Who knew that the classic Gin and Tonic had Colonial India roots? (Credit: Stock Image, Unsplash)
\n\nThe year is 2010 and the 95-year-old Mary Edith Keyburn is breathing her last in a United States hospital. She passes away peacefully, after a life well-lived though there is a curious concoction discovered next to her bed, in a tea cup nonetheless – gin and tonic of course. Reportedly smuggled into the hospital in a water bottle and later poured into a teacup to avoid suspicion, Keyburn's last antics were immortalised by her friends and family who founded International Gin and Tonic Day ont the date of her passing, to commemorate her and her zest for life (and of course, the drink).
\n\nNow lets zoom back to 19th century India. The Gin and Tonic lore goes that British officers and soldiers stationed in the subcontinent during the British colonial rule were required to take bitter quinine. Now, the 'bitter' here manifests itself in the most extreme form, given that the quinine was extracted from the cinchona tree bark. The prime reason behind this torture ritual for the taste buds? Preventing malaria. The drink had a reputation for being near unpalatable, worse than you…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle
