Cinchona (Cinchona officinalis) is the bark from a tree originally native to South America. It is also known as Jesuit’s bark or Peruvian bark.
Primary Use
Source of quinine, the primary ingredient of tonic water.
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Historical Use
Medically, cinchona was used to treat malaria. It has also been used to treat leg and muscle cramps, as well as being a tonic for fevers.
Recipes using Cinchona Bark
I have not tried any tonic water recipes myself … but when I do, I will start with this one because I avoid mixers which are excessively sweet.
The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual has a recipe for Cinchona Tincture.
Other Notes
Make sure you filter all cinchona particulate out of any homemade concoctions. A build up of quinine in the body can lead to a condition called cinchonism. Additional information can be found here. Our cinchona bark is whole, not powdered, but some amount of powder is often present among the chunks and so caution (and extra filtering) is still advised.
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