On Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 4:49:08 PM UTC-7, gtr wrote:
> On 2015-10-17 23:41:07 +0000, ImStillMags said:
>
> > I'm making tonic syrup for making tonic water with the soda stream or
> > gin/vodka tonics with the syrup, spirit and carbonated water.
> >
> > I have the first batch cooling right now. I'll post the recipe and
> > methodology when It's finished which will be in a day or two....it has
> > to sit, cool, settle, strain, etc.
>
> I'm interested. I've been having leg cramps at night. My doctor
> recommended tonic water before going to bed. "Really?" I asked.
> "Yeah," he said, "My wife gets leg cramps when she plays tennis during
> the day and she plays a lot. So she downs a pint or so at night before
> bedtime."
>
> Later I looked at the list of chatter he always gives me at the end of
> a checkup. One item listed was "Tonic water before bedtime. Vodka
> optional."
>
> I've discarded my cippolinis today while making the first batch of
> infusion. They were rotted out and dated 8/11/15. I bought them
> 10/15/15. I took them back and informed them of the issue and helped
> them ID and throw the other 12 bags in the trash and most of another
> small onion type. The only one remaining that was good he gave me two
> bags for free. They were pearl. Their in the juice now.
The quinine in tonic water is what is good for leg cramps. The problem with tonic water that you buy is that they use mostly chemicals instead of infusions. Store bought tonic water is completely clear. Real infusion tonic water has a lot of color and even some sediment and is hard to get to look anything like clear because the cinchona root that is used for quinine extract turns it quite orange.
You will have to purchase the cinchona root, I got mine on Amazon. I bought the ground root. It is quite powdery.
Next time I'll buy the chipped bark ( you can get that on Amazon as well) and grind it a bit further in my coffee grinder to cut back on the sediment a bit. The ground does give you a really good infusion, I think I would boil the chipped bark by itself first so it could boil longer and get a stronger infusion.
I had purchased an "artisan" tonic syrup and it was orange and fairly opaque, so I'm not perturbed with my results. It looks very much the same and I like the flavor of mine better because the quinine bitterness and unique flavor is more pronounced. I'm pretty proud of this first batch.
So here is my recipe and methodology and a picture of the bottle of finished product.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...t=d irectlink
The drink in the glass is just tonic syrup and carbonated water, no gin in this one.
Tonic Syrup
Recipe:
۬4 c. water
۬3-4 lemongrass stalks chopped
1/4 c. cinchona bark
zest and juice of one grapefruit
۬zest & juice of 1 orange
۬zest & juice of 1 lemon
۬zest & juice of 1 lime۬
5 allspice berries
1 tsp dried lavender
5 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
2 small star anise۬
1/4 c. citric acid۬
1/4 t. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups simple syrup to be added at the end of the process.
Put everything EXCEPT THE CITRUS JUICES into a stainless steel pot and boil slowly 20 min. Then add the citrus juices and boil one minute more. (The reason I did this is so that the juice does not taste so cooked and tastes fresher and more tangy)
Let sit on the stove top till completely cooled. Overnight is good.
Strain through a fine sieve to remove all stems etc.
Strain the mixture again, this time through aÂ*strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth, muslin, or a coffee filter. (If using a coffee filter, itll remove most traces of the spice powder but itll take a bit of time, so be patient.)
If you have a French Press or an AccuPress coffee maker, this is the easiest way to filter the mixture.
If you don't have a French press or AccuPress, filter with coffee filters or paper towels.
This takes a while because of the sediment. The sediment is a bitch.
Add 1 1/2 cups simple syrup after filtering and bottle. If you prefer your tonic water less sweet use less simple syrup, if you prefer it more sweet, add more simple syrup.
For a gin and tonic use about 1-2 tsp of the syrup in a glass, 2 ounces gin and top off with carbonated water, add a lime wedge and squeeze it a little. Yum.
For just tonic water to sip, add tonic syrup to your taste to carbonated water.
This is where I really like having my SodaStream.