G&T: The History of Cinchona Bark and the Birth of Tonic

You may know of it as a drink mixer, but tonic actually started as a medicine, curing malaria and other diseases. The history of tonic began in 1640 in Peru with the bark of the cinchona tree.  After curing a Spanish duchess, The bark found sailed its way back to Europe after it was used to cure a Spanish Duchess. It was one of the secret ingredients of the great imperialistic powers of England, France and Holland as they conquered the globe throughout the 1700 and 1800’s.  This crucial element to colonizing powers eventually colonized our palates, influencing cultures and countries with the magic of the cinchona bark. Rob Mariani from Alley Twenty Six in Durham, alongside Scot Sanborn of Sutler’s Gin in Winston Salem, will give us an experts tour of the finer points of this often mysterious cocktail staple.