Franklin & Sons Original Mallorcan Tonic Water
A Mediterranean tonic built on citrus rather than on herbs, which is the distinction worth holding onto. Most tonics sold as Mediterranean lean on rosemary and thyme; this one leans on Mallorcan lemon and orange, and lands brighter and less savoury as a result.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Bright citrus on the nose, rounder and less sharp than a lemon tonic, with the quinine sitting well back and a gentle bitter finish.
Storage & Handling
Cool and sealed. Cold for service.
Usage
Roughly 150ml over 50ml of gin. It suits citrus-forward and floral gins that a heavier Indian tonic would flatten, and it is a good length for a bianco vermouth.
Two Kinds of Mediterranean Tonic
The category name covers two quite different drinks. One is herbal — rosemary, thyme, sometimes basil — and reads savoury. The other is citrus, and reads bright. Both are sold as Mediterranean and they are not interchangeable.
This is the citrus reading. It matters when choosing, because pouring a citrus gin into a citrus tonic gives a drink with no contrast in it, while the same gin against a herbal tonic is a genuine pairing.
Why Spain Claims the Gin and Tonic
The oversized balloon glass, the elaborate garnish and the long pour are Spanish habits, not British ones. The gin tonic — pronounced as two words, no "and" — became a national fixation in Spain from around the mid-2000s, and it is Spain rather than Britain that pushed the drink towards aromatics and presentation.
A Mallorcan tonic sits inside that tradition rather than the Royal Navy one. It is built to be poured long, over a lot of ice, in a glass that gives the citrus somewhere to go.
What to Pour Into It
Juniper-and-root gins benefit most. The citrus lifts a gin whose weight sits low — angelica, orris, liquorice — without fighting anything.
Floral gins work well too, since the tonic is bright rather than assertive and will not trample them the way an Indian tonic can.
The one to think twice about is a heavily citrus-led gin. Two lots of lemon in one glass is not a pairing, it is a repetition.
Serving It
A copa glass if you have one, and a full load of cubed ice either way. The wide bowl is the part of the Spanish serve that actually does something — it collects citrus aroma instead of letting it escape.
Orange peel expressed over the surface is the garnish. Lemon is already accounted for.
Pro Tip
Choose between this and a herbal Mediterranean tonic by what the gin already has. A citrus-led gin wants the herbal one for contrast; a juniper-and-root gin wants this one for lift.
Top Tips
- Orange peel rather than lemon. There is plenty of lemon in the bottle and orange gives the drink a wider top end.
- It is the softer of the two Mediterranean styles. Reach for a herbal tonic if you want savoury.
- Good with vermouth. Fifty millilitres of bianco with this on top is an aperitif rather than a compromise.
Possible Substitutions
- Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic: the herbal reading of the same idea
- Franklin & Sons Sicilian Lemon Tonic: sharper and lemon-only
History & Context
Mallorca has grown citrus in quantity since the Moorish period, and the Sóller valley in the north-west built its wealth on oranges and lemons shipped to France in the nineteenth century. The island is a reference point for European citrus in the way Sicily is, and the modern Mediterranean tonic category borrows that association wholesale.
Common Questions
How is this different from a Mediterranean tonic?
The category covers two styles. Herbal ones lean on rosemary and thyme and read savoury; this is the citrus reading and reads bright. Pick by contrast with the gin rather than by the name on the label.
Which gin suits it?
A juniper-and-root gin, where the citrus lifts a spirit whose weight sits low. Floral gins work too. A heavily citrus-led gin gives you two lots of the same thing.
Do I need a copa glass?
It genuinely helps. The wide bowl collects the citrus aroma rather than letting it escape, which is the one part of the Spanish serve that does real work. A highball is fine otherwise.
Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits