Yes, the original purpose of tonic water was as an antimalarial treatment
(hence the name "tonic"). When the British empire starting exploding out
into some of the more disease ridden pieces of real estate, disease
started to become a concern. The British in India knew that Quinine had
antimalarial qualities but because of the bitter taste they watered it
down into a tasty beverage form - tonic water. Adding gin to the mix was
a logical progression on those hot summer evenings. Although more
effective antimalarials have since been developed, gin and tonic has
turned into a bit of an evening tradition for what's left of the old
empire. Should you have the misfortune to end up with a dose of the
disease in question there are certainly more effective ways of treating
it...although a lot of gin and tonic will make you feel a lot better
about the fevers.
Cheers,
Terry Wheeler, University of Guelph
