Beverage scientist Matt Spinozzi, founder and creator of Functional Botanical Company, discusses each of the 19 ingredients in the FuncBot Cinchona Tonic. The Cinchona Tonic is made from 17 botanicals, plus fresh lemon juice and raw agave nectar – NOTHING ELSE!!! All botanical extraction is done in-house by Matt. Here, he discusses their contributions not only their individual contributions to flavor and aroma, but also to mouthfeel, color and stability.
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Full Ingredients List:
Red Cinchona Bark, Mexico
Black Omani Lime, Lebanon
Rose Petal, Pakistan
Bergamot Peel, Italy
Vanilla Bean, Mexico
Lapsang Souchong Tea, China
Sumac Berry, Turkey
White Sage, USA
Roast Chicory Root, India
Ceylon Cinnamon, Sri Lanka
Fresh Lemon Peel, USA
Fresh Pink Grapefruit Peel, USA
Hibiscus Flower, Egypt
Rose Hips, Chile
Fresh Ginger Root, USA
Lemongrass, Thailand
Gentian Root, Poland
Fresh Lemon Juice, USA
Raw Agave Nectar, Mexico
Spring Water
The FuncBot Cinchona Tonic is inspired by the original tonics, but it is not a recreation. It is a fusion of ethnobotany, gastronomy and bioscience, combining botanicals from around the world with modern production techniques. The result is an exquisite drinking experience that does not require alcohol.
When mixed with carbonated water, the result is a sublimely complex beverage with the perfect balance of aroma, bitterness, acidity, mouthfeel and light sweetness. It foams and laces the glass like a stout and does not separate even if left to sit for an extended period of time. The recipe is designed to extract naturally occurring emulsifiers from the botanicals, allowing for the incorporation of compounds that are not water-soluble, such as flavorful terpenes. These emulsifiers also cleanse the palate of fats in a way typically only alcoholic beverages do. As such, the Cinchona Tonic is a great accompaniment to meals that would be paired with red wine or robust beer. It is also excellent when consumed as a hot beverage with water, added to coffee like an amaro or used in cocktail.
To make the Cinchona Tonic, the red cinchona bark is combined with 16 other botanicals selected not only for their flavor, but also for their contributions to stability, mouthfeel, color and emulsification. The extraction process requires multiple macerations of both alcohol and water over nearly a month, and requires the use of pharmaceutical-grade rotary evaporation under high vacuum to remove and recover the alcohol at low temperature. The concentrated extract is then filtered and combined with raw agave nectar and fresh lemon juice to create a 10x concentrate. The elixir contains no refined sugar or preservatives, and is stable for over a year after opening without refrigeration.
Each 750ml bottle makes 7.5L (2 gal) of tonic – 21 servings