Originally established in 1886 and sold from a family confectioner’s shop, Franklin & Sons make a range of handcrafted, premium tonics and mixers.
Back then, the Franklin brothers embarked on a mission: To introduce Victorian Britain to new taste experiences using the finest natural ingredients gathered from around the world. Today, over 100 years later, the current range builds on their efforts, combining unique ingredients to create delicately flavoured mixers that never overpower the spirits they are designed to complement
All of Franklin & Sons’ drinks are made with the best all-natural ingredients, sourced from small speciality suppliers, along with spring water sourced from Staffordshire. The drinks also come packaged in some gorgeous vintage glassware, inspired by the brand’s history. I’m a big sucker for a well designed bottle and I quite like how they have gone away from the more traditional long necked bottles in favour of a more stubby bottle.
The premium mixers on offer are Natural Indian Tonic Water, Original Ginger Ale, a Sicilian Lemon Tonic and a Natural Light Tonic Water. The tonics are made with no preservatives, artificial colours, or sweeteners and are completely gluten free.
The soft drinks range includes five delicious flavours – Sicilian Lemonade & English Elderflower with crushed juniper, Wild Strawberry & Scottish Raspberry with cracked black pepper, British Dandelion & Burdock with star anise, Cloudy Apple & Yorkshire Rhubarb with cinnamon, and Ginger Beer & Malted Barley with a squeeze of lemon. Keep a look out for reviews on these coming soon.
Back to the tonic now and the one we reviewed was Franklin and Sons Natural Indian Tonic water. I was blown away by the simplicity of this tonic – not too over powering, but with enough flavour to stop it just tasting of fizzy water. I found it to be more lighter then other tonics available and so for me this made it more pleasurable to drink – this is a tonic I would happily drink chilled over ice on a warm summers day.
Smell: Strong citrus notes with a sweet finish.
Taste: A light, delicate taste with a good measure of bitter quinine, gentle lemon citrus flavour and a delicate fizz.
In a G&T: This is a real “All rounder” tonic that matches up perfectly with a lot of different gins – from the more delicate like Bloom and Brighton Gin to the big hitters like NB and Monkey 47 and everything in between.
If I had to sum this tonic up in one word it would have to be “Simple” – and no, that’s not a bad thing. Franklin and Sons have created a traditional tonic that packs a load of flavour without being crammed full of botanicals . This tonic is a perfect accompaniment to any gin as it really allows the flavours to shine through without being too flat in the mix.
To find out more visit their website here.
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