Just the Tonic

Just the Tonic is an accessible yet informative history of tonic water: its connections to the major disease malaria, the cure discovered in the bark of the cinchona tree and its constituent alkaloid quinine. It is a history deeply intertwined with botanical exploration and empire in the Victorian era, and the role of botanical gardens such as Kew.

Mark Nesbitt is a senior research leader at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and visiting professor at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is the coauthor of Just the Tonic: A Natural History of Tonic Water, also published by Kew.