How gin and tonic helped British rule in India

From Ernest Hemingway to Madonna to Queen Elizabeth II – the one thing they all share in common is their love for a bit of gin and tonic.

Queen Elizabeth II was famously known to pair her lunch with a gin cocktail on a daily basis. Ernest Hemingway spent quite a bit of time sipping gin during his days in Cuba. Madonna, on the other hand, has been known to keep her calories in check with a helping of gin and slimline.

Over the years, gin and tonic has become one of the most popular highball cocktails in the subcontinent. A serving always calls for bringing out the party glasses from the cabinet. But in the midst of celebrations, it is easy to forget how we all came to this point.

The origins of the cocktail's popularity in the subcontinent is steeped in the bloody history of British colonialism.

A hint for this dark beginning is in the name of one of the most famous gin brands in the world: Bombay Sapphire.

It was first launched by an English wine merchant in 1986, before being sold to Bacardi. The name Bombay was inspired by the origins of gin itself, which was popularised by the Royal Indian Armed Forces during the British Raj, according to The Groves & Whitnall's Globe Works and the brands own website.

The "Sapphire" comes from the violet-blue of the Star of Bombay, a sapphire mined and stolen from Sri Lanka.

So, why were the British forces so taken with gin and tonic? For that, one needs to travel a little further back in time.

The gin in the bottle

Gin is a distilled alcohol drink flavoured with berry-like juniper fruit. Many historians trace the roots of the concoction back to the Middle Ages.

In the 17th century, the cocktail gained popularity in the Netherlands, even being considered something of a national drink, according to various historians, according to The History of Gin, a website. 

The Dutch, however, did not call the drink "gin" at the time. It was known as Jeniver or Juniper. Soldiers drank the same drink, which they called genever in Dutch.

It is even believed that English soldiers, who fought alongside the Dutch in the Eighty Years' War, partook of the drink with their comrades right before going into battle. This is where many believe the term Dutch courage originated from,.

From the late 17th century to the early 18th century, gin became known as a cheap drink for the poor. It was also demonised as being the root of social decline.

A revival in its fortunes happened later, when gin once again gained a social standing and entered the homes of the aristocracy.

During these years, gin remained a fixture, but the yin to its yang was still missing. Tonic water had yet to be discovered. Once it was found, the face of gin was to change forever.

A tonic for the ages

Although tonic water was born around the time when the Dutch were fighting with the gin running hot through their blood, the two were yet to be paired.

In the 17th century, the Spanish discovered that an indigenous group in present-day Peru used the bark of the cinchona or cinchona tree as a remedy for all types of fever.

Within a short time it became popular throughout Europe as an antidote to malaria.

The main ingredient in the cinchona bark was quinine, which could be used to treat malaria. 

At the height of the British East India Company's power in the 1840s, about 700 tonnes of cinchona bark were used annually by soldiers and officers assigned to India, according to an article which appeared on Slate. 

India, at the time, was rife with malaria cases. The British feared the mosquitoes would soon drive them out. To ensure that British troops in the heart of India, where the environment was tropical, could sustain their presence, they were sent quinine.

There was, however, one little problem. Quinine was very bitter and soldiers avoided it, despite its function as protection against heat stroke as well.

Some, however, discovered that quinine mixed with a little soda water and sugar was not too bad. In fact, many developed quite a taste for it.

Gin, tonic and the British empire

India was the brightest jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Such was its importance that Queen Victoria adopted the title Empress of India.

To hold on to India, Britain dispatched some of its best administrators. It was important to keep these administrators healthy as they were exposed to a completely different climate than they were used to.

Although it cannot be pinpointed who put quinine and alcohol together, over time, this meeting did take place. Instead of taking quinine as medicine, it was turned into tonic water and then paired with a shot of gin.

It proved to be a great match!

Soon, drinking tonic water with the ration gin after dinner became a daily ritual. The British started giving their soldiers gin so they would take the quinine with it, even if it meant having a few drunk officers around every now and then.

The gin and tonic also helped keep millions of Britons healthy who were in India, a Slate article mentioned. 

In fact, gin and tonic could actually have helped Britain prolong its colonisation of the region.

Everyone knows what happened next.

It took two world wars, the sacrifice of millions of martyrs and thousands of hours of non-stop negotiations to free India from the grip of the British. After that it was possible to drive them away.

Although that chapter has ended, gin and tonic remains a favoured drink till this day. And every few years, it attracts brand new fans.