Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water
Fever-Tree's aromatic tonic is a pink tonic water flavoured with angostura bark, cardamom, pimento and ginger alongside quinine, with no alcohol. British shops now get it only as Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water, whose fructose comes to 4.4g of sugar in every 100ml. It is the tonic in our Pink Gin and Tonic, where it colours the drink and adds warm spice.
Quick Facts
Store unopened bottles in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate before use. We use an opened bottle straight away, while the carbonation and aroma last.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Soft, rounded sweetness upfront followed by warming spice and subtle bitterness. Less sharp than classic tonic, with lingering aromatic depth and a lightly spiced finish.
The full-sugar bottle has left the British range
Fever-Tree's UK range, checked on 17 October 2026, lists the aromatic tonic as Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water and nothing else: no full-sugar version appears on the tonics page, and the old product address redirects to the light one. Its ingredients run from spring water and fructose through quinine-bearing natural flavourings to anthocyanins for colour, safflower extract and angostura bark extract, giving 18 kcal per 100ml in a 200ml bottle.
Bark and spice set it apart from Indian tonic
Angostura bark comes from a South American tree and is a bittering agent in its own right, softer and warmer than quinine. Fever-Tree pairs it with cardamom, Jamaican pimento berries, ginger and Madagascan vanilla, so the tonic smells of spice before it tastes bitter. The colour is a separate ingredient, anthocyanins, which is why the shade and the strength of flavour do not move together.
Aromatic tonic against an Indian tonic (Fever-Tree’s UK labels, read 17 October 2026)
Refreshingly Light Aromatic
- Sugar per 100ml
- 4.4g (fructose)
- Energy per 100ml
- 18 kcal
- Bittering
- Quinine and angostura bark
- Colour
- Pink (anthocyanins)
Premium Indian
- Sugar per 100ml
- 7.4g (sugar)
- Energy per 100ml
- 30 kcal
- Bittering
- Quinine
- Colour
- Clear
Refreshingly Light Indian
- Sugar per 100ml
- 3.8g (fructose)
- Energy per 100ml
- 15 kcal
- Bittering
- Quinine
- Colour
- Clear
| Tonic | Sugar per 100ml | Energy per 100ml | Bittering | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refreshingly Light Aromatic | 4.4g (fructose) | 18 kcal | Quinine and angostura bark | Pink (anthocyanins) |
| Premium Indian | 7.4g (sugar) | 30 kcal | Quinine | Clear |
| Refreshingly Light Indian | 3.8g (fructose) | 15 kcal | Quinine | Clear |
It needs a gin with a firm juniper line
Our Pink Gin and Tonic follows Fever-Tree's published serve of juniper-rich gin and orange peel, at our measures: 50ml of juniper-rich gin, 150ml of the tonic and a glass full of cubed ice, with a strip of orange peel expressed over the top. Juniper gives the spice something to lean on. Cardamom- or pepper-forward gins double the effect and blur it, and a soft floral gin simply disappears.
Without the bottle, the older pink gin route still works: dashes of Angostura bitters with gin and an Indian tonic water. That drink is drier and more clove-led, and its colour is closer to rose-brown than pink.
Using Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water
Usage
Use 150ml to every 50ml of juniper-rich gin, over a glass packed with cubed ice, and finish with a strip of orange peel expressed over the top. It suits a gin with a firm juniper line; a soft floral gin gets lost under the spice.
Pro Tip
The pink does not tell you how strong the spice is. Judge the drink by smell after the peel goes in, and if the spice is faint, the gin is too soft for this tonic, not the measure too small.
Top Tips
- Expect the words Refreshingly Light on any UK bottle. Fever-Tree's British range lists no full-sugar aromatic, and its old web address redirects to the light one.
- Use orange peel, as Fever-Tree's own serve does. Orange suits the cardamom and pimento; lemon adds a sharpness the spice does not need.
- Pick a juniper-led gin. A gin already heavy on cardamom or pepper repeats what the tonic is doing.
- Expect a dry, light-bodied drink. At 4.4g of sugar per 100ml it is sweetened at around half the level of a full Indian tonic.
Possible Substitutions
- Tonic Water: Indian tonic: no spice or colour; a few dashes of Angostura give some of both
- Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water: herbal rather than spiced, and not pink
Production Method
Carbonated spring water with fructose, citric acid, natural flavourings including quinine, colour (anthocyanins), safflower extract and angostura bark extract, in the order the UK label gives them on Fever-Tree's British site, read 11 October 2026.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is Fever-Tree aromatic tonic?
Is there still a full-sugar Fever-Tree aromatic tonic?
What makes aromatic tonic pink?
Is it the same as Angostura bitters?
How much sugar is in it?
What gin goes with aromatic tonic?
Can I make a pink G&T without it?
Sources.
Checked between 17 October and 19 October 2026.
- Fever-Tree (UK), “Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water”.
- Fever-Tree (UK), “Premium Indian Tonic Water”.
- Fever-Tree (UK), “Tonics range”.
- Difford’s Guide, “Angostura-style aromatic bitters” (secondary source: the original Angostura bitters take their name from the town of Angostura, Venezuela, and contain no angostura bark).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Matt Pietrek), “Angostura Bitters” (secondary source: 44.7% ABV; most recipes call for a few dashes).
Made with Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Aromatic Tonic Water
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Updated 19 October 2026