh and sweet, No. 6 is less present in the taste

Brand: Schweppes
Nose: Citrus, a bit sweet
On its own: Light citrus with a touch of quinine
With North Shore Vodka: Quinine more pronounced when mixed, balanced tart & sweetness
With Distiller's Gin No. 6: Quinine more pronounced, nice tartness with a mid-palate sweet note

Brand: Canada Dry
Nose: Citrus, a bit sweet
On its own: Sweet and salty, with a touch of quinine
With North Shore Vodka: Quinine more pronounced when mixed, seems a bit salty but balanced

With Distiller's Gin No. 6: Quinine more pronounced, seems a bit salty but nice tart & sweet notes

Each of us had our favorites, but the White Rock and Fever Tree scored well with all of us. We’d definitely recommend conducting your own tonic experiments – you might be surprised by the results! Do you have a favorite tonic that I've not mentioned, or have you tried Fever Tree, White Rock or Q Tonic? If so, what did you think? It took me two months to get any info from the White Rock people, so I'm thinking it isn't very available out there.

If you're a fan of interesting tonic waters, one of our favorite restaurants (and beverage gurus) has started serving their own house-made tonic water. If you haven't been there already, you should go to Custom House and try Tim Lacey's tonic water (and the other amazing cocktails you'll find).

And for some other blogger comments on tonic waters from this summer, check these out