Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Hydroxychloroquine is in the news, again, even though the US Food and Drug Administration’s website states the following: “FDA cautions against use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems. Does not affect FDA-approved uses for malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.”

This led me to think about malaria, and about tonic water.

Quinine is made from the bark of the Cinchona or “fever tree” and has been used as both a preventative and treatment for malaria for over 350 years.  The taste is bitter, so British troops stationed in India in the 1800s mixed the quinine with water, sugar, and juices from some locally-grown fruit and voila! Tonic water was born! Soon enough, the Brits started adding their daily rations of gin to the tonic water to make it even more palatable. Weren’t they a clever lot?

So, if a daily gin and tonic could prevent malaria, could a daily gin and tonic also prevent infection by the coronavirus? Sounds like a safer bet than drinking Clorox and a safer bet than hydroxychloroquine.

I wanted a new spin on the traditional gin and tonic (not that there’s anything wrong with tradition), so this drink includes a splash of Lemon Zinger tea, but any hibiscus-based herbal tea would do. I am using Canada Dry tonic water which does contain a tiny amount of quinine (many brands do not), which can be dangerous in large amounts.

In a glass with several ice cubes, combine 1 ounce Lemon Zinger tea, 1 ounce gin, and 1/2 ounce lemon juice. Stir, and add about 4 ounces of tonic water. Garnish with a lemon wedge.