Anyone try the high-end tonic waters? Worth it

[Chan790]

3. I have...and conditionally no.

I mean they're better than the $0.99/bottle Schweppes stuff but not worth the price.

For what they cost, you can make your own tonic water which is dramatically better than any commercial product...actually it costs a bit more but the yield is extremely large, like enough for 100 cocktails per batch. The hard part is sourcing the cinchona bark that provides the quinine and the distinctive flavor. (Don't buy cinchona bark by the pound...it's like $35/lb. and you wouldn't use it all in a decade unless you were giving away dozens of bottles of homemade tonic for Christmas or manufacturing anti-malarial drugs in your garage.)

The following link is to Jeffrey Morgenthaler's recipe...Morgenthaler is basically a rockstar of high-end home mixology...I keep waiting for him to write a book but he hasn't yet. Still, if you're into that kind of thing (He also provides recipes for making your own bitters, recipes for iconic classic cocktails, discussions of the origins of cocktails, tips and techniques to bartend better) bookmark his blog...I read it weekly.

http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2008/how-to-make-your-own-tonic-water/

Edit: Good homemade tonic...it's pink or yellow or whitish, never clear. The commercial stuff is clear because they use extracts as opposed to herbal ingredients. Also, the homemade stuff...you need to add 1 shot of neutral spirit (vodka works, everclear works, gin does not) in the bottles to act to inhibit growth or it will ferment and go bad.