Peachy's Pantry: Fever-Tree Bitter Lemon Highly Recommended by Whom You Know
Here it is, mid April and the temperature here in Florida is 80 degrees and I have just come back from walking the dog. I am looking for thirst quencher that is not sweet, so I reach for a bottle of Fever-Tree Bitter Lemon. This concoction of spring water, cane sugar, the oil-pressed extracts from Sicilian lemons, and quinine was just what I needed. Poured over ice, the bubbles came to the brim of the glass, which had me wondering how to they get all that carbonation into those single serving bottles. The aroma of those lemons almost made me think I was in Italy, it was that fresh. I think that the recyclable glass bottles that Fever-Tree uses for all their premium mixers has something to do with it, no plastic bottles for me. Later tonight, I think I will put that Bitter Lemon to work again, this time with my equally premium vodka of choice, which is Star Vodka of course.
Fever Tree Bitter Lemon is a great mixer. It's great to use this as an alternative to tonic water. It's all natural and has no chemicals. I simply can't get enough :) It doesn't make a drink sugary or anything. I find it refreshing in basically every drink. I like to put it into my vodka and gin-based drinks.
I first tried Fever-Tree bitter lemon all on its own. I thought I would have to dilute it with something, but even though it is bitter as the name suggests, it was quite tasty and refreshing all by itself. I actually decided to drink the whole bottle to quench my thirst. Later I decided to make a Yellow Fever cocktail using the recipe on the Fever-Tree website. This cocktail is a mix of vodka, orange juice and the bitter lemon. It was extremely refreshing and delicious. I am going to make sure to have it available at my next cocktail party!
Fever-Tree Mixers:
Why do business in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Because it makes for a very good gin & tonic.
Here’s a story we believe will intrigue your readers. It’s the story of Fever-Tree Ltd., a young entrepreneurial venture that has not only become successful, but has a fascinating (and sometimes dangerous) story to tell.
Fever-Tree Ltd., is a cocktail mixer company that has two strategic business advantages. They saw a void in the mixer market and successfully filled it, and, they have gone to extreme lengths to hunt down premium ingredients around the world for their range of cocktail mixers.
Worldwide sales have doubled in the past year and more upscale hotels and restaurants, as well as more premium retailers are bringing Fever-Tree on board.
Fever-Tree's range of premium natural mixers has pioneered a new drinks category worldwide and is changing both customer's and the drinks industry's perception of the importance of the mixer.
Originally sold in 200ml bottles, we will begin selling 500ml bottles of Fever-Tree this spring.
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This story starts not long ago in England, where two entrepreneurs realized that the mixers used to make their favorite gin and tonics were abysmal. Dominated by low quality offerings that show little regard for taste or enjoyment, the mixer market is defined by synthetic colors and cloying flavors, manufactured quinine, chlorinated water, and plastic packaging. They hit upon the idea to create a luxury mixer that would enhance the flavor of premium spirits rather than drown it.
And so grew the seeds for the product called Fever-Tree. Replacing artificial flavors with the highest quality natural ingredients, sourced from small specialist suppliers around the world, has set the Fever-Tree mixer range apart.
The award winning Fever-Tree range is made with the finest and most authentic natural ingredients available. They are all-natural, with no high fructose corn syrup, flavorings or colorings. The range includes Tonic Water, Light Tonic Water, Club Soda, Ginger Beer, Ginger Ale and Bitter Lemon.
And where does the Republic of Congo fit into the story?
Fever-Tree’s goal is to use only the finest ingredients and the Congo is the best source in the world for cinchona trees, the source of quinine, the prime ingredient in tonic water. The brand name, Fever-Tree, was chosen due to ‘Fever Tree’ being the colloquial name for the cinchona tree in which quinine, a key ingredient for tonic, is found. Quinine is an ingredient well documented for its curative powers from treating malaria to reducing fevers.
In the midst of this lawless, war-torn African country, the production of quinine remains one of the last thriving businesses. The home of the last remaining plantation of original fever trees is still in existence.
Fever-Tree’s co-founder, Tim Warrillow, recently ignored the obvious risk of visiting the Congo to visit one plantation from which the quinine for Fever-Tree is sourced. Soldiers armed with AK47s and rocket launchers were only one of many roadblocks on the long journey to the plantation. Through adversity the plantation is prospering, having made a reputation for producing the finest natural quinine, (still harvested with traditional methods). The plantation is not only one of the biggest employers in the region but they are also the only company to maintain roads, run schools and finance malaria clinics and hospitals. While their main business is supplying pharmaceutical companies, Fever-Tree is the only drinks company to be visiting and working directly with this extraordinary plantation. Fever-Tree Ltd. is delighted to be supporting this remarkable plantation, by using its highest grade natural quinine in its Indian Tonic Water and Bitter Lemon.
Premium ingredients from around the world: Italy, Nigeria and Ecuador
It’s not just the Congo that supplies premium ingredients. Fever-Tree sources fresh green ginger from the Ivory Coast. Fever-Tree co-founder Charles Rolls traveled to the Ivory Coast last year to meet ginger plantation owners so they can procure fresh green ginger that goes into both the Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer. Similar to cutting into a fresh ginger root – the aroma is a ginger with a lime and citrus lifted scent.
Two additional gingers used are an earthy/chocolaty ginger from Cochin in Southern India, and a hot Nigerian ginger which adds more earthy, ginger-cake spice.
The Bitter Lemon sources oil-pressed extracts from lemons in Sicily.
Co-founders Warrillow and Rolls personally visits these farms, plantations and facilities to ensure the highest quality ingredients are used in Fever-Tree mixers.
Brands of Britain, LLC, is a source for key food & beverage brands from the United Kingdom. The Company provides U.S. retail and distribution partners an efficient method to source category leaders and innovative products from Britain. Brands of Britain’s fine family of foods includes: Taylors of Harrogate Tea and Coffee, Yorkshire Tea, Fever-Tree Mixers, Eat Natural Bars, Dean’s Cookies and Highland Spring and Gleneagles waters.
