Mixers

Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water

Fever-Tree’s UK site lists its lemon tonic as quinine tonic water made with Sicilian lemons, 6% lemon from concentrate, and no alcohol. Its current British name is Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water, with fructose giving it 4.4g of sugar in each 100ml. It is a clear lemon tonic rather than a bitter lemon, and the tonic in our Sloe Gin and Lemon Tonic.

Quick Facts

ABV0% ABV

Legal categoryNon-alcoholic

OriginUnited Kingdom (Fever-Tree), with lemons from Sicily

Flavour Strengthlight medium

Our keeping timeUnopened: to the best-before date. Once opened, use it straight away: the fizz goes first.

Storage

Store unopened bottles or cans in a cool place. Refrigerate before use. We use an opened bottle straight away, before the carbonation goes.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

LemonQuinine bitternessCitrus peelLight sweetness

Tasting Notes

Sharp lemon acidity with pronounced quinine bitterness and restrained sweetness. Clean, dry finish with lively carbonation.

The British bottle is the light one, under a newer name

On 17 October 2026 the tonics page of Fever-Tree's UK site named this bottle Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water, with no full-sugar lemon tonic beside it. The ingredients are carbonated spring water, lemon fruit from concentrate at 6%, fructose, citric acid, natural flavourings including quinine and ascorbic acid, for 18 kcal per 100ml. Recipes and menus that say Sicilian Lemon Tonic Water mean the same drink under its earlier name.

Lemon tonic and bitter lemon are different drinks

Bitter lemon is cloudy, quinine-bitter and made with lemon pulp or peel; it is the drink an older recipe means by the name. Lemon tonic is a clear tonic water with lemon added, sharper and lighter. Fever-Tree's UK range carries no bitter lemon at all, so the lemon tonic is the nearest substitute there, and it changes the drink rather than copying it.

Lemon tonic against the drinks it is mistaken for

Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic

Quinine: Yes
Lemon: 6% lemon from concentrate
Look: Clear
Sugar per 100ml: 4.4g (Fever-Tree’s UK label, read 17 Oct 2026)

Bitter lemon

Quinine: Yes
Lemon: Juice with pulp or peel
Look: Cloudy
Sugar per 100ml: Varies by brand: check the label

Indian tonic

Quinine: Yes
Lemon: None, or citrus oils only
Look: Clear
Sugar per 100ml: Fever-Tree’s UK label gives its full-sugar Indian 7.4g

British lemonade

Quinine: No
Lemon: Lemon flavour, some juice
Look: Clear
Sugar per 100ml: Varies: check the label

Drink	Quinine	Lemon	Look	Sugar per 100ml
Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic	Yes	6% lemon from concentrate	Clear	4.4g (Fever-Tree’s UK label, read 17 Oct 2026)
Bitter lemon	Yes	Juice with pulp or peel	Cloudy	Varies by brand: check the label
Indian tonic	Yes	None, or citrus oils only	Clear	Fever-Tree’s UK label gives its full-sugar Indian 7.4g
British lemonade	No	Lemon flavour, some juice	Clear	Varies: check the label

It is written for sweet spirits

Fever-Tree describes the lemon and quinine as balancing the sweetness of fruity gins, and that is how our Sloe Gin and Lemon Tonic uses it: 50ml of sloe gin and 150ml of tonic over cubed ice, with one squeezed slice of lemon. With a plain gin or vodka it saves cutting fruit, though a wedge lets each drinker set the sharpness and a bottle has already decided.

Using it

Using Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water

Usage

Three parts to one of sloe gin, 150ml to 50ml, over cubed ice, with one slice of lemon squeezed over and dropped in. With plain gin or vodka it supplies the citrus a wedge would otherwise bring.

Pro Tip

With sloe gin, taste before garnishing. The liqueur's sweetness and the tonic's lemon usually balance on their own, and a heavy squeeze tips the drink sour.

Top Tips

Pair it with a sweet spirit. Fever-Tree writes it to cut fruity, sweet gins, and sloe gin is the obvious one.
Do not use it where a recipe asks for bitter lemon. It is clearer, sharper and less bitter.
Go easy on extra lemon. There is already 6% lemon in the bottle, so one squeezed slice is enough.
Do not hunt for a full-sugar version. Fever-Tree's British range carries only the light one now.

Possible Substitutions

Tonic Water: Indian tonic plus 10ml of fresh lemon juice: more sugar, less lemon body
Lemonade: much sweeter and no quinine; the drink loses its dry finish

Production Method

Carbonated spring water, lemon fruit from concentrate (6%), fructose, citric acid, natural lemon and other flavourings, natural flavourings including quinine, and ascorbic acid as an antioxidant, from the Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water label on Fever-Tree's UK site, read 11 October 2026.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is Fever-Tree lemon tonic?

A tonic water with real lemon in it: carbonated spring water, lemon fruit from concentrate at 6%, fructose, citric acid, natural flavourings and quinine. Fever-Tree names Sicilian lemons as the source. There is no alcohol in it; British bottles are 200ml and 500ml.

Does Fever-Tree make a bitter lemon?

Not in its UK range as we checked it on 17 October 2026: Fever-Tree’s UK site lists no bitter lemon, and the address for one returns nothing. The lemon tonic is the nearest bottle, but it is a clear, lighter drink; a recipe written for bitter lemon will come out less bitter and less cloudy with it.

Is lemon tonic the same as bitter lemon?

No. Bitter lemon is a cloudy soft drink of quinine and lemon, often with pulp or peel, and noticeably more bitter. Lemon tonic is a tonic water with lemon added, clear and sharper rather than drier. Both contain quinine, so either turns a spirit and lemon into something drier than lemonade.

Is there a full-sugar Fever-Tree lemon tonic?

No. The British range offers Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water alone, at 4.4g of sugar per 100ml with fructose; addresses for a regular or Sicilian lemon tonic return nothing. Our Sloe Gin and Lemon Tonic recipe still calls it Sicilian Lemon Tonic Water, the older name.

Why does lemon tonic suit sloe gin?

Sloe gin is a liqueur, sweet and fruity, and plain tonic adds more sugar to it. The lemon tonic brings acid and quinine instead, which is how Fever-Tree describes its job: cutting the sweetness of sweet, fruity gins. Swap in lemonade and the drink turns much sweeter.

Does lemon tonic need a garnish?

Not much of one. The lemon is already in the bottle, so a wedge pushed in on top sharpens a drink that is already sharp. Our recipe squeezes one slice of lemon over the glass and drops it in; the serve on Fever-Tree's site suggests a twist of lime. Either works in moderation.

Sources.

Correct as of 17 October 2026.

Fever-Tree (UK), “Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water”.
Fever-Tree (UK), “Tonics range”.
Fever-Tree (UK), “Premium Indian Tonic Water”.

Make something

Made with Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Lemon Tonic Water

Featured In These Cocktails

Sloe Gin & Lemon Tonic

Often Used With

Updated 17 October 2026

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