The Gin and Tonic was born out of medicinal necessity rather than leisure. In the 18th and 19th centuries, British soldiers in tropical climates like India were required to take quinine to prevent and treat malaria. Quinine was extremely bitter, so soldiers began mixing it with water, sugar, and lime to make it drinkable—this became 'tonic water.' Eventually, they added their gin ration to the mixture, creating the classic cocktail. Winston Churchill once famously remarked, 'The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen's lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.' Today, tonic water contains much less quinine and is sweetened, but it still glows a faint fluorescent blue under UV light because of the quinine's natural properties.