Congratulations to Kim and Mark on the award!

Just the Tonic: Winner at the 2020 Fortnum and Masons Food and Drink Awards

We are delighted that the work of PhD student Kim Walker, and visiting Professor, Mark Nesbitt, has been recognised at the 2020 Fortnum and Masons Food and Drink Awards with the award of Best Debut Drink Book.

Just the Tonic: a Natural History of Tonic Water takes readers on a journey through the history of tonic water: its connections to the major disease malaria, the cure discovered in the bitter 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.  The authors explore the changing role of the G&T: the rise and fall, and rise again, of cocktails during the 19th century, the art deco cocktail bars of the 1920s, through to the Mad Men era and the recent resurgence of the gin and tonic as a drink of choice. Written by leading experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, home to one of the largest collections in the world of historic cinchona, this is the first authoritative book on the history and role of tonic water.

Congratulations to Kim and Mark on the award! You can read more about the prize winners here: https://www.fortnumandmason.com/events/food-and-drink-awards-winners