Tonic Water Concentrate
This version of tonic water is made with real spices, barks and herbs, the color will not be clear, but a reddish hue, making it stand out in a glass!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6quarts concentrate | 20minute |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 30minute | 20minute |
|
|
Ingredients
-
1cup
cinchona bark,such as Cinchona Bark, cut
- 1cup sugar,organic
-
3/4cup
citric acidsuch as Citric Acid, Food Grade, Non-GMO, Organic, 100% Pure
- 7each lemongrass,stalks, chopped
-
8each
lime,zested on a Microplane Zester/Grater
-
4each
orangezested on a Microplane Zester/Grater
-
4each
grapefruit,zested on a Microplane Zester/Grater
-
12each
lemon verbena,leaves,zested on a Microplane Zester/Grater
- 4each kaffir (makrut) lime leaves,fresh or available dried at Savory Spice Co.
- 35each allspice berries, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 20each cardamom pods, green, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 7each star anise, pods, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 3each cloves, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 2knob turmeric, fresh,
- 1tablespoon salt, kosher
- 2teaspoon coriander, seed, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 1teaspoon grains of paradise, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 1teaspoon peppercorns, mixed (black, white, green & red)available at Savory Spice Co.
- 1teaspoon peppercorns, Szechuan, whole,available at Savory Spice Co.
- 1teaspoon onion seeds, whole, (also Charnushka))available at Savory Spice Co.
- 1teaspon fennel seed, wholeavailable at Savory Spice Co.
- 1teaspoon lavender, dried,available at Savory Spice Co.
- 1cup honeylocal variety | wildflower | orange blossom, (or sugar if vegan)
- 10cups water
Instructions
Tonic Water Concentrate Directions:
- In a pot of a pressure cooker, add the cinchona bark, citric acid powder, lemongrass (using a slicer attachment on a food processor will make quick work of slicing all the lemongrass), lime zest, orange zest, lemon zest, grapefruit zest, lemon verbena leaves, kaffir (makrut) lime leaves, allspice berries, green cardamom pods, star anise, cloves, fresh turmeric, salt, coriander seeds, grains of paradise, mixed peppercorns, Szechuan peppercorns, onion seeds, fennel seeds and lavender. This is the base of all the flavor that will infuse, marry and become the foundation of this tonic and for many a cocktail. Add the honey, followed by the water. On the inside of the pressure cooker, there is a fill level mark you do not want to add more water than that level. If not all the water is added, it is ok. Save the remaining water.
- Place the lid over the pressure cooker and seal it, locking it into place. Set the cooker to #2 setting or high and place over high heat. Once the pressure cooker comes to temperature and the steam is whistling, set a timer for 25 minutes. Adjust the heat to low, making sure the whistle stays. Once the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker cool down slowly (it will continue to cook) until the safety popup valve drops. This can take about 20 – 30 minutes. When it is safe, open the pressure cooker and take in the aroma. It’s intense! Strain the tonic into a separate pot, removing all the spices/herbs/barks. To get a clearer tonic, repeat this process using a paper towel to line the strainer and strain into a clean pot. At this point, the tonic can be cooled and used or be canned and saved for a later use.
Canning Instructions:
- To can the tonic water concentrate, fill clean canning jars, either 12 pint or 6 quart size jars and seal with a new lid that has been placed quickly boiled in water. Place the filled jars into a cleaned pressure cooker and add enough water to come up about half the side of the jars. Seal and set the cooker to #1 or low. Place the pressure cooker over high heat until it begins to whistle and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cooker cool. Once safe to open, remove the jars and allow to cool to room temperature. Each jar should pop and the lid sucked to the rim of the jar and seal. This can be tested by inspecting each lid. The lid should be concave and be snug to the rim. The jars can be dried, labeled and stored in your dark pantry for at least a year.
How To Use The Tonic Water Concentrate Directions:
- To make a single serving: Take a teaspoon to a tablespoon (3 teaspoons) and add to a glass. Add carbonated water or seltzer water, sparkling mineral water or club soda until you get the flavor you like. I add about ½ a cup, as I like it stronger.
- Another way to make use the Tonic Water Concentrate to to do a 8:1 ratio, 8 parts water to 1 part Tonic Water Concentrate, to make your tonic water. Place this in a container (Keg | Soda Siphon
) and force carbonate and chill overnight.
- To make a soda bottle worth (1 litre): Add ½ a cup of Tonic Water Concentrate to a soda bottle, such as an iSi Stainless Steel 1 Quart Soda Siphon Bottle
- To make a large batch (5 gallon): Add 2 – 3 quarts of the Tonic Water Concentrate to a sanitized 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Keg. Add enough cold filtered water to fill the keg. Seal the keg and hook it up to a CO2 tank with the fitting being set for the ‘out’ size or black color connector. Set the regulator to 30 PSI and connect to the kegs out barb. Shake and rock the keg back and forth for a good 5 minutes, listening to the gas slowly fill the keg, gurgling and bubbling with each shake. Disconnect the gas and place the labeled keg into your kegerator or cold storage. The Tonic Water will be ready in 2 – 3 days, depending on the temperature of your cold storage. The colder, the fast the CO2 will go into suspension.
) and force carbonate and chill overnight.