Drink to your health

Thing For The Day 2

Today I learned yet another useless factoid. This one concerns the genius of a popular bar room/saloon favorite - the Gin and Tonic. In the 18th century the British and by extension the British East India Company had taken control of India. While there the British realized that many of their soldiers were dying of a strange disease called Malaria. Thankfully for British soldiers and the world at large a medicine called Quinine was developed to combat and prevent the disease. Unfortunately the medicine even in its most distilled form (Tonic Water) still tasted horrible. Accounts have described it as horribly bitter. So these intrepid souls decided to add a bit of booze to make this live saving process a little easier to manage.

The beverage returned to England in the hearts and in the livers of former British soldiers. No longer burdened with army rations the drink could be made more tolerable by including limes, lemons and or ice. Also, beneficial to the popularity of the drink was the fact that over time Tonic water came sweetened which put even more distance between the beverage and its bitter tasting past.

The beverage can now be found in bars, restaurants, homes and even grocery stores the world over.