On 2015-10-18 21:38:33 +0000, ImStillMags said:

> 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.

Worthy of consideration, particularly since the tonic water does
nothing for me. For any folks monitoring this chat for this issue: Two
tablets at bedtime of SloMag„¢, a magnesium supplement, eliminated that
issue for the time-being.

> 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 does look a bit creepy, I noted the FB post and asked about how much
you actually put in the demo drink.

> 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

[snip]

Duly snatched for future consideration. I certainly like the whole
concept of this process, and I can see it's easily modifiable for one's
own interests.

> 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.)

Logically the coffee filter reduces much in the way of oils that would
have made it through the other filter systems. I'm not sure how much
that is better or worser relative to intent. I'm using coffee filters
with some of my vodka infusions because I specifically don't want the
possibility of oil floats or separations.

> 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.

Ah--there's the proportions!

I still do my soda the old fashioned way with a soda bottle and a c02
cartridge, but then I don't use it all the time; only during certain
phases of the moon.