Food - Drink
When To Mix A Drink With Tonic Water Vs. Club Soda
By NATASHA BAILEY
A mixer can make or break your drinking experience, and basic mixers like tonic water and club soda have been used for centuries. They’re both common bar mixing items that are used in many cocktail recipes, but many don’t realize that there’s an important difference between the two.
The main defining factor in using these mixers is their distinctive flavors; tonic water has a bittersweet note and comes in many flavors, which pairs nicely with gin, vodka, whiskey, rum, and tequila and helps balance sweet cocktails. While club soda has a sharp and citrusy flavor, making it perfect for lightening drinks with its subtle flavor.
Tonic water is defined as a carbonated drink with quinine in it, a medicinal alkaloid that gives tonic water a notable bitterness that is often balanced out with sugar or citrus. Club soda is also carbonated, but instead of using the tart-tasting quinine, it contains minerals that leave a salty flavor in the mouth, making it a common substitution for seltzer water.