On an unknown date in the 1700s, a Scottish doctor George Cleghorn discovered that quinine could be used to prevent and treat Malaria. When the army of the British East India Company arrived in the tropical climate of India, the fatal malarial situation had to be countered somehow. They were advised to regularly take quinine as a preventative measure.
However, quinine was too bitter to be consumed on its own. Their solution to this problem was unique: they started adding a mixture of lemon, sugar, water, and gin to make the utter bitterness of quinine tolerable.
They called this cocktail gin and tonic. I call it love.
Beyond Six Rivers 