pHenomenal Organic Tonic Syrup. Organic drink syrup for mixing your own tonic water – with cinchona bark, citrus, and a dry-bitter profile.
pHenomenal Organic Tonic Syrup is an organic drink syrup from Hamburg-based pHenomenal Drinks that lets you mix your own tonic water. It is based on cinchona bark, organic citrus juices, and organic agave syrup, and is alcohol-free and vegan. 250 ml is enough for twelve long drinks. Not a pre-mixed tonic, not refined sugar – a concentrate for mixing your own.
The Organic Tonic Syrup from pHenomenal is the essence of tonic water before the water and carbonation are added. Tonic water is a quinine-containing lemonade whose characteristic bitterness comes from the bark of the cinchona tree. With pHenomenal, you get this lemonade as a syrup: you mix it with sparkling water right in the glass. The idea behind it is simple. In a gin and tonic, the majority of the liquid is the tonic, not the gin. Hendrik Schaulin, founder of pHenomenal Drinks, no longer wanted to let good craft gins disappear under industrially produced, often overly sweet tonic water. That is why he developed a syrup that remains deliberately dry and finely balances its bitter notes. One side effect: according to the manufacturer, one bottle replaces eight to ten small tonic bottles. This saves space in the fridge and a lot of glass.
Taste
The tonic syrup tastes of clear tonic bitterness with plenty of citrus fruit. In the glass, it appears orange to amber in color; the aroma is dominated by citrus and bitter orange.
The bitter notes come from real cinchona bark. Added to this, orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit bring the full spectrum of citrus fruits into the glass. The manufacturer also describes an ethereal note of lemongrass. The result is more complex than a standard tonic, yet remains reserved enough to let your gin's botanicals shine through. That was precisely the point of its development: the tonic should accompany the gin and leave it room to breathe.
The syrup is sweetened with organic agave syrup, which is the second ingredient after water. Undiluted, the concentrate is therefore sweet and bitter at the same time. Diluted at a ratio of 5 to 1, the finished tonic contains 5.9 g of sugar per 100 ml, according to the manufacturer. Tartaric acid is used for acidity instead of citric acid. Anyone expecting a sweet, intensely fizzy tonic from a bottle will find the pHenomenal tonic tart and dry. This is intentional.
Use
For a tonic water, mix 2 cl of syrup with 10 cl of sparkling mineral water. This corresponds to the 1 to 5 ratio recommended by the manufacturer.
For a gin and tonic according to pHenomenal's house recipe, pour 10 cl of highly carbonated mineral water or tap water from a soda maker into the glass. Add 2 cl of tonic syrup and 4 cl of gin. Stir carefully so the carbonation remains in the glass. Ice cubes and a slice of lemon, lime, or cucumber finish the long drink. You are free to choose your gin: the manufacturer suggests one to three parts gin to the finished tonic as a guide.
Entirely without alcohol, the syrup becomes a refreshingly bitter lemonade. It also works well with white port or vermouth, and with an espresso over ice, you get an espresso tonic. Because the syrup also tastes good undiluted, you can use it to add tonic notes to iced tea, cold brew coffee, sorbets, or a salad dressing. According to the manufacturer, it is also suitable for cooking and baking.
When mixing, the order makes a difference. First put the water in the glass, then carefully add the syrup, and only then stir. This preserves the carbonation and ensures the syrup is distributed evenly. pHenomenal demonstrates this process in four steps, measuring the water in a scale-marked Erlenmeyer flask. This makes it easy to measure 100 ml, and the tonic immediately looks like it belongs in a home bar.
Our tip: With the 2cl glass dispenser, you will get exactly 2 cl every time. The dispenser's natural cork seals the opened bottle, so it can simply stay on while in the fridge.
Origin
The Organic Tonic Syrup is the first product from pHenomenal Drinks in Hamburg. The owner and developer is Hendrik Schaulin, who founded the brand in 2012.
The idea was born at the end of 2012 after an evening at a favorite bar. Hendrik Schaulin found a recipe for homemade tonic water, ordered cinchona bark, and began experimenting with his friend Peter Hundert. The first prototype was soon ready in the kitchen. Schaulin studied fashion design in Paris and worked for many years as a stylist for fashion and advertising clients. His enthusiasm for bars and cocktails has been with him for a long time, along with a growing collection of old bar books.
The cinchona bark for the tonic comes from Ecuador and the Congo. pHenomenal extracts the bitter substance itself: the bark is boiled with spices like a bitter tea and carefully filtered. Added to this are organic direct juices of orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit. The syrup is handmade in Hamburg and is organic-certified, eco-control body DE-ÖKO-039. pHenomenal Drinks is a member of Slow Food Germany. A year after the tonic, the ginger syrup was added, followed later by ready-to-serve cocktails.
For whom
The tonic syrup is for everyone who wants to take control of their own gin and tonic. You decide how bitter and how strong the tonic becomes, and only mix as much as you need at the moment.
It suits people with a small gin collection who want to taste every variety with a subtle tonic. It also fits into small kitchens where there is no room for crates of tonic bottles. And it is a great gift for hosts who enjoy standing at the home bar. For guests who drink non-alcoholic beverages, you can use it to mix a bitter lemonade with citrus in a few seconds. If you like it spicy, try the Organic Ginger Syrup for a Moscow Mule or Dark & Stormy. You can find all syrups, cocktails, and accessories on our pHenomenal Drinks page. The syrup contains quinine. It is not suitable for those who prefer to drink pre-carbonated tonic straight from the bottle.
Cinchona bark, citrus, and agave from Hamburg – the Organic Tonic Syrup from pHenomenal for your tonic water just the way you like it.
