Quinine, which comes from the cinchona tree, or ‘fever tree’ as it is colloquially known, is tonic water’s primary ingredient, and has an important role in the history of malaria treatment. The healing properties of the ‘fever tree’ were first discovered in the 1600s when the bark was given to the Countess of Chinchon, who had contracted malaria (known colloquially as the ‘fever’) whilst living in Peru. However it was only in the 1820s, when the benefits became world-renowned. Officers of the British Army in India, in an attempt to ward off malaria, mixed quinine with sugar and water, creating the first Indian Tonic Water. It was made more palatable when they added a little expedient of gin to the mixture. The original gin and tonic was thus born, and soon became the archetypal drink of the British Empire.