Mixing it up

Fever-Tree lifts mixers to premium levels, adds a new Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic Water to its artisanal collection

Whether you like to sip on a classic cocktail like a Manhattan or prefer to experiment with new, unconventional concoctions, the spirits world has never been more sophisticated or exciting. Yet for the longest time, mixers were overlooked, an afterthought rather than being considered a crucial ingredient in an extraordinary drink.

Often containing additives, sweeteners and other artificial ingredients, these lacklustre liquids drowned out the flavour and nuances of so many finely crafted spirits.

Tim Warrillow and Charles Rolls changed all that in 2005 when they launched Fever-Tree. With today’s presence in more than 70 countries, the British company has become the leader in premium mixers and one of the most awarded, most recently receiving No. 1 Best-Trending Tonics, and No. 1 Best-Selling Tonics awards by Drinks International for the sixth year running.

Warrillow and Rolls felt that mixers are just as important as spirits to a drink, especially long drinks. On a mixer mission, the pair set out to find the best and most authentic ingredients they could, sourcing quinine from Africa and ginger from India.

“We truly believe that if three-quarters of your drink is the mixer, you should use the best,” says Kris Steed, Fever-Tree Country Manager – Canada. “Mixers have such an important role in a drink; and unfortunately, up until recently, people have been mixing carefully crafted spirits with mixers of far less quality. The distiller or blender put their heart, soul and passion into their these spirits and envisioned a brilliant drinking experience. Our mixers give the spirits a true chance to shine in the best way possible, just as they were originally intended.

“We use all-natural ingredients,” Steed adds. “It’s just like with food: to get the best possible taste, you want to use the highest-quality ingredients.”

The company takes its name from the cinchona tree—also known as the fever tree. Its bark contains quinine, which gives tonic water its bitter taste. In the 1800s, quinine was found to help prevent malaria. The British Army gave tonic water to its troops in India, along with sugar, fruit or water to help the dose go down. Always prepared, those soldiers added their daily ration of gin to their morning medicine—hence the gin and tonic was born.

Fever-Tree produces more than a dozen mixers, including a range of tonic waters, ginger ales, ginger beer and club soda, used in some of the most popular drinks in the industry including tonicas, highballs, mules and spritzes, making it easy for any bar to offer a premium product that consumers are willing to pay for.

Its tonic collection ranges from Elderflower to Mediterrannean (flavoured with a blend of essential oils from the flowers, fruits and herbs gathered around the Mediterranean shores), to Fever-Tree’s newest, just in time for spring and summer sipping: Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic Water.

Fresh cucumber extract is derived from a slicing varietal called General Lee, a specialty product grown in the U.S., then blended with Fever-Tree’s signature quinine from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A low-temperature distillation technique captures only the purest cucumber volatiles, yielding a crisp, cooling, delicate tonic.

Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic is made with naturally occurring fruit sugars for fewer calories than Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water.

“What’s unique is that the cucumbers are distilled into the liquid as part of the process, not added afterward,” Steed says. “It’s light and refreshing. It makes for a really great, fresh, floral gin and tonic or vodka tonic. It’s perfect for sitting outside on your patio during spring or summer.”

Mix your tonic

Fever-Tree mixers are created with the highest quaity ingredients, natural flavours and no artificial sweeteners. Made from quinine of the highest quality from the “fever-trees” of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our award-winning tonics have been carefully crafted to complement the varied flavours of spirits.

Use our Fever-Tree Tonic Pairing Wheel to create versatile cocktails following the simple philosophy of premium mixer + premium spirit + elevated garnish. While the spirit pairings list here is not exhaustive, we think it provides some excellent examples that any bar can use to create the best drink experience possible, but we also welcome you to explore your own.