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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Quinine. 11/15/2015

 I am shooting for 30mg, as a  daily dose to help control spasticity  in Multiple Sclerosis, as recommend by my Neurologist.


What is going on here is an acidic extraction. Quinine is an alkaloid, which is an alkaline compound derived from a plant. This reacts with an acid, in our case citric acid. A salt is formed, quinine citrate, which dissolves easily in water

The recipie below should get me close

Content Comparison by Cinchona species

Species Total Alkaloids (%) Quinine Content (%)
C. calisaya 3 - 7    0 - 4
C. pubescens 4.5 - 8.5.   1 - 3
  Used this.  C. officinalis 5 - 8    2 - 7.5
C. ledgeriana 5 -14    3 - 13
C. succirubra 6 - 16    4 - 14
So ask which varietal you are getting. The above is just a guide. Hope it is useful.

So knowing which varietal you are getting helps in knowing which are stronger etc.

The Most Popular Tonic Water Syrup Recipe Has Too Much Quinine

Let's take one of the most popular tonic syrup recipes, published by Jeffrey Morgenthaler: Basically, it's 6 cups of liquid to 1/4 cup of powdered cinchona bark, which is about 35 grams of cinchona. Extrapolate from that and we're talking about 35 grams of cinchona per 1.4 liters of end syrup, which is 25 grams per liter, and if it extracts fully, contributes 1.25 grams of quinine per liter, which equates to 1251 parts per million. That's 15 times the CFR standard.

If you use 3/4 of an ounce of that syrup in a Gin and Tonic, you're adding in 27.5 mg of quinine - more than double the amount of quinine in a commercial gin and tonic


Used 4 cup water, 10 allspice berries.   Made 3/4 liter bottle.
Simmered just over 20 minutes. 3/4 oz serving took. Brown murkey color. Left unfiltered.


  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup chopped lemongrass (roughly one large stalk)
  • ¼ cup powdered cinchona bark
  • zest and juice of 1 orange
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp whole allspice berries
  • ¼ cup citric acid
  • ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  1. Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Once mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and strain out solids using a strainer or chinois.
  4. You'll need to fine-strain the mixture, as it still contains quite a bit of the cinchona bark.
  5. You can use a coffee filter and wait for an hour or more, or do as I do and run the whole mixture through a French coffee press.
  6. Once you're satisfied with the clarity of your mix, heat it back up on the stovetop or microwave, and then add ¾ cup of agave syrup to each cup of your hot mix.
  7. Stir until combined, and store in the attractive bottle of your choice.
  8. You now have a syrup that you can carbonate with seltzer water; I use my iSi soda siphon for some nicely-textured bubbles.
  9. To assemble a gin and tonic, use ¾ ounce of syrup, 1½ ounces of gin and 2 ounces of soda water over ice.

http://www.onlybitters.com/only-bitters-cinchona-succirubra-milled-powder-500gm/

Only Bitters Cinchona Succirubra Milled Powder 18oz (500gm)
$28.99

CITRIC ACID  from internet
walmart
Jacquard Citric Acid, 1lb $8.99

cinchona and citric acid mail order from Herbal Advantage, Rogersville, MO.

http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2008/how-to-make-your-own-tonic-water/

Quinine is an alkaloid, which is an alkaline compound derived from a plant. This reacts with an acid, in our case citric acid. A salt is formed, quinine citrate, which dissolves easily in water.
4 cups water
1 cup chopped lemongrass (roughly one large stalk)
¼ cup powdered cinchona bark
zest and juice of 1 orange
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tsp whole allspice berries
¼ cup citric acid
¼ tsp Kosher salt

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
read his entire recipie

http://rain-tree.com/prepmethod.htm#.VrEWaN_TnGW

http://www.alcademics.com/2014/08/potential-dangers-of-homemade-tonic-water.html#comment-6a00e553b3da20883401a3fd43daf0970b

There's a federal standard for the use of quinine in carbonated beverages, specifically that it cannot exceed 83 parts per million in the final tonic water (21 CFR 172.575). Now, if you're working with commercial quinine sulphate or quinine hydrochloride, it's easy to calculate. Basically, that ends up being 2.48 mg of commercial quinine per ounce of tonic water.

So, let's expand this out: a typical gin and tonic is 1.5 oz of gin and 4.5 oz of tonic, 6 ounces total. That means we can expect 11.16mg of quinine in that beverage.

However, most producers of tonic syrups don't use quinine hydrochloride/quinine sulphate... and there's the rub.

Cinchona bark is approximately 5% quinine.

Let's take one of the most popular tonic syrup recipes, published by Jeffrey Morgenthaler: Basically, it's 6 cups of liquid to 1/4 cup of powdered cinchona bark, which is about 35 grams of cinchona. Extrapolate from that and we're talking about 35 grams of cinchona per 1.4 liters of end syrup, which is 25 grams per liter, and if it extracts fully, contributes 1.25 grams of quinine per liter, which equates to 1251 parts per million. That's 15 times the CFR standard.

If you use 3/4 of an ounce of that syrup in a Gin and Tonic, you're adding in 27.5 mg of quinine - more than double the amount of quinine in a commercial gin and tonic. 

Note: Does a syrup extract quinine fully from the cinchona? No - but it extracts faster from powdered cinchona versus cinchona chips or quills.

Note: Does a syrup that is sieved through a french press or a coffee filter have a high percentage of solids still in suspension? Yes - and any of the solids you swallow contribute the full amount of the quinine as your body digests the powder. 

. Hope it is useful. Species Total Alkaloids (%) Quinine Content (%)
C. calisaya 3 - 7 0 - 4
C. pubescens 4.5 - 8.5 1 - 3
C. officinalis 5 - 8 2 - 7.5
C. ledgeriana 5 -14 3 - 13
C. succirubra 6 - 16 4 - 14

So knowing which varietal you are getting helps in knowing which are stronger etc.
INGREDIENTS
3½ cups water¼ cup (1 ounce) chopped cinchona bark¼ cup citric acid3 limes, peeled zests only3 lemons, peeled zests only2 oranges, peeled zests only3 stalks lemongrass, chopped4 whole allspice berries3 whole cardamom pods1 tablespoon lavender¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Rich Simple Syrup

2 cups natural cane sugar1 cup water
You'll also need:
Lime wedgesSparkling water

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients except rich simple syrup in a one-quart lidded glass jar. Shake to combine. Refrigerate 72 hours, shaking occasionally, at least once per day.Make rich simple syrup: dissolve 2 cups sugar in 1 cup water over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool. Transfer to a container and refrigerate.After 72 hours, strain tonic mixture into a large glass pitcher. Strain tonic a second time, using a coffee filter or very fine cheesecloth.Whisk simple syrup into tonic until thoroughly combined.Pour tonic syrup through a funnel into storage bottles and store in the refrigerator.

For the Ultimate Gin & Tonic

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add 1 tablespoon tonic syrup, 2 ounces gin, and 2 ounces sparkling water. Stir to combine. Serve with a lime wedge (about ⅙ of a fresh lime). To drink: squeeze the lime wedge into the drink, then drop it in. Enjoy!

Makes about 4½ cups