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High mixology isn't just about distilled spirits: the credit also goes to the soft drinks that composes it, be them tonic waters, ginger beers or else.
As bartenders know well, for instance, a good gin & tonic needs a high quality tonic water that perfectly harmonizes with the gin.
And just as gin has a fascinating history, tonic water also has a story of its own: travelling back to its origins, tonic water wouldn't even exist if, at the end of the XVIII Century, Johan Jacop Schweppes hadn't had the intuition to add carbonic anhydride to water. But to talk about tonic water as we know it, we have to wait until quinine was also added to water and CO2.
To find out more on tonic water and fizzy drinks, we decided to interview Elena Ceschelli, founding partner of Bevande Futuriste: the top quality soft drink brand established in 2014 and specially addressed to the Ho.Re.Ca. industry.
Elena, let's talk about tonic water and the ingredient that distinguishes it: quinine.
You said right, quinine is the main ingredient of the tonic water. It is an alkaloid that is extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree and was isolated and extracted for the first time thanks to light solvents by two French scientists, Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventau in 1820. In addition to quinine, these two scientists made other discoveries such as caffeine, chlorophyll and strychnine. They did not want to patent or register any of these discoveries in their name, believing that they were important for humanity and that it was therefore right to donate them.
When does the official birth of tonic water date back to?
We can say that tonic water was born in the 18th century in the colonies of India and Africa, when water was sanitized with large doses of quinine to fight malaria. To counteract the excessive bitterness, various aromas were added. The British soldiers also began to add gin, thus giving life to the famous Gin Tonic. But the first "official" note of a tonic water dates back to 1858: it was a product called "improved aerated liquid", patented by Erasmus Bond.
Is natural quinine still used in tonic water today??
It depends, there are industrial tonic waters that use synthetic quinine. In our tonic waters (Bevande Futuriste produces 5 types, ed.) the natural cinchona bark extract is well present together with a little white cane sugar, citric acid and a very balanced and elegant CO2.
There are many types of tonic water, which differ according to the aromas included in the recipe. Where does this need for diversification come from?
The varieties of tonics are very important in mixing, because their taste must blend harmoniously with the various distillates. I like to bring this concept closer to that of alchemy; I'll tell you a story about our tonics to make you understand better. We wanted to draw inspiration from women, their femininity and temperament, and we found the perfect muse in Isabella Cortese, a noble Venetian alchemist of the late 15th century. At that time the alchemists were the mixologists of today.
As in a large laboratory, we thought of creating different tonic waters by listening to the needs of these "alchemists" for their combinations. We have neutral, botanical, spicy, organic and light without sugar, with fructose.
All only with natural products, without dyes and preservatives, in the name of Made in Italy. Even the packaging recalls the woman in the various shades of pink, from bright pink to dior soft pink, not to forget the purple of the Strong Tonic for the most daring palates.
Elena, how did you get into the world of soda drinks?
I come from the world of events and communication. My two partenrs and I founded Bevande Futuriste in 2014, with the ambition of adding something that was missing in the soft drinks market. The name, Bevande Futuriste, recalls precisely this: a disruptive action, an innovative audacity in the way of approaching it. In all our products there is the search for the concept of goodness associated with organic. An organic where even the eye has its part, because our products have an elegant, in many cases colored, look: an aesthetic pleasure too.
Earlier you defined mixologists as "alchemists". How do you relate to them?
We have a continuous dialogue with them, because our drinks have been created with them. In this way we have managed to obtain perfect drinks and create high quality cocktails. Our reference is a high-level mixology, to be clear we say "from a large hotel", aimed at an attentive and receptive clientele. A concept of quality drinking, an idea of a cocktail that is served by glass and bottle so that the customer can see and know what he is drinking. We hold training courses, create drink lists for clubs, collaborate with the barmen who are the customer's "advisers". When ordering a drink, most people let themselves be guided by those behind the counter, and that's the right thing, because the products need to be told and explained. Drinking well is this: knowing the product, the quality. Then there are the right doses, balance and moderation. Experienced in this way, for example, a gin and tonic becomes another drink, and can be a transversal drink, to be consumed at any time.
What can you tell us about this very difficult moment of lockdown, as experienced by Bevande Futurist?
This must be a period of constant dialogue, we need to support each other, take training courses. Our world must make a system. This is our philosophy. For example, we have created the column "Barman in slippers": we provide the barmen with a kit, they make a video at home and everyone can see it on social networks. Furthermore, as long as the premises are closed, our E-shop works without a minimum order and without shipping costs.
Can you give us the recipe of a cocktail you love?
Sure, I'll give you one of a great soft drink. It's called Italy, an evocative name at a time when we must love our country more than ever.
It is prepared in a tall tumbler, with lime juice, ginger beer, raspberry juice or puree and a mint leaf as decoration. A delicious drink, excellent to sweeten this period of captivity!
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