I'm not much of a drinker. I may have a small glass of wine or beer on rare occasions, or a mixed drink on even more rare occasions. Drinking can make me feel a little sick so the pleasure I receive from it is essentially in the taste of the drink, not in my body's reaction to it. Because I seldom drink, I know very little about ingredients for drinks, and was extremely surprised recently to discover that tonic (as in gin and tonic) is made with high fructose corn syrup. Usually when I'm drinking plain (without alcohol) tonic at an event such as a wedding (in a tall glass with lime as a g&t might be served), it comes from the bar, and I haven't scrutinized the ingredient list on the bottle. Then I forget about it until the next event, and so on.
Recently, I made my first gin & tonic, and here's why. When I was about to leave Madison for Seattle last year, a friend who very much enjoys drinking, invited me over for a farewell drink. She asked me what I liked, and I told her I didn't drink much, but if I did, I'd want a caipirinha. (I also suggested a particular kind of beer called Spotted Cow.) At the time, I didn't realize she'd actually go out and buy the ingredients, watch u-tube videos and mix up delicious cocktails! So, at the end of our visit to Madison this summer, I invited her over for her current drink of choice — gin and tonic. I watched a few bar-tending videos, and decided I was up to the task of pouring things over ice.
My friend has given up her beloved beer, and many other beverages because of a high blood sugar scare, and although she drinks G&Ts, she told me she could only drink them made with diet tonic. Diet tonic? I hadn't realized tonic had calories (though I had noticed it tasted good :D), and I finally got around to reading the labels of the diet and regular Schweppes tonic. It came down to high fructose corn syrup versus saccharine. I was bummed. I'd really had no idea. We drank our G&Ts (I managed about half of mine), which were perfect and delicious on a sweltering late afternoon, she with her saccharine and me with my HFCS — ugh. So I did a little Internet sleuthing and discovered a new tonic water called Q, made with Peruvian quinine and organic agave. Does it matter? I don't know. But there it is. And it isn't cheap! (FYI Whole Foods sells cans of 365 brand tonic water that is made with sugar, not HFCS.)
note: In case you're wondering, my friend did reduce her blood sugar to normal by cutting out sugar and eating lower on the glycemic scale. I don't know the details of her diet but she lost more than 20 pounds, and continues to drink G&Ts while maintaining good blood sugar readings.
